Standing water that continues to be in your garden effectively after a rainstorm not solely limits how you employ your yard; it additionally creates a breeding floor for bugs, mould, and algae, attracts rodents, and should kill your grass.
There are a number of potential explanations for why water is pooling in your garden, all of which come again to poor drainage. Should you discover puddles in particular locations, you might have flat or low spots that might profit from a French drain that collects and redirects water away from standing swimming pools alongside a slope. When you’ve got a number of rain runoff in a single space, you might use that moisture to your benefit by planting a rain backyard.
But when your entire garden is waterlogged, you could be coping with compacted floor that merely can’t soak up the quantity of moisture it receives. This may be the case in case your garden will get a number of foot site visitors, has a buildup of grass and particles, or has a excessive clay content material within the soil (or the entire above). Right here’s the easiest way to repair it.
troubleshoot a waterlogged garden
Sadly, it’s important to look ahead to the solar to come back out and your garden to dry between storms earlier than you possibly can work on it. Moist soil is ok—squishy mud will not be. Attempt to keep away from strolling on it within the meantime. When you’ve got puddles that persist, Bob Vila recommends sweeping them away with a brush.
There are two most important points that may very well be stopping your garden from absorbing water, and every requires a unique resolution. One is an extra layer of lifeless grass and particles (known as thatch) that forestalls water and air from attending to the soil under. Should you can’t see filth beneath your grass, or in the event you must dig up greater than 1/2 inch of thatch to achieve the soil beneath, dethatching might be your greatest guess.
If thatch buildup isn’t the issue, you might have compacted soil, which doesn’t enable air and water to soak in, inflicting it to pool on the floor. Soil compaction generally is a product of overuse and/or the soil composition itself. On this case, you’ll possible must aerate and top-dress your garden to loosen the soil and enhance its drainage.
dethatch your garden
The only (and least expensive) technique to dethatch is with a rake that has quick tines and curved blades. Rake vigorously to interrupt up the matted materials, however take care to not pull up grass and roots. This takes some effort however works effectively for small lawns. You too can hire an influence rake—just like a mower—when you’ve got a big yard.
Notice that your garden could look just a little tough after you dethatch. Late winter is a perfect time for this course of, however it may be achieved anytime if it’s inflicting drainage issues.
aerate and top-dress your garden
If compaction is your concern and aeration the answer, you possibly can definitely rent an expert garden care service to do it for you. Aerating primarily pokes holes in your soil to extend drainage.
Should you favor to DIY, wait till your garden is damp however not soaked, and hire a hollow-tined aerator out of your native ironmongery store. As you roll the machine over your grass, the tines will push into the soil. Make a number of laps to make sure you cowl the entire floor, and go away what’s dug as much as be reabsorbed into your yard. It’s best to aerate annually or each two years, ideally in spring or fall.
To additional enhance your soil, which can be low in natural matter as a consequence of compaction, add a layer of compost (or compost blended 1:1 with horticultural sand) to your garden after you aerate. You can additionally overseed areas with poor grass protection to enhance the basis construction.
