Standing water that is still in your garden properly after a rainstorm not solely limits how you utilize your yard; it additionally creates a breeding floor for bugs, mould, and algae, attracts rodents, and should kill your grass.
There are a couple of potential explanations for why water is pooling in your garden, all of which come again to poor drainage. If you happen to discover puddles in particular locations, you could have flat or low spots that may profit from a French drain that collects and redirects water away from standing swimming pools alongside a slope. When you’ve got quite a lot of rain runoff in a single space, you may use that moisture to your benefit by planting a rain backyard.
But when your entire garden is waterlogged, chances are you’ll 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 quite a lot 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 one of the simplest ways to repair it.
How you can troubleshoot a waterlogged garden
Sadly, you need to await the solar to return out and your garden to dry between storms earlier than you may work on it. Moist soil is ok—squishy mud is just not. 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 essential points that might be stopping your garden from absorbing water, and every requires a distinct answer. One is an extra layer of useless grass and particles (known as thatch) that stops water and air from attending to the soil under. If you happen to can’t see grime beneath your grass, or when you have to dig up greater than 1/2 inch of thatch to achieve the soil beneath, dethatching might be your finest guess.
If thatch buildup isn’t the issue, you could have compacted soil, which doesn’t permit 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 probably have to aerate and top-dress your garden to loosen the soil and enhance its drainage.
How you can dethatch your garden
The only (and most cost-effective) strategy to dethatch is with a rake that has brief 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 properly for small lawns. You may as well hire an influence rake—just like a mower—in case you have a big yard.
Notice that your garden could look a bit tough after you dethatch. Late winter is a perfect time for this course of, however it may be finished anytime if it’s inflicting drainage issues.
How you can aerate and top-dress your garden
If compaction is your concern and aeration the answer, you may actually rent knowledgeable garden care service to do it for you. Aerating primarily pokes holes in your soil to extend drainage.
If you happen to want to DIY, wait till your garden is damp however not soaked, and hire a hollow-tined aerator out of your native ironmongery shop. 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 depart what’s dug as much as be reabsorbed into your yard. It is best to aerate every year or each two years, ideally in spring or fall.
To additional enhance your soil, which can be low in natural matter resulting from compaction, add a layer of compost (or compost blended 1:1 with horticultural sand) to your garden after you aerate. You possibly can additionally overseed areas with poor grass protection to enhance the foundation construction.
