need help asap!!

[mikey]

hi
i just got a landscaping job which is mostly a big clean up...but she also wants me to cover this bald spot on her lawn about
2ftx2ft its pretty small in surcumfrance...i never did this b4 she wants me to put some top soil on top of it and cover a small root coming thru..also she wants me to put seed on top...my question is do i have to pat the seeds down into the soil with some type of mallet?i wanna do a good job cuz shes in an xclusive neighborhood and i can get some word of mouth business....also what causes these bald spots on a lawn i really couldnt answer her when she asked me i told her maybe lack of sunlight?cuz this area is almost under a tree...

ps im a solo op. just wanted to tell the pros that she asked me if i do fertilizing to and i said i can but i wouldnt do it cuz u need a licsecse to do it and i wouldnt want to ruin her grass(not that i would)any help would be app.

[joshua]

mike hopfully this reaches you in time. what kind of tree is in the yard, just a geuss from what you said something with a dense foilage. so yes that will kill the grass in summer if she doesn't water it because the tree roots are competing with the grass for water and they usually win with newly seeded turf. also take a screw driver about 12'' inches long and push it in the soil in different spots around the lawn, the reason behind this is because the tree roots are coming up above ground due to soil compaction. basically they need oxygen. so you might have to core areate. depending where the tree roots coming up are is if i would add fill dirt to cover them up, what ever you do do not put soil around the trunk of the tree, this in most caes may cause root rot, or could lead to other things.

[paul]

Mikey, I think you need to read a few books on landscaping, and take a course or two at the local college. Another hint would be to work for a landscaper in your area. You need a bit more understanding of what you are doing. We really want to help you but, it's very hard to do with out seeing what your problems are.

[John Allin]

Library has lots of books...
Paul's probably right on this one.