You can thicken your lawn by overseeding, aerating, mowing, and fertilising your lawn. The solution for thin or grass growing slowly is making your grass thicker, but that's not as easy as it seems. According to Oregon State University, one of the best ways to stop your lawn from thinning is by mowing it short (ideally between 2 and 2.5 inches).
Mowrator has spent years refining our S1 Series of lawn mowers to thicken your lawn grass. We have written this guide to help achieve the ideal lawn care for thicker grass in 4 easy ways, with tips and tricks for the best results. Let's dive right in!
Key Takeaways
- Thickening your lawn requires a combination of overseeding, aerating, mowing, and fertilising, with the best results achieved through regular maintenance and a balanced approach.
- Mowing at the right height stimulates lateral growth, aeration improves root access to nutrients, and overseeding fills in thin patches to create a denser, healthier lawn.
- Fertilisation with the correct NPK ratio supports thick grass growth, and the best times for overseeding in Australia are early spring and early autumn to prevent patchiness and weed invasion.
4 Ways to Make Your Lawn Grass Thicker
The 4 easiest ways to help thicken the lawn are overseeding, aerating, mowing, and using fertiliser. While you may see results using one of these methods, you will achieve the most by combining each and continuing with regular maintenance to keep your lawn thick. We've outlined each way for you to take a look at here today:
| Method | How it Helps Thicken Your Lawn |
|---|---|
| Overseeding | Introduces new grass plants to fill in bare or thin patches, increasing overall density. It improves thickness and increases resilience against disease, insects, and weeds. |
| Aerating | Alleviates soil compaction, improving air, water, and nutrient penetration to the grassroots, stimulating new growth and promoting denser turf. |
| Mowing | Regular mowing at the correct height (avoiding scalping) encourages lateral growth (spreading), leading to a thicker and more uniform lawn. |
| Fertilising | Provides essential nutrients (Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients) to stimulate healthy grass growth, root development, and overall plant vigour, all contributing to a thicker, denser lawn. |
Overseeding For a Thicker Lawn
Overseeding makes your lawn thicker by sowing grass seeds into existing lawns to prevent it from thinning. As the seeds germinate, your lawn becomes denser and healthier, strengthening it against potential weed problems. If you have a thin lawn, then overseeding is a way to renew life into it without completely sowing new sod.
After you have overseen them, you can expect the seeds to begin germinating in 7 to 10 days, with visible growth in 2 to 4 weeks. While it takes time to appreciate your new lawn seed fully, overseeding is a lawn thickener practice with results. Make sure to mow your lawn before overseeding and follow the instructions on the seed package.
Aerating For a Thicker Lawn
Aerating your lawn is a process that makes tiny holes in the soil to improve the movement of water, air, and nutrients and alleviate compaction between grassroots. You won't aerate your lawn nearly as often as you mow it, but aerating is vital to lawn maintenance to ensure it remains thick and vibrant.
There are three different types of aeration:
- Core Aeration
- Spike Aeration
- Liquid Aeration
Core aeration is the preferred method and is typically done every 1 or 5 years, although a severely compacted or thatchy lawn may need it every 6 months.
Mowing to Thicken Your Lawn
Mowing is one of the most important things you should do regularly to keep your lawn thick and strong. During the active growing season, you must mow your lawn at least once or twice a week if it's the peak mowing season in summer. Adjust your cutting height to accommodate the grass varieties you're mowing — Bermuda and Kikuyu grasses grow better when cut between 20 and 50 mm.
Mowing triggers a hormonal response from your grass that promotes lateral growth and root development, which helps the grass grow more densely.
Fertiliser to Thicken Your Lawn
Fertilisation is an essential way to create a thicker lawn. To help grass grow thick, you need the right balance of NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) to achieve the lush lawn of your dreams. The best ratio for supporting quicker growth, root support, and improving stress tolerance is 4-1-2.
Since Australian lawns predominately consist of warm-season grasses, it's common to fertilise every six to eight weeks. In these warmer climates, it's common to apply more nitrogen because of the longer growing seasons. You can also use the mulch settings to leave clippings behind to serve as compost for natural fertilisation.
When are the Best Times to Overseed?
The best time to overseed in Australia is early spring and the beginning of autumn. It's common to have a patchy lawn in spring as new sprouts germinate. Similarly, early autumn often has patches of bare grass because of foot traffic and dead grass. During these sensitive times, overseeding your lawn can help reduce the chance of weeds sprouting and create a lawn that looks as lush as you want.
If you want to reduce your foot traffic and enjoy a lusher lawn, consider investing in a remote control lawn mower. The Mowrator S1 Remote Control Lawn Mower 4WD provides a remote solution to your lawn care while still providing the power and precision you'd expect from a riding or robot lawn mower. Shop today.
How To Thicken Your Lawn Grass FAQs
Does cutting grass make it grow faster?
Yes, cutting grass encourages the plant to put energy into root and new shoot development rather than vertical growth, which helps the grass spread and thicken. Mowing regularly also ensures that all blades of grass have access to sunlight, promoting even growth and thicker coverage.
How often should I aerate my lawn?
You should aerate your lawn every 1 to 5 years, but some lawns may need it twice a year if they have clay soil or heavy foot traffic. The frequency depends on factors like soil type, compaction level, lawn usage, climate, and grass type; lawns with heavy clay or high traffic may need annual aeration, while sandy soils might only need it every two to three years.
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