Dead lawn patches
easy 1–2 h
Tools: garden rake, hand fork or cultivator, watering can or hose with sprinkler · Materials: grass seed matching the lawn type, topsoil or compost, lawn patch mix
Steps
- Diagnose first: pull on the dead grass — if it lifts like a carpet, grubs have eaten the roots; if it is dry and crisp in a sunny spot, it is drought; a round patch with a green ring is often pet urine or fungus.
- Rake out the dead grass and loosen the top 3–5 cm of soil with a hand fork.
- Spread a thin layer of topsoil or compost, scatter seed at the rate on the bag, and rake it in lightly.
- Water gently twice a day until the seedlings are 5 cm tall, then once a day for another two weeks.
- Keep foot traffic off the patch for a month and mow only when the new grass reaches 8 cm.
Stop and call a pro if
- you find more than five to ten grubs per 30 cm square under the turf — a treatment decision
- patches keep appearing in new places each week — disease or an irrigation fault
- the whole lawn is thin and the soil is compacted clay — aeration and renovation, not patching
What a pro does that you can't
A landscaper identifies grub or fungus damage correctly, treats it, aerates and overseeds the whole lawn, and adjusts irrigation so patches stop recurring.
DIY cost: $10–40 for seed and soil