A handy guide for replacing a bare patch of grass

A grass lawn takes effort to establish and keeping it in top condition requires regular attention. Here's a handy guide to replacing an unsightly bare patch and a few practical tips.

• Spade
• Cultivator
• Lawn fertilizer
• Soil rake
• Watering can
• Grass seed
• Straw
• Fine-mesh netting and pegs

• Using your spade and cultivator, dislodge and remove grass, weeds and debris in a circular area about 15 centimetres (six inches) bigger in diameter than the bare patch.
• Loosen the soil to a depth of eight centimetres (three inches).

• Spread your fertilizer lightly and rake in well.
• Water the patch until it's moist.
• Level the soil and cut seed furrows with your spade.
• Scatter the bare patch with seed that matches the variety in the rest of your lawn.
• Close furrows and tamp gently using the back of your rake.

• Scatter a thin layer of straw over the seeds to insulate them as they germinate.
• Stretch netting over the patch and secure it with pegs to protect the seed from predators.
• Watering the patch lightly each day to keep it moist.

• A patchy lawn may have several causes but the most common is dog urine.
• If you can't train or dissuade your dog, keep a bucket of water handy and drench the lawn as soon as the dog has finished urinating.
• The water will dilute the highly nitrogen-rich liquid so that it doesn't cause harm.

• For a fast, simple way to fertilize your lawn, find an old plastic plant pot, about 15 centimetres (six inches) in diameter with plenty of rectangular drainage holes. Fill the pot with granular fertilizer and take a walk around the lawn, shaking the pot in a circular motion as you go. The fertilizer will cover a strip about 1.5 to 2 metres (five to 6.5 feet) wide.
• It's often hard to tell which areas have been covered with fertilizer. Mix some kitchen flour with the fertilizer before you spread it to mark the areas you've covered without harming the lawn or the wildlife. The flour will disappear when you water the lawn or it rains.

The next time you're dealing with a bare patch in your lawn, remember these tips and this handy guide and you'll be on your way to having a rich green lawn again.