How to Repair Patches & Bare Spots in Your North Mississippi Lawn This Spring

Bare spots in the lawn can be a major source of frustration for homeowners. They tend to stick out and become noticeable eyesores.

These thinned-out or fully bare areas also tend to be locations where weeds creep in, as they don’t have to compete with healthy turf grass.

Jump to Section

• Do Bare Spots in Grass Fill In On Their Own?
• What Causes Bare Patches in the Lawn?
• What Types of Grass Grow in North Mississippi?
• Is Lawn Care the Same for All Grass Types?
• Can Fertilization Repair a Bad Lawn?
• How to Fix Bare Spots in the Lawn?
• When Should I Replace My Lawn Rather Than Fix It?
• Choosing Lawn Care in Tupelo, Oxford & New Albany, MS

If you have bare patches in your lawn, you might be wondering what to do about them. Fortunately, you have options.

In this article, we will answer some of the most commonly asked questions about lawn repair, including how to fix bare spots.

Do Bare Spots in Grass Fill In On Their Own?

Bare spots can fill in on their own, particularly here in the South, where warm-season grasses spread laterally.

In fact, it is rare in a warm-season lawn to have a bare spot that would need to be sodded. If you have a really large bare area due to tree removal or excavation work, that might be an exception. 

We also advise you not to waste time with seed, as it’s incredibly hard to fill in bare spots with grass seed here in North Mississippi. By the time you get germination, you’ll also find that weeds are so prevalent, you’d wish you had just sodded or waited for existing grass to fill in.

What Causes Bare Patches in the Lawn?

If you find thin areas or bare spots in your warm-season grass lawn, it likely indicates a problem that needs to be addressed.

That might mean adjusting the cutting height when you mow, adding more fertilizer, correcting the pH, correcting a deficiency, or even aerating to fix soil compaction (a common problem in our region).

Once you correct whatever is going on, you’ll find that your warm-season grass will start to spread and fill in those areas.

This is one of the reasons why partnering with a professional is so valuable. They can help you get to the bottom of what’s going on and why you have bare patches in the lawn in the first place. You’ll get better, quicker results.

What Types of Grass Grow in North Mississippi?

There are numerous grass types that can grow in North Mississippi. But you want to choose the best grass types for a healthy lawn. The type of grass that you have growing can also dictate how well bare spots might fill in.

We find that some of the best grasses for North Mississippi are Zoysia and Bermuda.

These warm-season grasses thrive here, even with our intense summer heat. They can also tolerate our variety of soil types.

We’ve cared for numerous lawns in New Albany, and we can confidently say that these two grass types will deliver the best results.

These two grass types also spread, so they do fill in bare spots over time. Bermuda is a much more aggressive grower than Zoysia and will fill in faster. It grows both above ground via stolons and below ground via rhizomes (stems).

Zoysia also spreads via both stolons and rhizomes, helping it to grow laterally across bare spots. But it is a slower grower than Bermuda.

Is Lawn Care the Same for All Grass Types?

No, lawn care needs are not the same for all types of grass in New Albany. Different grass species have different needs and will respond to lawn care differently.

For instance, particular grass species tend to respond better to certain herbicides than others. Different grass species also have different nutrient needs, which can impact fertilization.

That means if your lawn care provider isn't paying attention to your grass type and just treating your lawn with the same products they’ve used on every other property, it could affect your results.

Can Fertilization Repair a Bad Lawn?

Yes, fertilizer can help repair a bad lawn. But it is imperative that you choose the proper fertilizer. As we mentioned, some common reasons for thin areas and bare spots include nutrient deficiencies, which fertilization can correct.

But bare spots can also occur when the wrong fertilizer or the wrong amount is used.

This is a key reason why working with a lawn care professional is so valuable. They’ll be making informed decisions about what your lawn needs based on their expertise. A proper diagnosis is a critical starting point.

At Lawn & Pest Solutions, our lawn fertilization programs are customized to give your lawn in Tupelo, Oxford, or New Albany, MS, exactly the nutrients it needs.

How to Fix Bare Spots in the Lawn?

Fixing bare spots really does start with diagnosing what caused them in the first place.

Some of the common causes of lawn damage or bare spots include:

• Improper mowing height

• Using the wrong fertilizer (or fertilizer quantity)

• Nutrient deficiency or a pH problem

• Disease or pests

• Soil compaction

Once the reason for the bare spots is determined, a solution can be put in place. Thanks to the grasses we have growing in North Mississippi, bare spots will fill in with laterally spreading grass once underlying problems are fixed.

When Should I Replace My Lawn Rather Than Fix It?

In the Mid-South, it is rare to have to completely start over with a brand-new lawn.

One reason is our fast-growing grass types, which spread and fill in the lawn once underlying problems are corrected.

The key is to trust the lawn care process, which doesn’t just happen overnight.

Important lawn care services, such as fertilization and lawn aeration, can take time to produce results. But you will see a big difference in the health and appearance of your lawn.

Choosing Lawn Care in Tupelo, Oxford & New Albany, MS

Choosing a lawn care service that understands how to care for the different types of grass in North Mississippi, as well as how to address frustrating bare spots, will be key to having a beautiful lawn.

You ultimately want to find a company that genuinely cares about your results — not just completing the work quickly and moving on to the next project. A company that cares will customize your lawn care plan to your grass type and any specific problems that it might be struggling with.

So, how do you find a company like this?  You’ll need to do your research.

A great place to start is to visit lawn care companies’ websites. The About Us Page is an excellent place to start your research and learn more about the company you might be hiring to care for your lawn.

When you’re on the website, look at what kind of resources the company offers in terms of education and advice. Helpful tools, such as blog articles and videos, mean that the company cares about educating you about your lawn. This is a sign that they want to see you succeed and form a partnership in caring for your lawn. It also shows that they’ll go through the trouble of finding solutions for your problems.

This is important because you don’t want to choose a company that will just do blanket applications or a cookie-cutter program. You want a lawn care provider that will customize their services for you.

As you compare your options, we’d love for you to consider Lawn & Pest Solutions for your lawn care.

At Lawn & Pest Solutions, we care deeply about our clients and want to see them happy with their results. That means educating them about any problems that may be causing bare patches in their lawn and developing customized solutions to get their lawn back on the right track.

We’re always here to answer questions and educate you so that you can see optimal success.

Ready to learn why Lawn & Pest Solutions could be your choice for lawn care services in North Mississippi? We’re excited to learn more about you and help you have the best lawn on the block. Get started today with a free quote. Together, we can prepare a customized plan tailored to you and your lawn.