I reseeded my lawn but the results are patchy. Do I apply further seed, or start again?

Question

I had a tree taken down and the stump ground up. I cleared a majority of the tree mulch and laid top soil, seeded, and put some hay on top. It's been a couple of weeks and the grass is growing in really patchy. It looks pretty bad. It's been extremely hot lately, so I'm thinking it's probably not getting enough water.

My question is: should I rake up the hay, dig up what's currently there, and start from scratch? Or should I seed on top of the existing patchy grass? (I'll be sure to water more often this time around.)

Answer 1

I would continue to water it, but not do anything else until you get cooler weather.

Then, in the fall or spring...

• Rake it a bit to loosen the soil
• Put down more seed
• Cover with straw, but not too thick
• Water

Answer 2

If it's just starting to grow and coming in patchy, just give it time. It will probably fill in. If after two months it's still offensively patchy, sprinkle more grass seed on the patchy bits.

Answer 3

If you only seeded your lawn, it could also be that the local wildlife (aka birds) have come in and swiped some of your seeds, despite the hay.

Another option you could try, along with the seeding, is to take small "plugs" from other parts of the yard and plant them in the spot you're trying to grow. This has the benefit of taking established grass with roots and putting it in a new spot. The spot where you took the plug from will regrow from the neighbouring lawn.

Answer 4

You may also want to add compost and some grass starter fertilizer.

Also during the first few weeks grass is very sensitive so you need to water a little very often.

During hot days that may be 10 - 15 minutes up to 5 times a day.

An added bonus of compost is that it holds water better than regular topsoil.