7 Easy Ways to Thicken a Thin Lawn

Having a thin lawn can be unsightly and tarnish the overall atmosphere of your outdoor living space. Luckily if you have a thin lawn, there is no need to feel stuck. Thickening your lawn is simple to have an attractive outdoor living space soon! Wondering how to thicken a thin lawn? Our guide provides seven easy ways to thicken out your thin lawn. Learn all you need to know!

What Does it Mean to Have a Thin Lawn?

Having a thin lawn means that your grass is spread out in uneven clumps and that you can easily see sections of dirt through the grass. People aim for a lush, full grass look when they think of having a nice lawn. While grass is typically easy to grow, some environmental factors can cause a thin lawn.

What Causes a Thin Lawn?

The quality and coverage of your grass heavily rely on several environmental factors. The factors that will affect your lawn growth include the quality of your soil, available nutrients, how often the lawn receives water, and the amount of oxygen your lawn can access. If these factors are not in decent condition, then it is likely that your lawn growth is stunted.

Are Certain Types of Grass Thinner than Others? 

Are Certain Types of Grass Thinner than Others

Yes, some types of grass grow thinner than other grass types. For example, Fine Fescues is a type of grass easily identified due to its thin lawn coverage. This type of grass is intended to hold up well in cool climates and shady areas. However, this grass type isn’t designed for full lawn coverage, and it is designed to withstand climates that most types of grass cannot thrive in.

How to Thicken a Thin Lawn? 

Several factors can contribute to the overall growth of your lawn. If your lawn grows thin, it is vital to determine why it’s thin before attempting to rectify the issue. Otherwise, you may waste time and money solving the wrong problem.

Below are ways and methods to thicken your lawn and improve your outdoor living space.

1. Managing Your Soil’s Health

The health of your soil is vital to growing lush, Full coverage grass on your lawn. If your soil is hard and clay-like, you need to incorporate new soil into your lawn to resolve this problem. A thick healthy lawn cannot grow on dry, pebble-like soil.

Don’t you want your lawn looking lush? Nothing is better than a fresh-looking lawn while you lay back in your comfy outdoor lounge chair

2. Choosing the Right Fertilizer

You can promote healthy grass growth for your lawn by choosing the right fertilizer. Fertilizer can make a massive difference in your lawn’s quality and growth amount. Below are fertilizers you can use to improve the thickness of your lawn:

Scotts Turf Builder Thick’R Lawn Sun & Shade

Scotts Turf Builder Thick'R Lawn Sun & Shade - 3 in 1 Lawn Fertilizer, Seed, & Soil Improver for a Thicker, Greener Lawn, Seeds up to 4,000 sq. ft., 40 lb.

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Scotts Turf Builder Thick’R Lawn is Scotts number one rated combination seed, fertilizer, and soil improver product! If you are looking to really thicken your lawn you can’t go wrong with this option. It is so easy to use, follow Scotts 3 steps to success by prepping the grass by raking and/or dethatching, then calculate the total size of your lawn and add the product to a spreader, apply the Thick’R Lawn granules, and water daily for the first 2 weeks. 

Milorganite 0636 Nitrogen Fertilizer

Milorganite 0636 Organic Nitrogen Fertilizer, 32-Pound, Pack of 2

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Milorganite 0636 Nitrogen Fertilizer lawn fertilizer is frequently applied to golf courses to ensure healthy grass growth. Your lawn needs nitrogen to grow correctly and using this fertilizer guarantees that your lawn gets the nitrogen content it needs to thrive to look thick and green.

Scott’s Natural Lawn Food

Scott’s Natural Lawn Food organic fertilizer will improve the quality and thickness of your lawn without using harsh chemicals. This lawn fertilizer advertises being safe for homes with children and pets. In addition, using this fertilizer allows you to walk on your grass immediately after application.

Safer Brand Lawn Restore Fertilizer

Safer Brand 9335SR Lawn Restore Natural Lawn Fertilizer - Non-Burning Fertilizer - 9-0-2 NPK - Covers up to 5,000 Sq Ft

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Safer Brand Lawn Restore Fertilizer will help you see improvement within five days of application. This fertilizer also targets the root system of your lawn to promote thicker grass growth without reseeding. In addition, this fertilizer is ideal for application during cold months to keep your lawn protected from the elements.

3. Overseeding Your Lawn

Scotts 44615A Green Max Lawn Food 5,000 sq. ft

Another way to promote a thicker lawn is to overseed your lawn. If your grass is thin and grows in clumps, adding additional grass seed can improve your lawn’s overall growth. In addition, overseeding your lawn is ideal when summer starts to end, and colder temperatures are re-emerging.

You can also choose to overseed when winter ends, and warm temperatures are back. The seasons between summer and winter are ideal for overseeding.

