Summer means spending more time outside and that extra time in your garden may mean you’ll see problems cropping up.

Here are some common landscaping problems and how to solve them.

Overwatering

Overwatering plants leads to fungus and plant disease, spongy lawns and shallow root systems. Understand the watering requirements of the plants in your garden and carefully manage the amount of water you give your landscaping. Plant native plants to help minimize your watering needs and keep your landscaping looking healthier all year around.

Bare Spots

Bare spots in your lawn can be the result of soil compaction from heavy foot traffic, drought, disease, chemical burns, or weed or insect infestation. To fix these spots, you’ll need to first determine the cause. If it’s foot traffic, install stepping stones or a pathway to keep pedestrians off the grass. If it’s weeds or insects, determine what you have before treating it. Once the yard is treated, you can start growing new grass.

New grass can be grown from seed.

Spread straw as a mulch to help keep the young grass moist and safe from foraging wildlife. You can purchase lawn patch products that contain seed, fertilizer and mulch blends. Sod is also an option; keep sod moist until you can install it. Make sure it’s level and makes good contact with the rest of the lawn.

Poor Soil Quality

Sandy, silty or soils rich in clay can adversely affect your landscaping. Clay-heavy soils tend to make it difficult for water to drain or create shifting issues. Clay is great for building on, but could be bad for your garden. Sandy soil allows water to pass through which makes it good for areas that need drainage improvement.

You can amend your soil to help improve it. The experts at your local home and garden center can give you advice on what types of soil you have and how to best amend it for your landscaping.

Erosion

Erosion is when soil wears away from water and wind. This can cause loss of fertile topsoil and harm plants, walkways and other landscaping elements. Retaining walls can help hold back soil. Amendments such as mulch and plantings like groundcovers also help.