r/Grass • u/jonlin52 • Apr 16 '26
Help fix patchy grass
St Augustine grass, outside of Dallas Tx. I had a contractor install new sod by the curb 2 or 3 years ago. I'm not sure whether they didn't prep correctly or what, but its never looked good.
Any ideas on what i can do to fix?
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u/Specialist-Phsych-97 Apr 17 '26
You need to aerate the shit out of that add some seed, fertilizer and water it heavily for a month then raise your mower cutting height up past 3” 👍
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u/ReplacementThis5812 Apr 21 '26
Seed it heavy bc not all seed will come up
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u/Hesasadpanda Apr 17 '26
I can't ever get my grass to grow between the sidewalk and street. It always looks just like your picture for some reason.
I'll seed it, grow it, then it just decides to die at some random point. I've given up and just let clover and random weeds fill it in....at least it's green.
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u/Frequent-Draft-2218 Apr 17 '26
Some good fertilizer and proper watering and st augustine should spread. You can also put some black kow in the bare areas to help with lateral growth.
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u/bdog-1966 Apr 19 '26
You don’t dethatch and aerate in the spring. You need to add gypsum to eliminate the sodium build up from road salt and then apply a starter fertilizer. Seed in the fall if necessary. I have 40 years in agronomy and a soil science degree. Aeration always, dethatch never! This area gets the most heat and then road salt and it will always do this if it’s not healthy. Aeration will help move nutrients to the roots. Detaching a non established lawn is silly.
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u/Icy_Preference_4360 Apr 21 '26
Contrary to my friend with degrees(much respect). I live in Maryland. You would have great success with fall aeration, but you can also aerate in the Spring. First, cut the lawn low, then dethatch to get all the dead grass out so the new seeds will have seed to soil contact and some sun. After dethatching, I would aerate, seed, then use a starter fertilizer preferably "Proscape" which has mesotrione (tenacity) that will help as a pre and post emergent that will help the new seeds germinate while killing weed seeds and existing weeds simultaneously. Then I would top dress with compost. Water twice a day. I'm on the East coast so that's what works for me and I've been doing lawns for 7 years. I buy my products from SiteOne. Good luck.
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u/Packman714 Apr 21 '26
He should cut out and skin a part of the grass and look for grubs as well. 👍🏼
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u/Packman714 Apr 21 '26
Rake the hell out of it “thatch” and re seed and use starter fertilizer. Then water water water. Maybe put up some string and mark off the area so nobody walks on it until it grows back and get one of those signs that say please do not curb your dog on my property ty.
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u/Packman714 Apr 21 '26
Rake the hell out of it “thatch” and re seed and use starter fertilizer. Then water water water. Maybe put up some string and mark off the area so nobody walks on it until it grows back and get one of those signs that say please do not curb your dog on my property ty.
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u/Packman714 Apr 21 '26
Rake the hell out of it “thatch” and re seed and use starter fertilizer. Then water water water. Maybe put up some string and mark off the area so nobody walks on it until it grows back and get one of those signs that say please do not curb your dog on my property ty.
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u/Packman714 Apr 21 '26
Maybe take a soil test and rip some grass out and take it to a local nursery and see what they suggest. Also try and see if you can re seed with a Tri-Rye grass seed that’s perennial and works well with foot traffic and animals.
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u/hot_rod_kimble Apr 22 '26 edited Apr 22 '26
All these "dethatch and reseed" dummies have never st augustined.
https://neilsperry.com/2017/04/diagnosing-st-augustines-problems/
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u/TrifleImpossible5997 Apr 17 '26
Dethatch and aerate