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Everyone who looks after their lawn wants to achieve that pristine finish associated with well-maintained outdoor spaces. There’s something satisfying and eye-catching a spotlessly green and attractive lawn – it’s a huge part of why many people even make an effort with that garden.
This is a why finding a dead patch on your lawn can be both frustrating and disconcerting. One dead patch can lead to more, depending on the issues you are being faced with, so acting quickly is always essential if you find any issues. However, prevention is better than cure, which is why we have put together this short guide on the best ways to avoid creating dead lawn patches at all.
Hopefully, this will help make sure that you achieve the pristine finish you have always wanted.
Mowing is one of the most important lawn maintenance chores you need to complete and whilst it seems fairly simple, in actuality, there are a few things that can go wrong and lead to dead patches.
Firstly, keep an eye on oil and petrol levels for your mower. Whilst low oil and petrol levels will damage the machine rather than the lawn, if your fluid levels are too high, they may spill over and land on the grass surface. Spilt oil and petrol can cause grass to die, even in small amounts, so make sure that you are mowing sensibly and refill your machine to the recommended level.
Additionally, dead patches can be caused by ‘scalping’. Scalping occurs most often on uneven lawn surfaces where some areas are higher than others. If your mow height is too low, it can chop the topsoil of the grass on raised areas of your lawn, leading to grass death and ugly turfed areas. In this situation, raise your mow height to avoid the issue.
If you’re constantly battling with dead lawn patches and the issue appears to be chronic, think about moving to synthetic turf instead. Modern artificial grass has come a long way from the ugly, unnatural, vibrant green material of the past. New synthetic grasses use a range of blended colours and soft fibres to achieve a much more natural finish and feel – helping achieve that perfect finish with little effort.
Additionally, the cost of turf is fairly affordable, particularly considering the amount of time and effort saved due to the lack of maintenance required. Whether you’re trying to create a display lawn or want a practical, child and pet-friendly option, there is probably a synthetic turf suitable.
Finally, for gardeners that make use of chemicals in their lawn maintenance process, make sure that you are following guidelines to the letter and use the correct equipment. Weed killers, moss killers and some fertilisers can cause damage to grass if they are delivered in the wrong doses.
If you suspect that this is causing dead patches in your lawn, consult the back of the chemical’s packaging and follow the instructions to the letter. Whilst diluting is the easiest part of applying weed killers, the hardest part is ensuring an even distribution of the solution and preventing saturation in one area. This simply takes time, practise and the right tools so ensure you’re patient and do it properly.
Using these three methods, you should be able to avoid the most common causes of dead grass patches. Other, more niche problems, like builder’s debris and pet waste, can also have a negative impact on your outdoor space though; so, whatever problems you’re facing, do your research to make the next best step for you.
