If your lawn has started looking more like a patchy weed garden than grass, you’re definitely not alone. Ours had slowly been heading in that direction for the past year.
What used to be a fairly decent lawn had gradually turned into a mix of weeds, thin grass, and bare dirt patches. And then last fall our neighbourhood was hit with a pretty bad grub infestation, which only made things worse. The birds had a field day digging up sections of grass trying to get to them.
Like many homeowners, we kept putting the project off. Weekends come quickly and there are always other things to do. If I’m being honest, I would usually rather spend the afternoon golfing than digging up the yard.
We’ve also been spending more time working on our outdoor spaces lately. At the ranch, we recently started improving the area around our tiny retreat with fresh gravel and a few simple upgrades. Projects like that have made us realize how much a small outdoor refresh can completely change the feel of a space.
tiny retreat living gravel ranch update
But eventually it got to the point where the lawn just needed a reset.
A couple of weekends ago we finally tackled it, and even though the grass hasn’t gone down yet, the yard already looks 100% better.
Here’s exactly what we did.
Step 1: Turning Over the Lawn
The first step was simply breaking up the top layer of the lawn.
Because the grass had become so thin and full of weeds, there wasn’t really anything worth saving. Jason started by turning over the soil and loosening the top layer of grass and weeds.
Once everything was broken up, we removed as much of the dead grass and weeds as possible.
This part definitely takes a little patience, but it makes a big difference in the final result. Leaving weeds behind just means they’ll come back again once new grass starts growing.
Step 2: Raking and Leveling the Soil
After the weeds and old grass were removed, we used a rake to level out the soil and smooth the surface.
Jason actually picked up a wide landscape rake, which made the job much easier. The wider rake helped spread and level the soil quickly instead of having to work in small sections.
While working on this project, we realized how much easier the right tools can make the job. Jason picked up a wide landscape rake that helped level the soil much faster than a standard rake.
If you’re planning a similar lawn reset, I’ve gathered a few helpful lawn and garden tools in my Amazon storefront that make projects like this much easier.
This step is important because uneven soil can create dips and bumps in the lawn once grass starts growing.
Even at this stage, the yard already looked dramatically better than before.
Step 3: Adding Fresh Soil
The following day we headed to our local garden centre. Jason always goes to his favourite place to buy soil and landscaping supplies.
We ended up spreading about 10–12 bags of fresh soil across the lawn area.
He did most of the heavy lifting while I helped spread and rake everything out evenly.
Fresh soil helps improve the quality of the ground and gives new grass seed a much better chance of growing successfully.
Honestly, the yard already looked 100% better just with the fresh soil alone.
Sometimes the biggest improvement simply comes from clearing away what wasn’t working anymore.
Step 4: Sod vs Grass Seed
The next decision was whether to use sod or grass seed.
There are advantages to both.
Sod
Pros
- Instant lawn
- Looks finished immediately
- Birds can’t steal it
Cons
- More expensive
- Requires careful watering at first
Grass Seed
Pros
- Much cheaper
- Easy to spread over large areas
Cons
- Takes time to grow
- Birds sometimes eat the seed
Since I’m not the most patient person when it comes to waiting for results, the idea of sod was appealing. But to keep costs down we decided on a combination of both.
We’ll likely lay sod in the most visible areas and use grass seed in the rest of the yard.
Step 5: Why Timing Matters in Spring
Even though we were ready to plant grass right away, the garden centre recommended waiting until mid-April.
Early spring temperatures can still fluctuate quite a bit. In fact, the morning after we finished prepping the soil the temperature dropped to -2°C overnight.
Those kinds of temperature swings aren’t ideal for new grass.
Mid-April is typically considered the best time to seed or lay sod in spring, because the soil temperature is warmer and grass has the best chance of establishing strong roots.
So for now we wait.
What About the Grubs? Why Grubs Destroy Lawns So Quickly
Until last year, I had never even heard of lawn grubs. Apparently they’re small beetle larvae that live just under the surface of the soil and feed on grass roots. Once they move in, the grass loses its root system and can quickly turn patchy or die off completely. What surprised us most was how many yards in our neighbourhood were affected. Almost every neighbour we talked to was dealing with the same problem and just as confused as we were.
One of the frustrating things about grub control is that many treatments require grass to already be growing.
The pesticide we picked up actually can’t be applied until there’s grass in place.
Luckily, two things may already be working in our favor.
First, the grubs may not have surfaced yet this season. And second, the birds that were digging through the lawn last fall may have already taken care of a large portion of them.
Nature sometimes helps out more than we realize.
Once the grass is down and growing, we’ll keep an eye on things and treat the lawn if needed.
Sometimes the Biggest Improvement Is Just Getting Started
Right now the yard is still just fresh soil, but it already looks dramatically better than the mix of weeds and dying grass we had before.
Sometimes home projects feel overwhelming simply because we’ve been putting them off for too long.
Once we finally tackled it, the entire process turned out to be much simpler than we expected.
The next step will be laying sod in a few areas and seeding the rest once the temperatures warm up.
I’ll definitely share an update once the grass starts growing in.
Even small outdoor updates can make a big difference. I’ve always believed that a few thoughtful changes can completely transform a space, just like we shared in our small patio refresh ideas.
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f you’re planning a similar lawn reset, I’ve gathered a few helpful lawn and garden tools in my Amazon storefront that make projects like this much easier.
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