Drain Ground Surface Water
Standing surface water is the result of many factors. The soil may not have enough pores to allow the water to move through the substrate. Down spouts from the home's guttering system may be releasing the water into unwanted areas. The soil may be composed of heavy compacted clay causing water to slowly penetrate. Regardless of the cause, standing surface water will kill grass, promote bacterial problems for plants and encourage moss to grow in extremely wet areas.
List:
Garden rake
Lawn aerator
Landscape flags
Shovel
Gravel
Sand
Topsoil
Grass seed
Remove the thatch from the lawn by vigorously raking all dead material from under the grass blades. Thatch is the buildup of dead grass and other debris on top of the soil. The material will restrict the flow of water into the soil. Collect the thatch material and compost. The decomposed organic matter can be added to the lawn in the autumn and aid in improving the soil's overall health.
Run a lawn aerator over the lawn. The lawn aerator will cut small plugs from the soil and re-deposit those soil plugs back on to the surface. The small holes will improve the surface drainage and mix the lower soil with the top. You can rent lawn aerators. These equipment rental facilities will train you in the proper operation and process to aerate the lawn.
Reroute down spouts from the home's guttering system. Heavy rains may cause standing water from the down spouts in an already well-drained yard.
Identify the low spots on the ground where water will puddle. Mark the area with landscape flags. Set the flags in such a way so you make a path to drain the water from the area.
Dig a trench with the shovel eight to 10 inches deep. Slope the trench one to three percent to an outlet. Remove the soil from the trench to another area or use it to fill in low spots on the ground.
Fill the lower two thirds of the trench with gravel. Fill the next one third of the trench with sand. Finish filling the drainage trench, approximately one inch, with a quality topsoil.
Seed the trench with the same species of grass that is already established in the lawn. If the trench is running through an established growing bed, attempt to keep all plants from the drainage trench. Large roots may grow into the trench and impede the underground flow of water.
Words to the Wise:
Check with your local building code agency. There may be certain covenants that restrict the placement of drainage trenches across your property.
Consult your local utilities before digging any drainage trenches across your yard. Many utilities offer a free service to identify buried cables and water lines.
