Restore or replace? How to choose for your lawn

A patchy lawn does not always mean starting over. Depending on what is left, restoring the grass you have can give a great result for less money. In other cases, replacing it with sod is the faster and more reliable option.

When restoration makes sense

• Most of the lawn is still healthy grass, with thin or bare areas.
• The damage has a clear cause, such as a dog spot, a salt strip by the sidewalk or a worn path.
• The ground is reasonably level.
• You are happy to water and wait a few weeks for new grass to fill in.

When new sod is the better choice

• Most of the lawn is dead, weeds or bare soil.
• The ground is lumpy, sunken or slopes the wrong way and needs regrading.
• You want a finished lawn quickly, for a sale or an event.
• Seed has already failed in the same spot.

Timing matters

In Toronto, late summer into early fall is the best time to seed, with spring a close second. Sod is more flexible and can go down through most of the growing season, as long as it gets plenty of water in hot weather.

Whichever you choose, start with the soil

Both seed and sod depend on what is underneath. Compacted or poor soil is one of the most common reasons lawns struggle, so loosening the ground and adding quality topsoil is often the step that makes the biggest difference.