I've been misled by the idea that my lawn would spring back to life without watering. Now, I'm left with a lawn that is mostly dead—brown and yellow with only some patches of green. I decided to start scarifying the lawn with a metal rake, and while it feels satisfying to see the dead grass come up, I've got a massive area of about 250 square meters to tackle.
It also looks like the ground has settled a bit, resulting in some noticeable cracks, especially since my lawn slopes. I'm thinking of filling these cracks with sand after scarifying and then adding about a ton of topsoil over everything. I'm planning to wait until next April to seed, as I suspect it's too late in the season now.
Can I leave the healthy grass as is while I work on this? I've got a lot of work ahead of me, and it'll likely take me half a day to a full day to clear out the dead grass. The soil underneath is loose since the grass roots aren't holding it together. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated! I also have three other lawns that are doing well, though they do have more shade.
2 Answers
You should definitely scarify the whole area. Even the healthy parts have a thatch layer that blocks water from reaching the roots. It sounds like you’ve got clay soil, which can lead to those cracks. Mixing some gypsum with the sand you plan to use might help with that cracking. Don't forget to spike the ground first—it can really improve drainage. As for seeding, it's usually safe to sow as long as you check your local conditions since it normally takes about three weeks for full grass emergence.
If the grass was laid down as turf about four years ago, the roots might be shallow from previous watering practices. I’d recommend adding topsoil instead of just sand because it’ll give better results overall. It's great that you're planning to fill those cracks, but just spiking might not be enough; true core aeration can really make a difference if you're willing to do it. For seeds, look for a mix that works well in your local climate, maybe something hardy that can tolerate a bit of neglect.
Definitely consider upgrading your seed choice. You want something that can handle your soil type and any potential drought. The extra topsoil will definitely help if you don't want a perfect lawn!
I get what you're saying about not wanting the maintenance of a perfect lawn; just making sure you don't have dead patches is totally reasonable. It does sound like waiting until spring might be the best move for you.