Do you have unattractive tyre marks in your lawn? In this blog, we look at a few methods you can use to help repair these, plus tips on how to avoid ruts from occurring.
What causes tyre marks or ruts?
Ruts can occur when objects like cars, motorbikes and even the kids’ bikes move over grass with saturated soil. When this happens, the soil can often sink and become compacted, creating divots.
Assessing the damage
The first step is to assess the damage. Are the ruts only shallow (up to 10 cm deep) or deep (over 10cm deep)? After you have determined this, we can look at the best way to repair it.
Small ruts
Small ruts up to 10cm deep can be fixed by loosening up the soil base below the lawn.
To do this, use a garden fork and insert it underneath the rut. Then pull the fork down, lifting the turf back up. It is best to lift the affected turf a few cm above the unaffected turf so it can level out over the coming days. Continue to do this around the affected area.
Big ruts
For larger ruts there are a few extra simple steps to follow.
Firstly, use a spade to cut 3 sides along the rut. Then lift and fold the grass over so you can access to the soil underneath the rut. Then use a garden fork or your spade to loosen up the soil underneath. If your soil is not level after this, bring in some sandy loam or turf underlay to bring the soils level back up. Then you can fold your turf back onto the soil and let it grow back in
If the turf in the rut is badly damaged, you may want to look at using a few turf rolls from your local turf supplier. When doing this, it is best to use the same variety as your existing lawn. Cut the turf to the required size and lay it over the prepared soil.
After repairing your rut, it is important to keep traffic in the affected area to a minimum while the grass is repairing itself and irrigate regularly. In winter, most warm season grasses like buffalo, couch, kikuyu and zoysia will need the warmer temperatures in spring to start repairing. In spring, you can also give these areas a fertilise to help promote extra growth.
How to avoid ruts in your lawn
The easy answer, stop people driving and parking on your lawn.
Roping off your area is an easy way to help stop others driving on your lawn. You can place small stakes into your grass and tie rope to them. This will act as a small reminder to others to not drive on your lawn.
Another option is to add a sign on your lawn to keep off the grass. Like this one available at Bunnings.
For more lawn care tips and advice, check out our other lawn care blogs here.
