How to Fix a Patchy Lawn

Most bare patches are easy to fix once you know what caused them. Find the cause, sort it out, then sow seed or lay a turf patch at the right time of year.

The UK climate is on your side here. Mild weather and plenty of rain mean grass bounces back well if you repair it in spring or early autumn. For the best months for every lawn job, see our lawn care calendar.

What causes bare patches in a lawn?

Bare patches usually come from dog wee, wear, shade, disease, grubs, scalping or drought. Work out which before you sow, or the patch will be back within weeks. Each one leaves its own clues.

Dog urine burns

Dog wee patches are brown in the middle with a ring of extra-green grass around the edge. The wee is so strong it burns the grass. Around the edge, it’s diluted enough to act like a feed.

Watering the spot straight away is the best prevention. A good soak with the hose dilutes it before it does damage. For tougher grasses, toilet areas and more, see our guide to dog-proofing your lawn.

A brown centre with a ring of extra-green grass is the classic dog wee mark. A quick soak with the hose straight after dilutes it before it burns.

Heavy foot traffic and wear

Wear patches show up along shortcuts, under swings, in goalmouths and by the washing line. The soil gets squashed hard, so roots can’t get air or water and the grass dies off.

Push a screwdriver into the soil. If it’s a struggle in the top few centimetres, the ground is compacted. Spike it with a garden fork or hollow-tine aerator before you reseed.

Shade from trees and buildings

Shade patches creep in as trees grow or new sheds and fences go up. Most lawn grasses need a good few hours of sun a day. In heavy shade the grass thins, moss moves in and bare soil starts to show.

Lifting the lowest tree branches lets in more light. Where the shade is there to stay, sow a shade mix with creeping red fescue and smooth-stalked meadow grass. Heavy soil often makes shade problems worse, and our guide to improving clay soil can help.

Lawn disease

Red thread shows as pinkish or bleached patches, often with fine red threads on the grass. It’s most common from late summer into autumn on hungry lawns in muggy weather.

Fusarium patch makes round yellow-brown patches in autumn and winter. It spreads fastest in long wet spells and where snow has sat on the grass.

Both are signs of a stressed lawn. Regular feeding, better air flow and not watering late in the evening all help.

Chafer grubs and leatherjackets

If turf peels back like a loose carpet, grubs are eating the roots. Chafer grubs are white and C-shaped. Leatherjackets are the grey-brown, legless young of crane flies (daddy longlegs).

Damage shows from late summer to spring, and it’s often made worse by birds, foxes and badger damage to a lawn as they dig for the grubs. If badgers are the culprits, see how to deter badgers safely and legally. Rabbits also scrape bare patches, so if the edges look nibbled, read how to stop rabbits digging up your lawn.

The usual treatment for grubs is nematodes, tiny worms you water into the lawn. Buy the right type for the grub you have, and apply them in late summer or early autumn while the soil is still warm.

If the turf lifts like a loose rug, grubs have eaten the roots. Birds and foxes digging for them often do the most visible damage.

Scalping from mowing too short

Scalping is when the mower shaves the grass down to the soil, leaving brown scars. It mostly happens on bumps and raised edges. Raise the blades a notch and level the bumps with a sandy top-dressing. A firm mowing strip along raised edges helps too, as our lawn edging guide explains.

Drought stress

Drought patches appear in long dry spells, first on sunny slopes, sandy soil and thin soil over buried rubble. The grass turns straw-coloured and goes dormant. Most lawns green up again when the rain returns, though thin areas may let weeds in.

Causes of lawn patches and what to do

How to overseed bare patches

Overseeding just means sowing new seed into a thin or bare patch. It’s cheap, and done well it blends in with the rest of the lawn within a month or so.

Seed scattered on a freshly raked patch, ready to be pressed in.

Step-by-step overseeding

1. Rake the patch. Pull out dead grass, moss and bits, and scratch up the surface.
2. Loosen the top 2-3cm with a hand fork to break any crust.
3. Add a thin layer of compost if the soil is poor. Our guide on how to make compost shows you how to make your own.
4. Scatter the seed at about 35g per square metre on thin grass, or 50g on bare soil. Mixing it with a little dry sand helps you spread it evenly.
5. Press it in with the back of a rake or your feet. Just a light covering of soil is plenty.
6. Water gently with a fine rose so you don’t wash the seed away.
7. Keep it moist for two weeks. This is the step most people skip. In dry weather, water morning and late afternoon. Seedlings die fast if the surface dries.

Aftercare for overseeded patches

Keep off the patch for about four weeks. Wait until the new grass is 5-6cm tall before the first cut, and set the mower high with a sharp blade so you don’t tug out the seedlings.

Don’t use weedkiller on the new grass for at least 12 weeks.

Why is my grass seed not growing?

Usually the soil is too cold or dry, the seed isn’t touching the soil, or birds have had it. Check these before you sow again:

• Cold soil. Seed sits and waits in cold soil, so early March or late October sowings can be slow.
• Dry surface. Seed that starts to sprout and then dries out dies.
• Buried too deep. Seed more than about 1cm down often doesn’t make it.
• Birds. Pigeons and sparrows love it. Cover the patch with fleece or netting.
• Weedkiller. Some feed-and-weed products stop seed coming up for weeks. Check the label.
• Old seed. Seed kept in a damp shed goes off. Buy fresh each year.

