How to fix the bare spots in your lawn
 (Read 50+ times)
By Jared Garrett
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Spring is here with a vengeance and, despite the possibility of a late frost, the buds on your fruit trees are peeking out. But that's not what has your attention. Now that your grass has grown back, you fear that your lawn is experiencing some kind of baldness and you are looking for the Rogaine. That's right. Bare spots. Not many of them, but the ones that are there are making you grind your back teeth and twitch toward the hose.
But the hose is not the answer. The first thing you want to do is try to understand why those bare spots are there. Is it because of disease? Have they come because the grass died inexplicably? Is it thatch? Is it a heavy-traffic area?
Most of the time the grass in that area simply got sick and withered away. And the cure is not so hard. So here's what you do to fix those ugly, depressing bare spots... and it does not take Rogaine.
LOOSEN
Head to your tool shed/pile/corner and extract your garden rake. That is the one with stiff metal tines. It would work okay as a home defense weapon. In any case, take that rake and mosey on up to those bare patches. Using the rake, loosen the soil under the bare patch, and even loosen some of the soil surrounding it. If the rake does not get the job done, you might try a hoe. You are not trying to excavate here, so just get the soil about two inches deep loosened up.
MOISTEN
Now snag that hose and splash some water on the now-loose soil. This is going to help the seed stick.
PLANT- EN?
All spelling and grammar aside, your next step is to get some seed in that bare spot. Some nurseries and garden centers sell bags of seeds mixed with natural fertilizers that help fortify the soil. I find these to be quite useful, so that is what I use. But also, if you just scatter some seed on the bare patch and its environs, that will work as well.
Once you have gotten the new seed down, just be sure to keep it nice and moist until you have some strong growth. In my experience, I can do the entire process for one patch in under ten minutes, and those ten minutes pay off. So don't fear the lawn-pattern baldness!
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Author Bio Box: Jared Garrett
 http://www.helium.com/user/show/45690
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