Patching bare spots with seed
1. Prepare bare spots for reseeding with a spading fork, digging 2 to 3 inches of moist peat moss and a light dusting of lawn fertilizer into the top 5 or 6 inches of soil. Turn the soil over two or three times to be sure soil, peat moss and fertilizer are well mixed in.
2. Make the soil mixture even with the surrounding soil by tramping it firmly down with your foot until your footprint sinks in no more than half an inch; if the level is still too high, remove the requisite amount of excess soil.
3. Sprinkle grass seed evenly over the spot by dropping it in a fine stream from between thumb and forefinger. Space seeds as shown in the inset; heavy seeding will give too great a concentration of shoots competing for nutrients. Rake the seeds carefully into the top 1/8 inch of soil and tamp
the area with the back of a hoe.
4. To help retain moisture, cover the reseeded spots with a layer of straw thin enough so that half the soil shows through. Water lightly and keep dampened until the new grass is established.