Choosing the right grass seed mix

Most family lawns suit a hard-wearing perennial ryegrass mix. Use a fescue-rich shade mix under trees.

A mix of mostly perennial ryegrass with some creeping red fescue suits most gardens. It takes wear, puts up with a bit of shade and stays green in mild winters. Under trees, use a shade mix and let in more light if you can.

How to prepare soil for bare patch repair

Clear the patch, loosen the soil, add a little compost and level it. Fifteen minutes of prep is the difference between seed that thrives and seed that washes away.

Clearing the damaged area

Rake out all the dead grass and bits. If disease or grubs killed the patch, bag the debris rather than composting it.

If the soil is compacted, push a garden fork in every 10cm or so and wiggle it gently to open the ground without turning it over. On heavy clay, brush in some sharp sand or grit afterwards.

Improving poor soil

Bare patches often have worse soil than the rest of the lawn. Work a centimetre or two of sieved compost into the top few centimetres before you sow. It helps the soil hold water and gives seedlings a good start.

On very heavy or wet soil, mix some horticultural grit into the top layer to help it drain. Our guide to improving clay soil has more ideas.

Levelling the surface

Bare patches often sit lower than the lawn around them. Top them up with topsoil and compost until they’re about 1cm higher than the lawn. It will settle as you water and walk on it.

Check the level with a straight board or the back of a rake. A bump catches the mower and scalps, which starts the whole thing again.

How do you fix bumps and hollows in a lawn?

Fill shallow dips a little at a time with top-dressing. Lift the turf for deeper dips or bumps. Uneven ground causes scalping, a common reason patches keep coming back. If fresh mounds keep appearing, see how to get rid of moles.

• Shallow dips (under 2cm): spread a sandy top-dressing over the dip and brush it into the grass. No more than 1cm at a time, so the grass can grow through. Repeat every few weeks in spring or autumn.
• Deeper dips and bumps: cut an H shape across the area with a half-moon edger. Fold back the two flaps of turf. Add soil to fill a dip or take some out to lower a bump. Firm it, fold the turf back, press it down and water well.

The RHS guide to repairing lawns shows this method and suggests a home-made top-dressing of sandy loam, sharp sand and peat-free compost.

Using turf patches for an instant fix

A turf patch looks finished the day you lay it. It’s best for bigger bare spots, or busy areas where seed would get trampled.

How to lay turf patches

1. Cut around the damaged area in a neat square or rectangle with a half-moon edger or sharp spade. Straight edges are easier to match.
2. Lift out the old turf and a little soil beneath it. Fork over the soil underneath.
3. Mix in some compost.
4. Lay the new turf and press it down firmly. It should sit just a touch higher than the lawn around it.
5. Fill the edges with sandy soil and a pinch of seed. Edges are where a patch dries out first.
6. Water well and keep it moist for at least two weeks.

Cut the damaged area into a neat square so the new turf fits snugly. Fill the edges with sandy soil, as that’s where a patch dries out first.

How do you repair a broken lawn edge?

Cut out the broken bit and turn it round, so the good edge faces the border. You get a crisp edge straight away without buying turf.

1. Cut a square of turf around the broken edge with a half-moon edger.
2. Slide a spade underneath and lift it out in one piece.
3. Loosen the soil below and add a little topsoil or compost.
4. Turn the piece round so the good edge lines up with the border.
5. Firm it down, then fill the damaged strip, now inside the lawn, with soil and seed.

Water well and keep the seeded strip moist until it knits in.

When to choose turf over seed

Choose turf when you need the area back in use quickly, or when it’s summer and seed would struggle. It’s also best for big patches in full view, or when birds keep eating your seed.

New turf rarely matches the old lawn exactly at first. The difference fades after a few weeks and a few mows.

How to water lawn repairs

Water new seed lightly twice a day for the first two weeks. Water new turf well every day for the first week. This is where most repairs go wrong, because new seed and turf dry out much faster than an established lawn.

Watering new seed

• First two weeks: twice a day, morning and late afternoon, with a fine spray.
• Weeks three and four: once a day.
• Weeks five and six: every two or three days, unless it rains. Watering less often but more deeply helps roots grow down.
• After six weeks: only in dry spells.

Watering new turf

• Week one: every day, soaking right through. Lift a corner to check the soil underneath is wet.
• Weeks two and three: every other day.
• Weeks four to six: twice a week, then treat it like the rest of the lawn.

Water early in the morning rather than in the midday heat.

When to repair: spring or autumn?

A repaired lawn back to thick green stripes.

Early autumn (September to mid-October) is best if you can wait. Spring, from mid-March to May, works well too.

Spring repairs (mid-March to May)

New grass gets the whole growing season to settle in. The catch is a dry April or May, which means lots of watering, and weeds love fresh soil in spring too. Fit it in with your other spring gardening jobs.

