How to get grass to grow in bare spots

The best course of action for any bald or bare spots in your lawn is to reseed it. If you reseed a patchy lawn, you will help get it back to its former glory! However, before you put the seed down, it’s important to loosen the soil and level out any patches or bald spots – this will get rid of compacted soil and gives your grass seed the best conditions to reseed a patchy lawn successfully.

Knowing when to plant grass seed will ensure your seeds have the correct growing conditions. So, once you’ve checked that temperatures are forecast to be consistently warm, and above 10 degrees for at least a fortnight in your area, you can begin your prep work.

Start by breaking the soil up using a hard-toothed garden rake. But, if your garden features larger areas of compacted soil, using a rotovator will make the job easier and quicker. Once your soil is broken up, we recommend using the back of your rake to level it and then top up the area with topsoil.

We advise you don't use compost at this stage. This is because compost can introduce unwanted weeds into your garden, and you could just be giving yourself more work to do!

Follow the steps below to reseed a patchy lawn:

• Break down soil if it’s compacted using a hard-toothed rake or hand trowel
• For large areas of your garden, consider using a rotovator to make the job easier
• Fill in the patchy/bald spots with topsoil
• Use the back of your rake to level the topsoil to match the rest of your lawn
• Spread your grass seed evenly over the top of your level soil
• Rake the seed in, then level it once again with the back of your rake
• Water this patch once a day, every day for six weeks
• You can avoid watering on days when there is rainfall

How to fix patchy thinning areas of grass

Thinning areas are parts of your lawn that are well on their way to becoming bare spots. However, you can help your grass grow back before it gets to that stage!

Repairing thinning areas of your lawn is similar to reseeding a patchy lawn but includes adding lawn food. Feeding your lawn with fertiliser thickens the grass already there, strengthening it and making it grow greener and faster!

To do this, use a six-week fast-acting feed like our Pre-Seed Lawn Food or lawn food that gets your grass super green! These lawn feeds are perfect for patching up areas of your lawn that suffer from wear and tear!

After you’ve fed your lawn, the next step is to apply some grass seed and wait for your lawn to glow again.

Follow the tips below to fix thinning areas of your lawn:

• Begin by removing any dead grass and then rake in some topsoil over the thinning area
• Use the back of your rake to level the soil so that it matches the rest of your lawn
• Spread the fast-acting lawn food on the thinning lawn area while wearing a glove
• Then water the area until the lawn food granules have dissolved completely
• Leave the lawn food to work on the patch for at least two weeks
• After this, you can sprinkle your seed over the topsoil
• Then rake the seed in and level it once again using the back of your rake
• All you have to do now is water the area daily for six weeks
• And there is no need to water on days when there’s rainfall

Best grass seed to reseed a patchy lawn

The seed you need depends on a few things. Ideally, it is best to use the same seed you used when you planted your lawn, but not everyone will know what seed was planted in their lawn. And since grass grows continually in the UK, there’s a good chance your grass seed was sown long before you moved into your house!

Whatever your situation, we have a guide that explains how to pick the right grass seed. We also have advice that helps you determine what seed is ideal for lawns that get used a lot, grass seed that grows well in the shade, and a guide that helps you determine what soil you have in your garden.