How do I fill in dead patches in my lawn?

Question

When my sod was about a month old, we (accidentally) didn't water it for about it a month, causing it to go dormant. Over several months, most of the grass came back, but now it has several large bald spots similar to this picture.

I've tried removing some of the dead grass in those dead spots with a rake like this, but with all the green netting under the old sod, it makes it nearly impossible.

What's the best way I can remove this dead grass having the sod netting underneath so I can put down a lot of fescue and fix these bald spots?

Answer 1

My solution is different - get a sharp knife or strong, sharp scissors, uncover by digging and scraping the bald areas and cut out the existing mesh support which came with the turf. Fill in with friable soil, the stuff you moved to expose the mesh will do, though you may need to top it up a bit, then seed the areas.

The other alternative is to lift the lot and returf the whole area.

Answer 2

I would like to purpose a solution, though it will take some time. You can cover those dead patches with soil, then irrigate it and cover again with cardboard. You should fix it to the ground with stones, to stop the wind blowing them around.

Let it stay for several (1-2) months. The dead grass and dead or living roots will die and decompose. Remove the cardboard and you'll have a clean patch.

You can either wait for the grass to cover it, or to plant/sow new grass yourself. Additionally, you can transform some of it to a beautiful flower bed adding patches of colour.