How to Patch in a New Piece of Sod

How to Patch a Declined Area of Your Lawn with Sod

This is Skip Orth with Father and Son Pest and Lawn Solutions. Today we're going to demonstrate how to patch a piece of sod into an area of your lawn that's declined.

Throughout the growing season, it's not uncommon for a spot or two in your lawn to decline. Instead of waiting for that area to recover on its own, you can patch in a piece of sod so it looks good right away.

Choosing and Marking the Area

We've chosen an area here that's declined. You can see healthy grass surrounding it, but this section has started to thin out. There are runners starting to recover on their own, and given enough time, the area would fill back in. But if you don't want to wait, you can prep the spot and lay new sod instead.

Start by laying a piece of sod on top of the declined area, bordering it against the good grass. Use a shovel to trace around the edges of the sod, which gives you an outline to guide your prep work.

Prepping the Area

Once the area is marked, remove the sod and you'll be able to see the line from your shovel. The quickest way to prep the area is with a weed eater. Scalp down the marked section with the weed eater, then go over it with a rake, either a hard rake or a soft rake, to clean out any debris and loosen up the dirt a little.

Laying the New Sod

With the area prepped, lay your new pieces of sod into place.

Here's a shortcut for getting the new sod to sit flush and even with the surrounding grass: stick your shovel into the dirt right in front of the edge of the sod, about halfway into the ground, and pry the existing grass up slightly. Work your way around the entire edge doing this. Once you've gone all the way around, step on the edges to create a smooth, even transition between the new sod and the existing lawn.

Watering the New Sod

Make sure the new sod gets plenty of water while it roots in. During cooler weather, watering it a couple of times a week is usually enough. In the middle of summer, you'll want to water it at least once a day, sometimes twice, while it's getting established.

That's how you patch a declined area of your lawn with sod.