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Bare lawn patches are repaired when you take 4 easy steps
Reach Daily Express | May 17, 2026 12:39 PM CST

If your lawn suffers from unwanted bare patches, a gardening expert has shared a four-step method to ensure your entire patch will soon be completely lush and green.

Lifelong gardener, Tom Strowgler took to TikTok to detail his "quick and simple approach". First, he highlighted the importance of "disturbing" the topsoil using a trowel, before sprinkling it with water from a hose to make it "sticky".

Next, Tom sowed quality grass seeds into the whole patch. He advised: "They will stick to the soil and then quilt them with some top soil or lawn dressing, which will snuggle the seeds in between the layers."

To complete the job, Tom suggested keeping the area moist and "happy". Patting the topsoil, he concluded: "You will have germination within weeks, repairing the bare patches on your lawn. I do love a lush green healthy lawn all year round."

Four easy steps to repair patchy lawn
  • Disturb the topsoil by gently scoring with a trowel
  • Sprinkle with water to create a sticky texture
  • Sow some grass seeds
  • Quilt with more soil or dressing
  • Writing in response to the informative video, one TikTok user queried: "Does this work on dog urine patches?"

    Tom replied: "If it's a one-off patch then this should work. If not, then you may need to lift the ground soil and replace it with topsoil. The acid can stay in the soil and prevent germination. So replacing it is important."

    Meanwhile, another said they'd been struggling with their lawn due to the local wildlife. They joked: "The birds love it when I do this... not many seeds left."

    To fix this issue, Tom suggested: "Perhaps a quilt of topsoil and a netting to cover it whilst it germinates."

    Similarly, a third detailed another problem: "For us, it's not the birds so much as the problem... it's the ants! They collect all the seeds and I always find piles of them near their holes between the driveway pavers."

    Thankfully, Tom came to the rescue once again. He advised: "Ants taking grass seed away? Maybe place a fleece over the grass seed and secure it down. Maybe that'll help."

    While a fourth TikTok user asked: "Would this work if it's in a new-build garden? I understand the soil is contaminated and don't know if I need to completely redo."

    Tom clarified: "It should, but if the soil is contaminated then this could impact success."

    Why do lawns get patchy, anyway?

    According to the RHS, there are many potential reasons why bare patches may appear - from physical damage to fungal diseases and drought.

    "It can be tricky to diagnose just by appearance, so instead it's best to consider which causes may apply to your lawn," they explain online.

    The RHS adds: "Lawns often start to look tatty or patchy after a summer of regular use or spells of hot, dry weather. Frosty or soggy winters can also take their toll, especially if the lawn is walked on a lot. Perhaps your lawn has some dips or bumps that make mowing tricky, or sparse areas around the edges where border plants overhang it.

    "Repairing issues such as these will help to stop unwanted weeds colonising bare areas and smarten up the lawn's overall appearance. Spring and autumn are the ideal times to repair a lawn, when the weather is damp and cool. The lawn is most likely to recover well in these conditions.

    "If your lawn is in a really poor state though, you may need to consider re-laying or re-seeding it entirely, rather than just patching it up."


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