Repair Your Lawn in 3 Easy Steps

Over the summer, we have been busy with a fun outdoor project in our backyard. We did a major overhaul on our lawn. The goal was to replace the struggling grass we had with thick and lush grass. To achieve this, we followed three easy steps for repairing our lawn.

Since Mommy has been busy taking care of my baby sister, I had to do most of the work. I didn’t mind. In fact, I like helping out as well as taking on projects all by myself. It was hard work, but it was worth it.

The past couple of years have not been kind to our lawn. It all began when I was born, and there suddenly wasn’t enough time for lawn maintenance. Then the removal of two trees left the ground uneven and unsafe. Weeds began to take over, and the lawn started to resemble a wild jungle. It was time for drastic measures.

The entire project took several weeks, but the end results were well worth the effort. With just a bit of work, anyone can have a perfect lawn. Looking back, it seems to me that the job can be broken down into three relatively simple phases. It really is quite easy, and with the right attitude, it can be lots of fun.

1. Prepare the Surface

The first step is to remove what is unwanted. In our case, that meant digging up all the weeds and whatever grass managed to grow among them. It just wasn’t worth salvaging. We used shovels to remove all of the plant matter.

This phase took a while to complete, and it was the most physically demanding part. All that digging and those dense roots. We were getting our daily dose of exercise, and that’s healthy. I felt great and had energy to spare.

Once we were down to bare earth, the area needed some leveling. For this, we used shovels and buckets to remove high spots and fill in low spots. There was quite a bit of digging involved at this stage too, but it was great fun. Almost like building sand castles at the beach!

At the end we used rakes to smooth everything out. As we raked, I couldn’t help but admire our hard work paying off. The area looked transformed and ready for whatever we had planned next. I couldn’t wait to see the final result once everything was complete.

2. Laying Down Lawn

When we decided that we were happy with our work, we arranged for a delivery of new grass. Apparently it comes from a farm where grass is grown specifically for this purpose. They cut out sheets of it, roll it up, and call it sod. A truck arrived and deposited rolls of fresh, thick, and lush grass ready to be installed.

The next part was easy and super fun. All you need to do is sprinkle a bit of topsoil on the ground, unroll the sod just like carpet, and put it in place. The edges need to be trimmed to fit the space like a puzzle, and you’re done. The transformation is immediate and incredible.

You’re not supposed to walk on the grass right away. This was the hardest part for me. Staying off the freshly installed lawn was a challenge. But following this step was crucial in allowing the sod to take root and thrive.

3. Just Add Water

New grass needs to be watered constantly until the roots take hold. If it dries out, it turns yellow and dies. We spent weeks keeping the lawn moist, which required watering daily, if not multiple times per day depending on the weather. This was by far my favorite part of the project.

We had such a warm summer that most days we had to make use of sprinklers to give the grass a good soaking. This was my first encounter with sprinklers, and I never knew how much fun they are. Running through a curtain of cold water is my favorite way to cool off on a hot day. I spent weeks giggling and shrieking as I danced around the sprinklers.

Weeks later our grass is strong enough that it doesn’t need constant watering anymore. It’s rather disappointing, but it has freed up a lot of time to go out looking for fun beyond the confines of our fence. The sprinklers are still there for days when our new lawn needs a bit of extra water, and I always make sure to remind Mommy to turn the sprinklers on when it gets hot outside.

Our struggling, uneven, weed-infested, and sad-looking lawn has been transformed into a green paradise. Now I can run and play without tripping over crabgrass or falling into a hole. This project was a lot of work and took a great deal of time, but it was fun and rewarding. We now have the greenest grass on the block!