I call this lawn care repair trick ‘sprigging’. If you have another name for it, or have tried it, I’d love to know how it worked for you. I use this trick to re-grow grass in areas where it has stopped growing or been worn out—and where it appears seeds refuse to grow no matter how many directions on the bag I follow.
So this lawn care trick is an end-around. It’s also simple and pretty much free. The key to these hard-start areas is to plant grass—not sod—that’s already alive and healthy.
-Remove weeds and other crap from the immediate area that might choke out or compete with the new grass. Get as much as you can by the roots.
-Find some grass in a bark mulch bed or growing out of your driveway—you know, places you couldn’t plant it if world peace depended on it. Use a shovel and dig it out. Lawn care tip: I actually ‘save’ these in an out-of-the-way bed in our yard because I know I’ll need them.
-Dig a hole big enough in the bare spot to put the new sprig into then cover with dirt. Use any extra dirt to re-fill the hole where you got the sprig. If it is ‘hard pan’ (i.e. super-packed) try to break it up a little to give the roots soft dirt to catch in.
-Water thoroughly right away. I use my PivotJet with a light mist to keep the soil from running. Keep watering a few days after.
Before using sprigs I let them grow tall if I can before harvesting them. Then I mow them after they catch, usually a week. The cool thing is that the sprigs eventually fill in the bare spot with grass. Not overnight, but it’s 600% better than dropping seed that doesn’t stay and can’t grow. What kind of lawn care is that?
