Few things are more embarrassing to the prideful homeowner than having ugly grass. You might feel like your lawn is the one that sticks out as being unkempt in the neighborhood…even if you’ve tried all the right things.
As someone who wants a lawn that they’re proud to show off, you might be stressed if your grass has seen better days. Bare spots, discoloration, and invasive weeds all seem to stick out like a sore thumb and you might find yourself stressing.
You might be wondering how to fix an ugly lawn.
While we want to be clear that there is no overnight solution (aside from sodding, which can be very expensive), there are ways to make your lawn look better. If you trust the process, and give it some time, you can be successful in fixing grass and growing a lawn that you are truly proud to own.
How to Fix my Lawn?
Fixing grass all starts with figuring out what’s causing your lawn problems in the first place so that you can implement the proper solutions. 
There are actually quite a few common lawn problems here in New England, which we outline in the article linked above. The five that we get the most complaints about are:
- Weeds
- Discoloration
- Bare spots
- Lawn pests
- Lawn diseases
If your lawn is already struggling and then a disease or pest comes along, it’s going to be more likely to experience severe damage. That’s why it makes sense to invest in lawn care in New England (like fertilization and weed control), which help to promote a healthy lawn.
In talking about fixing grass, we should mention that it’s not uncommon for lawns to be experiencing more than one problem at once. For instance, many lawns have both weeds and bare spots. There can be different reasons for these problems so it’s important to get to the bottom of what’s going on. Then, the best steps can be taken to correct the issues.
Fixing Grass Starts with Soil Health
When talking about ugly grass, people become very focused on what’s growing above the surface…and that makes sense. That’s what you see. But what’s causing the problem is often at the soil level..jpg?width=1800&height=1350&name=bare%20spots%20in%20lawn%203%20(1).jpg)
New England lawn soils tend to be highly acidic, which can be a reason for some homeowners’ lawn woes. The problem is when the soil falls too far into the acidic category, it can alter the chemistry and struggle with nutrient uptake. This can lead to deficiencies that cause your grass and plants to struggle.
This is one reason for discoloration. But people are often surprised to learn that many weeds can grow in soil conditions that are not favorable for grass. Dandelions, for instance, perform just fine in acidic soil.
As you go about trying to fix ugly grass, it’s important that you are paying attention to what’s going on in your soil. You can find out your soil pH with soil testing, a service that is often offered by lawn care professionals. Once you know the pH, you can take steps to make corrections as needed.
Of course, it’s not just the soil pH that impacts lawn soil in New England. You also want to take a close look at the nutrient makeup of your soil, which can also be done with a lawn soil test.
Along with that, the microscopic life that is living in your soil is also key to its health. Healthy soil is full of beneficial microorganisms like bacteria and fungi. These microorganisms play an important role in helping your grass to digest nutrients.
Understanding how your soil’s nutrient makeup is faring is important as it will help you determine what’s required in terms of lawn fertilization. Proper lawn fertilization will play a huge role in fixing discoloration and thinned-out areas. Fertilizer helps with both lawn color and thickness.
Filling in Bare Patches with Lawn Aeration and Overseeding
When people gripe about ugly grass, bare spots are often high on the list of complaints. One way to address bare spots is to figure out what’s causing your lawn problems that kill your grass. Like we talked about above, lawn diseases and pests are common lawn problems here in the Seacoast region.
Problems like these can kill the lawn, leaving bare spots in the wake.
You definitely want to get to the bottom of what is causing your bare spots or thin areas so that you can fix the root cause of the problem. You don’t want it to just keep recurring. 
But you also want to make sure that you are investing in a lawn aeration and overseeding service as this will help you to fill in those bare patches with new grass.
Lawn aeration itself also provides many benefits to the lawn like reduced compaction and improved microbial health. As with other lawn care services, this won’t happen overnight but if you trust the process, you’ll start to see a big difference. Lawns that are well-aerated perform much better than those that are not.
How Long to Fix an Ugly Lawn
Transforming an ugly lawn is not going to happen overnight.
As we mentioned at the start of this article, there’s a process involved and you’ll have to be a little patient. You need to start with figuring out why your lawn is struggling in the first place. Then, in addition to correcting any specific issues, you also need to implement lawn care services that help promote a healthy and thick lawn.
Most lawns are not as bad as homeowners think they are and they’ll start to notice a difference after just a couple of lawn care treatments. But if your lawn truly is in rough shape, you might need to give it a little more time than that.
You can talk to your lawn care provider about other cultural practices that you can be doing to help fix ugly grass. Things like proper watering and proper mowing are essential when it comes to supporting healthy turf growth. The last thing that you want is for your efforts to set back any work done by your lawn care professional.
Choosing Lawn Care Services in in Southern New Hampshire, Maine, & Northeastern Massachusetts
At the end of the day, you don’t need to have this all figured out by yourself.
If your goal is to have a great-looking lawn, then it’s important that you invest in the best lawn care services. That means working with a company that will help set you up for success.
That includes paying attention to companies who care about promoting excellent soil health. While you don’t hear a lot of companies talking about this, your lawn is ultimately only going to be as healthy as the soil it’s growing in.
At Seacoast Turf Care, we’re using a scientifically backed lawn care program that looks at what’s going on beneath the surface. Our investment in the health of your lawn’s soil will pay off for you in the long run with healthier grass.
You’ll start to see greener, thicker grass over time. That means you’ll finally have the lawn that you can be proud to show off.
Want to learn more about what makes us a great choice for your lawn care needs? At Seacoast Turf Care, we service NH towns near Stratham, North Hampton, Exeter and many more. Get lawn care pricing for your Southern NH, Southern Maine, or Northeastern Massachusetts property.
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