With all
the rain in St Louis lately, some homeowners may have issues with soggy or
flooded lawns.
Not only
is a soggy, muddy yard unsightly but it can also cause some
problems. Soggy puddles, also known as “ponding”, may affect the
quality of your soil hurting your lawn, attract pests, and other potential
issues.
There are
a variety of solutions to fix a yard that has been saturated with
water. More drastic problems require solutions that may involve
digging in your yard. Before digging in
your yard local utility companies need to be called to locate any wires or
underground pipes. If they exist, ask
them to come out and mark them to avoid damage.
The first
step to fixing a soggy lawn problem, is to remove the sod from the area you
will be working to fix. Use a shovel to carefully remove the sod and
be sure to keep it so that you can replace it when your work is
completed.
Dig an
area, avoiding any marked wires or pipes your utility company may have located,
of about six inches wide by 24 inches deep. A power trencher (which
can be rented at most equipment rental stores) will make the job
easier. Dig the trench all around the soggy area, and at the end of
it dig a location where the excess water can flow out. Fill this
area with a gravel bed, or if permitted in your location you may be able to
relocate the water to the street.
Once your
area is dug out, place a layer of landscape fabric in the trench making sure to
cover the bottom and side areas; leave enough fabric to fold over when gravel
is filled in. Fill the trench with washed clean gravel to a depth of two
inches. Do not pack gravel. Place a 4 inch diameter pipe
on top of the gravel, running the length of the trench. Perforated
pipes should be used in soggy areas, and regular pipe for the
rest. Place pipe that only has holes on one side, the holes pointing
downward. Be sure to angle the pipe to drop at least an inch
every eight feet, to ensure a proper drainage slope. More gravel can
be added to help correct any angle problems.
Cover
your trench with 1-inch gravel until it is filled almost to the top, leaving
room for sod to be placed over the gravel, being careful not to block the
discharge end of the pipe. Fold landscape fabric over gravel filled
trench making sure to cover area completely. Hide the fabric by
tucking in over complete area. Final step is to carefully replace
original sod to area dug out and stamping it into place. Do not put
sod over the area of pipe where water will discharge.
