How To Improve Lawn Drainage

Does Aerating Lawn Help Drainage

Yes, aerating lawn help with drainage issue. Aerating entails making small, relatively deep holes using an aerating fork, a garden fork, or aeration boots.

The holes should go into the soil through the grass to allowwater drain from the surface into the earth below, instead of puddling.

Too much water destroys your grass, so dont let your lawn get waterlogged. Fortunately, lawn drainage solutions like adding sand to your lawn help the water drain efficiently and help keep your grass healthy by allowing it to access nutrients, oxygen, and the correct amount of water.

Water pooling on your lawn, grass turning yellow, and the yard being muddy or squishy long after it stops raining indicate drainage problems in your lawn. Watch out for these signs and act swiftly to help save your grass.

Having Water Drainage Issues With Your Backyard

Having drainage issues in yard, not only causes standing water damage to your grass and the plantings, but it can also be a health hazard. Standing water often holds mosquito larvae and other undesirable pests, so its important to correct any yard drainage issues as soon as you notice them. Find out how you can improve drainage in your yard, and around the perimeter of your home, using these tips.

Common Causes Of Yard Drainage Issues

There are several factors that can lead to a yard failing to vacate excess water properly. Different causes of yard drainage problems can call for different solutions and DIY approaches. The following are some of the most common reasons your yard may be draining poorly.

• Yard slope or pitch: In many cases, water pools in a yard because the soils flat plane doesnt divert enough water away from the house.
• A too-short downspout: If your gutters downspout points directly into a flower bed or other landscaped area, excess water can collect in the mulch and soil beneath.
• Impacted soil: This can be a result of construction projects, such as in-ground pools, around the house. Hardpan clay is especially problematic when impacted, as it can retain moisture for far longer than other types of soil.
• Front walkways: If a sidewalk or concrete path sits in front of your house, it could be blocking off water, preventing it from running through your yard and into the storm drain.
• Runoff erosion: If the runoff from your downspout has stripped away some of the topsoil in your yard, this can lead to heavy collection beneath the eroded area.

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S To Improve Drainage

Some landscape and garden plants such as willows, arborvitae, and honey locust that tolerate poorly drained soils better than others. Soil conditioners, such as organic matter can be added to soil to improve drainage .

Organic matter is the single-most important soil amendment and should be incorporated as deep as possible. Besides addition of organic matter, there are also other ways to address soil drainage problems:

• Install subsurface tile drains. Tile drains are sections of perforated pipe buried 12 to 18 inches below the soil surface. Excess soil water is captured in these pipes and is routed away from plant roots. Tile drain supplies can be purchased at home-supply stores and on the internet.
• Install vertical drains in tree and shrub planting holes. Vertical drains are 4 to 6 inch diameter holes dug 3 to 5 feet deep adjacent to the roots. The drains, which can be dug with a post-hole digger or soil auger, are filled with gravel which allows water to vertically drain below the root zone while holding up the soil walls.
• Plant in raised soil beds. Soil can be mounded up 8 to 12 inches, keeping a portion of the plant roots above the surrounding poorly drained soil. Water will also drain away from the raised soil bed.
• Mix layers of soil. If a new soil layer is added, mix it in well with the soil below it. Counter-intuitively, a soil layer may become saturated if the soil below it is of a coarser texture.

Improve Soil To Get Better Drainage

Of all the soil-amendment methods, the best is adding organic matter, be it compost, aged manure or anything else that’s well rotted. This organic matter binds with soil particles. In the case of clay soil, it forces the small, tightly packed particles apart so that drainage is improved in sandy soil, it fills the large pore spaces and acts as a sponge so that moisture is retained for longer.

So if your soil is mainly clay, dig in plenty of organic matter and calcium in the form of gypsum .

If your soil has adequate gypsum levels already, use compost alone too much calcium can interfere with the uptake of other nutrients.

You can test the levels of gypsum in your garden. Put 2cm of soil in a large jar filled with water, screw on the lid and shake.

• If the water clears within half an hour, you have adequate amounts of gypsum.
• If it takes one to two hours for the water to clear, apply about 50g of gypsum per square metre to your soil to help improve the soil’s structure and drainage. Dig it in at least 30cm deep.
• If the water is still murky after several hours, add about 200g of gypsum per square metre to your soil.
• Repeat this process every four weeks until your test shows soil improvement.

Alternatively, mushroom compost can be used as mulch for clay soils as it’s high in calcium sulphate. Avoid using it around acid-loving plants, though.

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Construct A Rain Garden

If there is a low spot on your property that collects water, and there isnt enough slope to drain it with a creek bed, you could consider making that soggy patch work for you by turning it into a rain garden. Rain gardens are designed to catch rainfall and are usually filled with water-loving plants like hostas, ferns and ornamental mosses that can dry out saturated areas. They dont necessarily solve the yard drainage issue, but they definitely are more attractive than a muddy hole full of soaking grass.

