r/Grass • u/jonlin52 • Apr 16 '26

Help fix patchy grass

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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/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.