Most lawns have one – a worn track where people or dogs have made their mark. We most often see them heading to the clothesline or along the fence line where the dog greets the postman on a daily basis.
The most important thing to do is to keep traffic off the bare patch while it repairs and then aerate the area as it is most likely suffering from soil compaction. From there we recommend fertilising the areas to give it a boost and to help the lawn to regrow in that area.
From here you would ideally keep the traffic to a minimum to ensure the worn track doesn’t appear again but that’s not always possible. If you are unable to reduce the traffic then it may be worthwhile considering a more permanent fix.
In the case of the track to and from the clothesline or down the side of the house to the bins, a path or stepping stones might be just the answer. Stepping stones are a great way to keep as much lovely green grass as possible while providing an alternative to damaging the lawn. Stones or composite stones are readily available and while a little more expensive than wood, they are often a much better alternative. Wood tends to become slippery when wet and attracts moss and algae making it unsafe. Remember to space your stepping stones at intervals of approximately 60-65 cms – the length of an average adult stride and place them flush with the ground level for ease when mowing.
With a worn track caused by a dog, you could permanently fence off the area but if that’s not possible you may need to consider a different course of action. Bark chips and gravel are inexpensive options but make sure you contain the product you use to the specific area – gravel and bark spread through the lawn can be a hazard when mowing the lawn.
A handy suggestion for keeping pets off a worn area while it repairs is to put wire mesh/cyclone fence or similar on damaged area, still allowing sunlight & grass to repair & keeping dogs off.
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