How to Get Rid of Really Thin Grass
- 1). Mow your lawn to its optimum height. Each grass species has a different suggested height and letting it grow too high between mowing can result in a thin lawn. Begin mowing your lawn as often as necessary with a sharp blade to keep the grass at your species suggested height to allow the grass to start thickening.
- 2). Dethatch the lawn to remove the buildup of thatch at the base of the grass blade. Rake the surface of the soil with a dethatching rake to pull the thatch away from the base of the blade and the soil surface. Use an aerator to pull plugs of compacted soil from the lawn and loosen the soil. Both these issues keep water from reaching the soil and the grass roots, causing the grass to thin. More water can now reach the roots of the grass, thickening it.
- 3). Spread a pre-emergent weed control for your type of lawn grass before you seed your lawn if you seed in the spring. Follow the directions on the herbicide to cover your existing lawn.
- 4). Seed your lawn after you dethatch, aerate and apply the herbicide if necessary. Make one pass with your grass seed going north to south and your second seed pass from east to west. Adding the new grass seed helps thicken your lawn with new growth.
- 5). Water the new grass seed often and lightly until the grass seeds root deeply in the soil. Fertilize the new seed and your existing lawn with a 3-1-2 or a 4-1-2 ratio plant food. Only use half the amount recommended on the fertilizer bag and water immediately after you spread the fertilizer.