During the growing season, we often get calls from clients asking, “can I seed my lawn to repair dead or declining areas in the lawn?” Since 95% of our client base have Warm Season Turf-Grasses such as Bermuda and Zoysia we will focus this blog post on how to repair your Bermuda and Zoysia lawns without seeding. Typically, our process is to determine the root cause of why the turf has declined, address that issue, and then move on to lawn repair.
The first step is to identify the problem. There are many reasons clients may see declining areas in their lawn. We will explore a few of the most common reasons.
Disease
Different diseases can cause portions of grass ranging from small dots up to large patches to die. When possible, we prefer to prevent the disease. However, in some cases, the disease may not be easily avoided
Weather
The temperatures in North Carolina ranges from very mild to either extremely hot or cold rapidly, and these changes can happen in large day to day swings in Temperatures. These big changes in temperatures can be damaging for turf grass. While there are few ways to prevent this type of damage, it is important to be mindful of the weather patterns, follow good watering and mowing practices, and stay on a good Lawn Care Program.
Environmental Issues,
Environmental issues can be triggered by many, different factors. Consult with a professional if you think this may be the root cause of your turf decline. Many times, environmental issues are caused by too much shade or competition from a nearby tree or shrub. Drainage issues, such as when too much water is flowing on the turf, this can also be a root cause of turf decline.
After finding the cause of your turf decline, we can address how to repair thin, damaged or dead spots in your lawn. Follow these best tips and practices to repair your Bermuda and Zoysia turf.
Mowing & Watering,
You need to ensure that you have good maintenance practices in place when it comes to your lawn, including mowing and watering properly. If you have questions about mowing or watering make sure to check out our Lawn Care Resources Proper Consistent Mowing at the correct Height of Cut will promote new lateral growth within the turf, which will slowly fill back in these declining areas in the lawn.
Core Aeration
Aeration removes small plugs of ground from the entire lawn, which will help stimulate new growth. There are many benefits of annual core aeration so make sure you discuss these with a turf professional. If you want to learn more check out this Aeration page on our website.
Top Dressing
When most people think of top dressing, they think of golf courses. However, this is a great way to improve the overall appearance of your turf and those unsightly dead spots. Topdressing will help improve the density of your lawn, reduce puffiness and reduce scalping when coupled with proper mowing practices. While top dressing your entire lawn can be expensive. For those who prefer not to spend the money to top dress the entire lawn but still want to speed up the recovery process, we recommend top dressing the declining areas only. Top dressing partially can be tricky because you want to avoid creating humps throughout your lawn. Make sure to keep a light and even layer and utilize tools such as level lawns to ensure that you are creating a smooth surface while topdressing.
At the end of the day, there are plenty of options and paths you can take to repair your lawn without seeding. We always recommend consulting with a professional on what is the best path for your Bermuda or Zoysia lawn. Your Agronomy Professionals at Dorsey Lawn & Landscape are standing by to help!
