Hello World! Welcome Friends! Do you have a soggy or waterlogged lawn? Then don’t worry because you’re not alone—it’s a common problem facing many homes. Soggy lawn occurs mainly during the spring and winter periods when there’s heavy rainfall. It happens when there’s too much water and insufficient drainage in the soil. This may be caused by compacted soil, clay, heavy foot traffic, flat terrain, or poor root structure around your lawn.
A soggy lawn can devastate your grass as it causes the air in the soil to travel beneath the surface and escape. Since grass requires oxygen to survive, this causes them to turn yellow and eventually die. If you have a soggy lawn and are wondering what to do, this post is for you. We’ll discuss some steps to remedy or fix a soggy lawn.
Install a French Drain
Not all wet areas are caused by soil compaction or heavy clay. Flat and low-lying terrains of a lawn are often prone to groundwater seepage due to a lack of slope to direct the water away. In such cases, installing an underground drainage system may help drain the water and dry your lawn. This is as simple as digging trenches around your lawn, then installing new drain pipe wrapped in water-permeable fabric. The pipe is then covered with layers of gravel or stone.
The French drains need to be dug near a sloped area lower than the soggy lawn. This causes the system to work as gravity forces the water to flow downwards. Since water follows a path with low resistance, it’ll automatically be drawn through the gravel to the drain pipe and directed away from your lawn.
Dry It Out
A soggy water lawn can’t be repaired when it’s full of mud and water. You need to dry it out to work efficiently. You can let it dry naturally in sunny weather or use sand to easily and quickly dry the lawn. When your lawn finally dries to the extent of being moist rather than saturated and squishy, you can start working on repairing the damaged lawn.
Aerate the Lawn
The most common reason for a soggy or waterlogged lawn is soil compaction. Lack of space among soil particles means that water and air can’t penetrate through; therefore, the water stays on the surface while the air in the soil escapes beneath the surface, saturating the ground and killing your grass.
Aerating the lawn helps boost drainage while allowing air to circulate in the soil, which improves the grassroots condition. You can aerate your lawn using a hollow tine aerator, aerator shoes, or spiking the lawn with a fork. The tool you’ll use to aerate will depend on the type of soil in your lawn and the extent of the waterlogging. You can also hire professionals with the right tools and equipment to help the aeration process.
Regular aeration is essential throughout the summer months as it helps reduce soil compaction, which helps minimize waterlogging during winter and the rainy season.
Top-Dress With Compost and Sand
Poor soil structure is often associated with low organic content and the death of living organisms in the soil. After aeration, adding compost either alone or mixed with horticultural sand is a great idea. The compost and soil infiltrate into the spaces formed by aeration, thus helping improve the soil structure. The beneficial microbes in the compost attract earthworms, boosting biological activity in the soil. This helps loosen the soil particles, which improve drainage and promote healthy grass growth.
Create a Rain Garden
If the soggy lawn is due to excessive runoff onto a flat or low-lying terrain, creating a rain garden can help solve the issue. A rain garden consists of perennials, native shrubs, or flowers planted in depression to hold and soak water runoff temporarily. The garden contains water-loving plants like sedges, Bluestar, cardinal flowers, swamp hibiscus, and more. Rain gardens in correct locations effectively reduce flooding, filter pollutants and chemicals from the water, and provide habitats for pollinators and birds.
Dig a Ditch
This may not be ideal for every garden, but digging a ditch in the lowest area allows excess runoff water to run away and collect somewhere it won’t damage. Depending on your garden size, you can turn the ditch into a pond.
Conclusion
Soggy or waterlogged lawns are common in our homes but are often easy to fix. We hope the above steps will help improve your lawn drainage and help your grass recover. This will give you enough time to enjoy your lawn the way you want. Consider the ideas mentioned here as you plan and prepare.
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