August Blog -Waterlogged Lawns

You might not be surprised but there is no quick fix for a waterlogged lawn. It is a bit of a waiting game and then some forward planning and maintenance to try to fix things for the next rainy season.

Most importantly you should avoid walking on the grass while it’s waterlogged as this will make things worse

Healthy soil is full of air, which allows grass roots to breathe, but when water saturates the soil, the air in the soil travels to the surface and escapes. This is a problem for grass roots as they need oxygen to live.

Although grass is quite hardy and could survive a few days without oxygen, it would eventually begin to turn yellow and die.

How to Spot a Waterlogged Lawn

This might sound obvious – if a lawn is either partly or fully covered by water it’s safe to say it’s waterlogged. However, you might come across a lawn which isn’t currently saturated, so it is not that obvious ,look for signs of Moss growth and Yellowing of the grass blades also it will be squelchy to walk on

Steps To Fix a Waterlogged Lawn

Aeration 

Aerating the lawn will help to improve drainage and will add air into the soil which will improve the conditions for the grass roots to live in. You can aerate the lawn by either spiking the lawn with a garden fork or aerator shoes, or by using a hollow tine aerator. The best tool will depend on the severity of the waterlogging and what soil you are dealing with

A hollow tine aerator removes cylinders of soil 10-15cm deep, which can then be filled with horticultural sharp sand which will help to keep the soil loose and draw out the moisture, this will help the lawn to recover more quickly.

Regular aeration is essential throughout the spring and summer months to help minimise the compaction of the soil, which will in turn help to minimise waterlogging in the autumn and winter.

Fertiliser should be used on the lawn during the spring to help the grass recover from a wet winter. Using a fertiliser will also help the grass root system to develop into a stronger network which should help the grass to withstand future waterlogging.

Dig A Ditch

This is not a suitable suggestion for every garden but digging a ditch at the lowest point would allow water to run away and sit somewhere it won’t do any damage. Depending on the size of your garden you could even make a feature out of it and turn it into a pond!

Over-Seeding

Seed the lawn in the spring and summer, both on bare patches and where the grass is thick. Not only will this help to keep moss at bay, but it will also help to create a thicker lawn with a more complex root structure which will be able to absorb more water during the next rainy season. Be sure to choose a grass seed which has the resilience to damp roots as it will be better suited to the conditions.

Hope some of these pointers can help out . The biggest help of course is the on set of Spring and way less rainy days