Sachin

Are you plagued with a yard that has pools of water? Or are you finding that you have a lot of muddy areas? Many things such as compromised clay or dense soil can cause both of these issues. Another reason you could have these pooled or muddy conditions is that the water tables could be really high where you live. Besides being inconvenient and messy, depending on where you live this could also pose health concerns, such as breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Obviously, it is well known that mosquitoes carry diseases such as malaria or West Nile Virus. Regardless the reasons why you are dealing with these bothersome conditions, you will likely want to get it addressed so you can enjoy your property.

Here are a few ideas you can use to try and correct it:

1. Each spring prior to preparing your yard and sprinklers you should aerate the yard. The reason for this is that it opens up the dense packed grass so the water you are putting on your yard actually gets down into the roots. This prevents the water from just rolling over the top of the yard to the lowest point and pooling. It is also important to aerate your yard in the fall prior to the deep freezes.

2. In addition to the aeration, you will want to rake all the thatched grasses to loosen the grass pack so the water can more easily be absorbed by the whole yard, especially with the aerating you just performed.

3. You might consider evaluating all your gutters to ensure they are not packed with leaves, sticks and dirt. But in conjunction with that, you will need to evaluate your down spouts to make sure they are draining far enough away from your home's foundation. Have them drain in to a down flow to take the water out of the yard or into a flower or vegetable garden. If you have a runoff to take excess water out of your yard, make sure this is also cleared of grasses, leaves, sticks or excess dirt or mud. This will allow the water to flow freely and be directly to your designated area or out to the street.

4. You can also consider using a trench drain. These are trenches that line the areas that hit your low points, perhaps around the perimeter of your yard or under the foundation of your home. These trenches are generally a foot wide and a couple feet deep. They are lined and include a tube with holes to help direct the flow to the natural drainage flows through and out of your yard.

5. If the issues really are the result of dense or clay like soil, you may wish to break up the yard and mix in sand or other more porous soils to help allow the yard to soak up water or drain it without it just washing over the yard into the low points of your property.

Evaluate your particular issues and consult with a gardener or landscape professional. You can address all the muddy points of your property to better enjoy a beautiful, less messy and healthier environment.

Written by Mike West, owner of WestCo Grounds Maintenance. WestCo provides the best solutions for landscaping in Jefferson City, MO has to offer. They also specialize in irrigation and lawn sprinkler service.