A completed rain garden will ideally drain water within 24 hours. This metric, as well as the level of porousness of the soil youre building in, can help you determine how deep to dig the garden. Your rain garden can also be the ending point of a downspout or creek bed.

Tools youll need: Level, shovel, wheelbarrow, river rock, decorative stones, gravel, landscape fabric, PVC pipe and water-friendly plants.

Select Plants That Thrive In Swampy Conditions

Many trees and plants thrive in water or damp conditions. As a result, they will suck up the water surplus. You, therefore, dont have to worry about the winter rainfall as much as before.

Many New Zealand native trees love water. Here are some of them:

• Putaputaweta : This native loves forests, damp or boggy area and thrives close to streamsides.
• Koru: This bushy shrub is usually found in gullies and loves damp soil.
• Pukatea: One of the tallest trees in New Zealand, Puketea, grows where moisture is plentiful, like in gullies, damp forests and on the edges of streams.
• Nikau: The Nikau palm is the world’s most southerly and only New Zealand native palm tree, a slow-growing species. It thrives in damp soil and does best in a subtropical climate.
• Maire Tawake : This native plant is usually on waterlogged grounds, on the margins of swamps and streamsides.
• Manatu : One of the most fast-growing native trees, Manatu grows near water and loves dry or wet soil.
• Priri: Large canopy trees live on rich, wet, fertile soil.
• Patat : A small bushy tree thrives in damp soil but doesnt tolerate flooded and windy conditions.
• Pkk: The tree grows in damp but well-drained soil.
• Mhoe : It grows in coastal, lowland and lowers montane forests throughout the country. It thrives in moist but well-drained soil.

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How To Test Soil Drainage Before Planting

Quick soil drainage test

• Dig a hole 12 inches deep and 12 inches in diameter.
• Fill it with water. The next day, fill the hole with water again.
• All of the water should drain out within eight hours.
• If the water drains out more than four inches per hour, the soil is extremely sandy. Less than 1 inch per hour is too slow and may indicate soil compaction, a high clay content, buried debris, a high water table, or a restrictive layer of soil. For help with poorly drained soil go to our Common Soil Problems page and scroll down to “Heavy Soil / Compaction / Poor Drainage.”
• DIY Soil Drainage Perk Test – UT/Knoxville

Indicators Of Healthy Soil

• Soil is loose and deep enough to allow for good root growth.
• Topsoil is medium to dark brown in color.
• Earthworms, beetles, ants, and other soil animals can easily be seen in the top six inches of soil.
• Soil is crumbly when moist. Soil aggregates maintain their shape after a heavy rain.
• You can dig a hole 2-3 ft. deep without too much difficulty.
• Water does not stand on top of the ground hours after a rainfall and soil particles do not move off-site during heavy rainfall.

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The Problem With Clay Soil For Growing Grass

From soil compaction to poor clay soil drainage and aeration, here are some common problems youll face with grasses for clay soil:

• Poor drainage: Clay soil doesnt drain well. This can become a problem for your lawn grass, especially after heavy showers. If the grass sits in water for too long, the roots will slowly rot and your lawn will die out.
• Soil compaction: Clay soil can also become compacted over time. This will make it difficult for the grass roots to spread out and grow. Whats more, soil compaction will also cause waterlogging and poor drainage.
• Reduced aeration: Clay soil is so tightly packed that the roots of your grass wont receive much air. Poor aeration will limit grass growth and affect your lawns overall health.
• Difficult to dig: Clay soil is also difficult to work with. You will have to labour more while digging and reseeding your clay lawn. By comparison, sandy and silty soil are a breeze to work with.
• Warms up slowly: Clay soil is bad for your winter lawn. It can take quite a long time to thaw and warm up after the cold months. This can slow your grass growth, or worse, kill it.

A clay lawn after a long, dry summer. Image credit: @melisrunning

Standing Water In Yard

If water stands in your yard for hours or even days after a moderate rain, you have poor drainage, which can be caused by heavy, compacted soils or improper grading. If this occurs near your homes foundation, it can lead to nasty moisture issues in your basement or crawlspace. Fortunately, a French drain or re-grading the property can usually solve this problem.

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Create A Bog Garden Or Pond

Another, more elaborate solution to a poorly drained spot is to create a pond, bog, or water garden. This will probably require some professional help: The land will have to be carefully sculpted in order to hold enough water in the area. The added bonus of having a small pond on your property is that wildlife naturally gravitates toward wet areas for drinking and bathing. Numerous birds, such as grackles, mocking birds, catbirds, cardinals, and nuthatches, are sure to seek out your wet garden.

Topdressing To Improve Soil Profile

If your soil base is compacted and has a high proportion of clay, regular aerating combined with topdressing will help to improve the soil profile and better allow for water absorption, but this should only be done during the warmer months of the year. It would also be advisable to spread gypsum which will help the water to seep down deeper.