Autumn repairs (September to mid-October)

The soil is still warm from summer, the air is cooler so seed dries out less, and autumn rain does much of the watering for you. Fewer weeds are coming up, too. The risk is an early frost or a very wet October.

The worst time to repair

June to August is too hot and dry for seed unless you water two or three times a day. Use turf if you must repair in summer.

November to February is too cold. Seed just sits on the surface until spring, if the birds don’t eat it first.

Month-by-month lawn repair calendar

Common lawn repair mistakes

These are the slip-ups that undo most repairs.

Mowing too soon

New seedlings have tiny roots, and even a high mower can pull them out. Wait until the grass is 5-6cm tall, then cut to about 4cm.

Skipping soil preparation

Seed on hard ground dries out, blows away or feeds the birds. A quick rake and fork gives it the soil contact it needs. It’s the most important step.

Using the wrong seed

Some cheap mixes are heavy on annual ryegrass. It comes up fast, then dies off and leaves the patch bare again. Check the label for perennial ryegrass.

Overwatering established repairs

Once a repair is six weeks old, stop the daily sprinkle. A deep soak once or twice a week in dry weather sends roots deeper.

Feeding at the wrong time

Don’t feed in a drought or a cold snap. Use a spring feed in March or April and an autumn feed in September. Our guide on how to feed your lawn explains why they’re different.

Ignoring the cause

Reseed a dog wee patch, a compacted path or a grubby lawn without fixing the cause, and the patch will be back. Use the table above to match the clues to the fix.

Protecting new grass seed

A thin covering over new seed keeps off birds, stops it drying and helps it come up.

A 5mm layer of sieved compost or fine lawn top-dressing works well. Avoid coarse mulch like bark or wood chips, which is far too heavy for grass seed.

Horticultural fleece pegged over the patch does the same job and keeps the soil a little warmer. Take it off once the seedlings are about 2cm tall.

A pegged-down sheet of fleece keeps hungry pigeons off and holds in warmth. Take it off once the seedlings are about 2cm tall.

Dealing with weeds in repaired patches

Pull weeds by hand and leave weedkiller alone for at least 12 weeks. Fresh, watered soil is the perfect home for chickweed, groundsel and other weeds, and they’ll pop up within days.

Pull them as soon as you can grip them. After 12 weeks, the new grass can usually cope with a spot treatment of lawn weedkiller if needed. Our guide to lawn weed identification and control helps you work out what you’ve got.

The best weed control is thick grass. It shades the soil so weed seeds can’t get going. Feed regularly, never mow below 3cm, and fix new bare spots quickly.

Keeping your lawn healthy long term

Feeding, spiking, overseeding and mowing at the right height stop most new patches forming. Prevention is much less work than repair.

A simple yearly routine

• Feed twice a year. A spring feed in March or April and an autumn feed in September or October.
• Spike the lawn each autumn with a fork or hollow-tine aerator, all over, not just the problem bits.
• Overseed thin areas every autumn before they turn bare.
• Mow at the right height. Never below 3cm, and a bit higher in dry summers.
• Rake up leaves in autumn. Wet leaves smother grass and invite disease.

When to call a professional

Is most of the lawn bare, or is the drainage really poor? Do grubs come back every year despite nematodes? Then a lawn care company can take a closer look.

Frequently asked questions

What is the fastest way to fix bare patches in a lawn?

Laying a turf patch is the quickest fix. Cut turf to fit, firm it down and water it every day for a couple of weeks. For small spots, sowing a quick ryegrass mix fills in within a few weeks.

When is the best time to repair a patchy lawn in the UK?

Mid-March to May, or September to mid-October. The soil is warm and moist then, so seed comes up well. Avoid summer unless you can water twice a day.

Why does my lawn have bare patches?

Usually dog wee, heavy wear or shade. Grubs, lawn diseases, mowing too short and winter waterlogging cause patches too. Find the cause before you repair, or the patch comes back.

Can I just throw grass seed on bare patches?

Not really, as it usually fails. Seed needs to touch loose, moist soil. Rake the patch to break the crust, scatter about 35g of seed per square metre, then press it in with the back of a rake. Keep it moist for two weeks.

What grass seed is best for patching a UK lawn?

A perennial ryegrass mix suits most family lawns. It comes up quickly, copes with wear and stays green in winter. For shady spots, pick a shade mix with creeping red fescue and smooth-stalked meadow grass.

How do I stop dog urine killing my lawn?

Water the spot straight after your dog has been. That dilutes the wee before it burns the grass. Training your dog to use one corner, covered with bark, is the best long-term answer.

How long does it take for grass seed to grow on bare patches?

Ryegrass usually comes up in one to two weeks. Fescues are slower, often two to three weeks. Expect a patch to fill in after three to six weeks, and keep off it for about a month.

Further reading

• Common Lawn Weeds: Identification and Control: spot and deal with weeds in your repaired patches
• How to Make Compost: make your own top-dressing and soil improver
• How to Improve Clay Soil: handy if your lawn sits on heavy clay
• Spring Gardening Jobs: Complete UK Checklist: all the spring jobs, lawn included
• What is Mulch and How to Use It: mulching materials and how to use them