4. Aeration

Yard Butler ID-6C Manual Lawn Coring Aerator - Grass Dethatching Turf Plug Core Aeration Tool - Grass Aerators for Small Yards - Loosen Compacted Soil - Gardening Hand Tools - Gray, 37 Inches
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Aerating your lawn is an excellent way to ensure your lawn receives enough oxygen. Your lawn needs oxygen to grow thick and healthy. Aerating your lawn also allows water and nutrients to penetrate your lawn for better growth deeply.

Aerating your lawn means you need to add enough holes into your lawn to help it grow without worsening the damage your lawn has endured. Aerating is frequently an easy and quick fix for a thin lawn.

5. Water Your Lawn the Correct Amount

Garden Sprinkler, Kadaon 360 Degree Rotating Lawn Sprinkler with Up to 3,000 Sq. Ft Coverage - Adjustable, Weighted Gardening Watering System
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Sometimes people overwater their grass in hopes that it will improve their lawn growth. While grass does need water to thrive, overwatering can cause the nutrients your grass needs to wash away. You should not saturate your lawn with too much water frequently. Overwatering stunts grass growth and deteriorates soil quality.

On the other hand, not watering your lawn enough will stunt your grass growth also. It is common to see lawns with yellow, brittle grass in the summer months. This grass is dried out and died due to not receiving enough water in hot weather. Not watering your lawn enough can also dry out and deprive your soil of nutrients, preventing good grass growth in the future.

When watering your lawn, be mindful of the weather. Overwatering can happen during stormy weeks if your watering schedule isn’t adjusted to accommodate weather conditions. However, your grass can dry out if you don’t adjust your watering schedule during sunny hot weeks. Finding a good water balance is essential to growing a thick lawn.

Read Our Related Watering Lawn Articles:

6. Mow Regularly and Correctly

Mowing your lawn correctly is essential to maintaining healthy ad thick grass growth on your lawn. The best mowers you can use to promote thick, healthy grass growth are rotary and reel mowers. In addition, these mowers are more gentle than other mowers, which will guarantee minor damage to your lawn when you mow.

mowing the lawn in my garden

The length you cut your grass depends on the grass you grow on your lawn. If you cut certain grass types too short when you mow, you cause irreversible damage to that grass. On the other hand, cutting your grass too short can cause your lawn to thin out and reveal more of the dirt below the grass. Therefore, cutting your grass at the right length promotes healthy grass growth.

7. Properly Maintaining Your New Grass 

When you lay down new grass seed, you need to properly take care of the new grass to grow a thick lawn. Watering, fertilizing and mowing your lawn contribute to how well your new grass will grow. If you neglect to maintain your new grass, your new lawn won’t appear any thicker and healthier than your old lawn.

To grow healthy new grass on your lawn, you also need to keep an eye on the quality of your soil. If your soil is dry and low in nutrients, it is unlikely your new grass will stay healthy. To maintain your grass, you need to promote nutrient absorption, correct watering, and make sure you don’t chop the grass blades too low when you mow.

Thin Grass FAQs

When you are new to maintaining grass and general lawn care, you may have many questions arise. Asking these questions before tending to your lawn is vital to avoid causing unnecessary damage to your lawn. Below are several questions people ask when they are new to proper lawn care and grass maintenance.

Will Grass Thicken on Its Own?

Sometimes grass can thicken on its own without you adjusting your lawn care routine. This is because some grass species are developed to grow thick and green with minimal maintenance. However, if you are unsure what grass type you have, then a little extra maintenance won’t hurt.

There are also certain climates and soil types that can help grass thicken on its own. Sometimes people just get lucky and have their lawn in a great climate without any effort.

How Can You Get Grass to Grow in Bare Spots?

Thin lawns can suffer from several bare spots throughout the lawn. The best way to grow grass in these bare spots is to overseed your lawn and apply fertilizer, proper watering, and aeration. When you implement these lawn care tactics, you can grow grass on the bare spots on your lawn.

Depending on the soil in those spots, you may also want to integrate a higher quality soil in these bare spots to promote growth. Grass has a difficult time growing on dry, nutrient-lacking soil.

What Time of Year is Best to Thicken Your Yard?

Spring and fall are the best times of year to thicken your ward. This time is not too hot or cold and often receives more rainfall than summer or winter. Thickening your yard in the summer can be difficult due to the heat and lack of water in the air. Winter can cause trouble because the ground is frozen, and nearly impossible for lawn growth.

How to Encourage Grass to Spread?

Overseeding and maintaining the soil in your lawn can encourage grass to spread. If your lawn is healthy, the grass will naturally spread quickly across your lawn. Unhealthy soil will prevent the growth of additional grass. Proper lawn maintenance is vital to thickening your lawn and spreading grass.

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Final Thoughts

There is a lot that goes into proper lawn maintenance. To keep your lawn in peak condition, you must take steps to maintain it. Overseeding, aerating, watering, fertilizing, and mowing are essential lawn care aspects. However, overdoing any of these lawn care methods can cause your lawn further damage.

Thickening your lawn is easy and will improve the overall appearance of your outdoor area. In addition, you can fill in any bald spots or patchy areas with proper maintenance.

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