Should You Get Professional Lawn Care Services for Lawn Repairs?

The question you want answering is, of course, should you pay good money to have your lawn repaired by a professional lawn care services team.

Well, I can tell you the basics about lawn repairs and I can give you an idea as to what a professional lawn care team can do for you, and then I guess the answer is down to you. You have to decide if you are able to perform these easy lawn repairs yourself or whether you would prefer a lawn care services company to do it for you.

Bumps and Hollows

1. Using a spade or turfing iron, cut a cross through the centre of the bump or hollow, extending the cuts to the perimeter of the problem area. Make two or three parallel cuts each side of one line of the cross. Under-cut the turfs and peel them back.
2. Taking care not to tread on the rolled back turfs, fork over the exposed soil to a depth of 8-10cm (3-4in) — it may be quite solid, so break it up well. If the surface was too high, remove some soil, then firm and rake level. If the surface was too low, add fresh soil before firming and levelling.
3. Finally, fold the turfs back over the levelled soil, and firm them down well using a roller or by treading systematically over the area. Fill any cracks with sieved loamy soil — sprinkle it by hand then brush in lightly. Water in gently and keep the area moist.

Re-Turfing a Bare Patch

1. Cut out any dead or diseased grass, together with any other debris from the bare patch. Where chemical or oil spillage has occurred, dig out all the polluted soil and replace with new. Square off the area with a spade.
2. If you intend to replace with bought turf, cut out a patch equal in size to one or more new pieces. Otherwise, make the patch as small as possible. Fork the soil and level it over, removing any polluted soil or debris.
3. Lay the replacement turfs in position, making sure they are level with the lawn. If not, take them aside and add more soil or remove some as necessary. Firm in the turfs, then fill cracks with sieved soil.

Re-Seeding a Bare Patch

1. Prepare the patch by forking up any dead or diseased grass, together with any weeds or other debris. Gently loosen the soil to a depth of about 7.5cm (3in), using a hand fork, but don't loosen the surrounding grass.
2. Sprinkle some general-purpose fertilizer — about a handful per sq m/yd — and rake in, leaving a level, even surface. Scatter grass seed and rake in. Firm down with the back of the rake or tread in lightly.
3. Keep animals off until new grass is well established. Black cotton stretched between pegs deters most birds. Or, lay clear polythene over the patch —secured with pegs — until the seedlings are through. Keep well watered.

Repairing a Damaged Edge

1. Using a spade or half-moon turfing iron, cut a rectangular section behind the damaged edge — large enough to incorporate a good chunk of healthy grass, but small enough to lift with the spade without breaking. If the damaged area is large, you may have to cut out more than one section of turf.
2. Under-cut the severed section with a spade and lift it carefully. Remove loose old soil and any dead grass — you can do this before lifting if you prefer. Turn the turf round and re-lay it with the ragged edge innermost. You can now appreciate the importance of cutting a perfect rectangle or square.
3. Firm the turf well in. Fill the remaining hole with sieved, loamy soil, then sow with grass seed as shown for re-seeding a bare patch. Keep well watered and deter birds and pets with black cotton as before.

These lawn repairs are really not so hard to do, and obviously a professional lawn care services team of experts can do it all for you, and more.  They can return regularly to mow your lawn or you can request that they tend to your lawn at specific times throughout the year, to scarify it, to apply feed and weed, and to generally keep it looking lush and velvety green. But as I said earlier, that is a decision you have to make.
You would get an immense sense of satisfaction by doing it all yourself, but at the end of the day, do you actually have the time? If not, then why not employ lawn care services to create the desired look for you!