Lawn repair: how to fix a patchy lawn?

Kati
Kati
Kati
Kati

I am a qualified gardener and horticulturalist and love everything that grows! Whether it's a shrub, a tree, a useful plant or a supposed weed: for me, every plant is a little miracle.
In the garden I look after my 13 chickens, grow fruit & vegetables and otherwise observe how nature manages and shapes itself.

Favourite fruit: Blueberry, apple
Favourite vegetables: Braised cucumber, kale, green pepper

Is your lawn looking patchy and you don’t know how to fix it? Then this is the article for you. Find out everything you need to know about repairing your lawn.

A damaged lawn vs. a lush lawn
Easily repair damaged spots in your lawn with our lawn repair seed mix

Bare patches in your lawn can be caused by a number of different factors, but they all have one thing in common: they invite weeds and wild grasses to take root and spread. That is why it is important to repair damaged lawns as soon as possible. Read on to find out what a lawn repair seed mix is made of, what you need to know about grass seeds for reseeding and how to repair the patches in your lawn.

When is it necessary to repair a lawn?

Repairing a lawn is necessary when it has large gaps, such as those caused by dogs digging holes, placing plant pots on the lawn or when weeds are pulled out over a large area. Such large patches offer a space for weeds to take hold before the surrounding lawn can close the gap.

Your lawn may also have holes or large bare spots because “well-trodden paths” trail across it or as a result nitrogen over-fertilisation from dog urine. Sometimes grass repair is necessary after long periods of drought too. If this sounds like your lawn, then use a suitable lawn repair seed mix to restore your lush lawn and stop the weeds in their tracks.

Tip: Lawn repair and lawn overseeding are not the same thing! Lawn repair quickly re-vegetates large gaps in the lawn whereas lawn overseeding replenishes the entire lawn area with grasses that are missing from or no longer present in the area. Using a lawn overseeding seed mix will make the whole lawn more dense and able to regrow. So, if you have a lot of small holes in your lawn, a lawn overseeding might work better.

Dog digging holes in lawn
Big holes in the lawn are worth fixing with a lawn repair mix [Photo: Bachkova Natalia/ Shutterstock.com]

What matters when buying a lawn repair seed mix

What you need from a lawn repair mix is fast germination as well as rapid, dense coverage of the damaged areas. Competitive and rapid growing grasses provide an instant improvement to the appearance of your lawn and prevent undesirable weeds from taking root. However, a lawn repair seed mix needs more than just fast-growing grasses, especially if there are large gaps in the lawn. Lawn grasses with good resilience as well as minimal water and nutrient requirements are also important to maintain the green cover of the gap for a long time. This gives the rest of the lawn enough time to grow over the temporarily filled gap, so that the blend of grasses becomes uniform again over the entire area.

At Plantura, we use perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne ′New Orleans′) and red fescue (Festuca rubra) in our high-quality Plantura Lawn Repair Mix. The vigorous nature of the perennial ryegrass closes gaps in the lawn quickly. Festuca rubra contributes its undemanding nature and tolerance to diseases and adverse growing conditions. To ensure high quality grasses and good germination, we only use RSM-certified seed, which is subject to stricter regulations and achieves higher germination rates. We recommend using a high quality seed like this as it avoids overly dense or thin seeding and promotes an even emergence of healthy grasses.

Lawn Repair Mix, 1.5kg, 10m2 coverage
Lawn Repair Mix, 1.5kg, 10m2 coverage
star-placeholder star-placeholder star-placeholder star-placeholder star-placeholder
star-rating star-rating star-rating star-rating star-rating
(4.8/5)
  • Repairs patches in the lawn quickly & reliably
  • With fertiliser and lime for a greener & thicker lawn
  • Premium lawn seed mixture with high-quality, certified grass varieties
£12.99


Our Plantura Lawn Repair Mix not only contains the right seed, but also a water-retaining and lightweight growing medium made from granulated coconut fibre and, of course, you can use our Plantura Lawn Feed. This increases the grasses’ chance of survival in the crucial germination stage and boosts growth naturally.

Tip: Instead of using a lawn repair mix, it is also possible to use old seed from when the lawn was sown. High-quality seed (RSM) can easily be stored in a cool, dry and dark place for a year without losing germination capacity. However, if the seed is of lower quality or has been stored incorrectly, do not use it after one year. Bear in mind that normal lawn seed mixes do not emerge as quickly as lawn repair mixes which makes it easier for weeds to establish. This is why we recommend using a specially adapted lawn repair mix.

new grasses growing
Young grasses thrive on a moist, airy germination soil [Photo: Dean Clarke/ Shutterstock.com]

How to repair a lawn?

Between April and October, loosen the existing bare patch a little, spread the lawn repair mix, press it down lightly and water generously. Keep this patch of lawn moist. The first blades will appear after 10 to 24 days.

If possible, when repairing your lawn use a specialised lawn repair mix, which is mainly made up of the fast-germinating perennial ryegrass. Mixes with a growing medium for germination and fertiliser such as our Plantura Lawn Repair Mix will give you optimal results.

Lawn Repair Mix, 1.5kg, 10m2 coverage
Lawn Repair Mix, 1.5kg, 10m2 coverage
star-placeholder star-placeholder star-placeholder star-placeholder star-placeholder
star-rating star-rating star-rating star-rating star-rating
(4.8/5)
  • Repairs patches in the lawn quickly & reliably
  • With fertiliser and lime for a greener & thicker lawn
  • Premium lawn seed mixture with high-quality, certified grass varieties
£12.99

Step by step guide for repairing large lawn patches:

  1. The best time to repair a lawn is in late spring or early autumn. In principle, repairing the lawn is possible between April and October. The soil needs to be consistently above 12°C (even at night) and damp weather is best.
  2. To prepare the bare patch in the lawn, loosen the soil thoroughly and remove weeds with their roots and any stones.
  3. Spread the lawn repair mix over the area. You will need 150 g of our Plantura Lawn Repair Mix per square metre.
  4. Press the seed into the soil – use a wide footboard or the back of a spade. This establishes contact between the seed and soil, ensuring the seeds are kept moist and allowing germination to begin.
  5. Water the freshly sown patches daily so that the seed never dries out completely. After 10 to 24 days, depending on the weather, the first young blades will appear.
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