Is Your Lawn Healthy? 5 Signs You Need New Grass Plugs

As homeowners, we work hard to create a beautiful outdoor space that reflects our long-term commitment to our property. Our efforts are particularly evident in how we look after our grass to ensure it stays dense and green.

However, despite your best intentions, your lawn can show signs of distress due to various factors, including environmental stress, pests, diseases, or overall poor maintenance.

5 Signs It's Time to Rejuvenate Your Lawn with Grass Plugs

If you're struggling with unsightly brown patches, yellowing grass, or bare soil, it may be time to rejuvenate your landscape with new grass plugs.

Bare Patches

Occasional bare spots on your lawn are normal, particularly with regular foot traffic or if you have kids and pets. However, significant bare spots may indicate a more serious underlying problem, such as pests like chinchbugs or grubs. These pests feed on grass blades and roots, leading to dead patches that can spread if left untreated. The first step to address this issue is to treat the affected area for pests and diseases and then fill in the bare soil with grass plugs.

Erosion

A healthy lawn, with its dense network of grass roots, keeps the soil intact, reducing the risk of erosion due to wind or water. Additionally, it can absorb excess water, lowering the risks of runoff and flooding. Without a green cover, your soil is exposed and more vulnerable to erosion—rainwater and wind can easily wash away the topsoil. Introducing grass plugs to your lawn can help stabilize the soil and prevent future erosion.

Poor Drainage

Standing water in your lawn can take a toll on your grass if not addressed. It creates conditions conducive for pest, weed, and fungal growth. Prolonged exposure to excess moisture can also lead to root rot, further damaging your lawn. While practices like aerating and dethatching can improve drainage to some extent, more permanent solutions may be necessary before planting new grass plugs. These solutions include improving soil structure, particularly for compacted soil, to improve drainage. Leveling the ground and installing gutters or French drains can also help divert water away from your lawn and into drainage systems.

Lackluster Lawn

If your lawn looks lackluster despite your lawn care efforts—watering and fertilizing regularly, it may be a sign that you have the wrong type of grass for your lawn. For example, cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass struggle in warm, humid climates like Florida. In such cases, replacing your existing grass with a variety better acclimated to your local conditions and soil type is advisable. Warm-season grasses, like Bermuda grass plugs, are an excellent option, known for their heat and drought tolerance. They thrive in warmer temperatures and with limited water availability.

Weed Growth

When left to themselves, weeds can overtake your entire lawn to the extent that it becomes more weeds than grass. In such cases, it may be more effective to start fresh by removing everything, applying non-selective herbicide, and installing new grass plugs. One of the key advantages of grass plugs is that they establish a healthy, dense green lawn faster than if you were to plant grass seeds. This means you can enjoy a healthy lawn in less time.

Repair Damaged Areas with Grass Plugs

Factors such as pests, diseases, weeds, poor drainage, and lack of maintenance can damage and make the lawn unhealthy overall.

Addressing the underlying problems first is crucial when repairing damaged areas, as this will prevent future issues. Afterward, remove the old grass and rake away debris to ensure all roots are cleared and contribute to a successful establishment when you plant grass plugs.

Selecting the Right Grass Plug for Your Lawn

Grass plugs come in various varieties, such as Bermuda, Zoysia, and St. Augustine grass, and selecting the right one for your specific needs is crucial for establishing a healthy lawn. Although optional, a soil test can help determine the soil pH and nutrient content. It allows you to make the necessary amendments to improve soil structure and create a conducive environment for healthy growth.

For optimal results, we recommend supplementing your new lawn with NutriPod®, a specialized lawn fertilizer formulated to accelerate leaf and root growth in grass plugs. Each slow-release fertilizer pod gradually delivers essential nutrients directly to the root zone as your grass plugs need them, reducing the risks of over-fertilizing and leaching.

While you can install grass plugs at any time of the year, the best time is from early spring to early fall. This timing aligns with the peak growing season of warm-season grasses and allows enough time for the plugs to establish before winter. Grass plugs take at least two weeks to establish, during which frequent watering is essential to keep the soil moist and help the new grass adapt to its new environment.

Purchase Grass Plugs from SodPods®

Rejuvenating your lawn with grass plugs can be a comprehensive process, requiring attention to address the underlying issues and prepare the soil for the new grass. Nevertheless, the outcome is immensely rewarding when you see a rather unhealthy lawn transform into a healthy, dense landscape.