If the problem continues to persist however even after only a light to moderate amount of rain, you will need to look at a more permanent solution to your drainage issues.

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How To Test Soil Drainage

A percolation or perc test is a simple and effective way to test your yards drainage.

All you need for a perc test is:

• A shovel or garden spade
• A watering hose or bucket of water
• A 12-inch ruler

Washington State University provides instructions for testing your lawns soil drainage in five easy steps:

Depending on the drainage speed, you can determine your yards soil texture and percolation rate.

Soil should ideally drain at a rate of 2 inches per hour. A rate of 1 to 3 inches will typically suffice for most plants with average drainage needs.

If the percolation rate is less than an inch per hour, your soil probably needs some amendments.

Soils that drain at more than 4 inches per hour are often called droughty and empty too quickly.

No More Waterlogging: Heres What You Can Do

Drainage problems in your lawn can cause your backyard to flood, ruin your grass and gardens, and may even leave your backyard unusable. If you have a drainage issue, there are simple things that you can do to fix it.

Aeration for your lawn will help improve the drainage and will add air into the soil. Grass roots are also improved with aerators. You can aerate your lawn either by spiking the lawn with a garden fork or aerator shoes or by using a hollow tine aerator. The best aeration tool will depend on the severity of waterlogging, and the type of soil that is in your lawn.

Regularly aerating the soil in your lawn is essential throughout the spring and summer months to help minimize the compaction of the soil, which will in turn help to minimize waterlogging in the winter and autumn.

Having a french drain installed in your backyard is the most viable solution if the waterlogging is severe, although this will likely involve professionals, heavy machinery, and some major garden overhaul and upheaval. This can also come in handy after a storm when you need to drain so much water in your backyard.

Installing a french drain will help surface water to run away from the problem area.

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Expose Your Lawn To Sunlight

Moss generally needs a moist environment to thrive. It can live with a little amount of sunlight to none at all. When you expose it to sunlight, its delicate filaments will dry up and thus deprive it of the moisture it needs to live long.

Luckily, exposure to the sun wont affect your lawn, as it needs about four to six hours of sunlight in a day anyway.

If theres a tree throwing shade on your lawn, you can consider pruning its branches to let the sun rays reach the grass.

How To Improve Lawn Drainage With Sand

Besides the unsightly nature of a water-logged lawn, poor drainage causes multiple problems that will cost you money and time to handle.

These include fungal infestation, poor growth of your grass, diseases, and weed growth thus, getting ahead of it is vital, so how do you improve lawn drainage with sand.

To improve lawn drainage with sand first, mow your grass short then aerate your lawn and finally pour the sand down and spread evenly with a broom or with a power broom attachment for your weed eater or using the Swardman Reel Mower brush attachment.

Sand is excellent for improving lawn drainage, but you must remember that it isnt suitable for every lawn, so ensure it will work for your yard beforehand.

Nonetheless, keep reading this post to find out why, when, and how sand boosts lawn drainage.

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Pricking Slitting Or Spiking

• Pricking or slitting the surface can improve a waterlogged lawn. Shallow, 2-3cm , pricking or slitting will help. However, deeper spiking is better, especially with a tool designed to leave holes 10-15cm deep. These holes can be filled with a free-draining material, such as proprietary lawn top dressings or horticultural sand. This allows the water to flow from the surface to deeper, less compacted layers
• Hand spiking tools are available for the purpose, but an ordinary garden fork can be used. Alternatively, for larger lawns, use powered tools. Try a hollow tiner, which has hollow spikes and removes plugs of soil that are then swept up and removed
• Pricking and slitting are best carried out once the excess water has drained away, especially where machinery is to be used. In small areas where standing water persists, sweep it off the lawn and into the beds before spiking with a hand spiking tool or garden fork
• If your lawn is prone to waterlogging, spike it every few years in autumn. This will prevent the need for emergency action after wet winters

How To Improve Your Soil’s Drainage

Note: This is a work in progress, please check back again for more detailed information

When thinking about soil it is best to see it as medium in which your plant roots sit. Also sitting in that medium are all the essential ingredients that a plant needs to grow: water, air and nutrients. This is all the soils do they hold all the ingredients in place for plants to grow. When improving your soils you need to ensure that all these ingredients are readily available in your soil.First of all it is important to say that all and every soil can be improved and made to work better. Whether your problem is poor drainage, low fertility or shallow soil there is always a solution. But to determine your soils condition there are a number of factors to consider. The question is can your soil hold a sufficient amount of air, water, nutrients and plant roots?

• Factors to consider include the following:
• The type of soil you have
• Your soil structure and drainage
• The depth of your soil
• The Fertility of your soil
• The pH of your soil
• Organic content and Bio logical activity
• And finally, soil temperature

The best option is to manage your soil well, fork to improve aeration and remove compaction and again add 4 inches of farm yard manure to your soil. Farm yard manure has a high level of partially decomposed material which acts as bulky material in the soil which will improve air flow and drainage.

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