Lawn Repair & Reseeding in New Orleans, LA

Lawn repair and reseeding covers everything between a few bare spots and a full lawn renovation. In New Orleans the usual causes are standing water after heavy rain, ruts from trucks during a rebuild or roof job, dog paths, shade under big trees, and the bare strips left after utility or drainage work. We diagnose why the grass failed, fix the cause where we can, and bring the turf back with seed, hydroseed or sod depending on the grass already in the yard.

First, what grass is it

The repair method depends on the existing lawn. St. Augustine has typically been propagated by plugs, sprigs or sod, since viable seed only became available commercially in recent years. Bare spots in a St. Augustine lawn are usually patched with sod or plugs, and the surrounding grass creeps in. Bermudagrass spreads by seed, stolons and rhizomes, so it can be reseeded or overseeded directly. Centipedegrass is shallow rooted with poor drought tolerance; it turns brown with a light freeze but re-greens as it warms, so a brown centipede lawn in February may not need repair at all.

Overseeding versus renovation

Overseeding spreads new seed into an existing thin lawn to thicken it. It works when most of the lawn is alive and the grass is a type that grows from seed. Renovation is for lawns that are mostly weeds or bare: we kill or strip what is there, fix grade and soil, and hydroseed or sod the whole area. The deciding question is how much healthy grass is left. If it is less than about half, starting over is usually cheaper in the long run.

Fixing the cause

Grass that drowned in a low spot will drown again if the spot is not raised. Grass that thinned under a tree canopy will thin again unless the shade is managed or a more shade-tolerant grass is used. Compacted clay from equipment needs to be loosened before seed can root. Backswamp clays like the USDA's Sharkey series are 60 to 90 percent clay below the surface, so compaction is common after construction. We core-aerate compacted areas, fill and regrade low spots, and add topsoil where the surface is hard or thin.

When to reseed

Warm-season grass seed needs warm soil. Bermudagrass starts actively growing above about 59 degrees, and New Orleans's daily mean temperature stays above 70 from April through October. Angi points to late spring through mid-summer for warm-season seeding. We schedule most reseeding from April through early fall. Sod patches can go in over a longer season because they do not depend on germination, though they still need water to root.

After a flood or long ponding

Turf that sat under water for days often thins or dies in patches, and silt can be left on top. We scrape off heavy silt deposits, check whether the low area needs fill, and replant once the soil firms up. In many yards, water that stood for days points to a grading problem; our yard grading service handles that before the new grass goes in.

Keeping new seed alive

The watering rules for repairs are the same as for a new lawn: keep the seedbed damp. The University of Nebraska Extension calls for a minimum of two to three light waterings daily during hot spells, and Iowa State Extension recommends continuing light waterings for about three weeks. Patches are easy to forget, so we flag them. Mow the surrounding lawn at its normal height and avoid fertilizing or applying weed control on new seed until it is established.

What we repair

• Bare spots from standing water, pets, foot traffic and shade
• Ruts and tracks from trucks and equipment
• Utility trench lines and drainage work scars
• Thin bermudagrass lawns that need overseeding
• Weedy or mostly bare lawns that need a full renovation