How Can I Get Rid of Standing Water?

Tips for Getting Rid of Standing Water

Standing water is not only an annoyance, but it’s also a threat to the structural integrity of your home, your health, and your lawn. At J Bird’s Landscaping, we’ve put together a guide to help you get rid of standing water and protect your home and your family.

Dethatch Your Lawn

If you notice that your water is not soaking into the soil, which can be indicated by wilted turfgrass and puddles even with little watering. If your yard has thatch or compaction, it can cause your lawn to lose the ability to absorb water.

Thatch is when grass roots, stems, and leaves all build up into a tightly woven layer that sits between the grass blades and soil. With a healthy amount of thatch, your lawn will become more resilient, but excessive thatch will prevent it from properly absorbing water.

To tell if you need to dethatch, complete the following:

Cut a small square of the lawn at six inches deep.
Squeeze the spongy layer located above the soil and then take measurements
If the section is more than a half-inch thick after it’s been squeezed, you will need to dethatch your lawn

When detaching, be sure to mow the grass first at half of its normal height. Using a dethatcher or a rake, you can then pull up the thatch.

Aerate Your Lawn

Once you’ve dethatched your lawn, it is likely time to aerate it. To determine if it is time to aerate, you want to cut a square foot section of your lawn out, down at least six inches deep. If your roots are less than two inches deep, you may have compacted soil that could benefit from aeration.

This process involves using a lawn aerator to make holes throughout the yard, four inches deep and two inches apart. You can also contact your local landscape company, J Bird’s Landscaping, to get the job done!

Don’t Overwater Your Lawn

If you are noticing puddles on your lawn and it hasn’t rained recently, then you may be overwatering your lawn. Whether you have a poor watering schedule, you’re not maintaining your sprinklers, or are using the wrong sprinkler system in your yard; there are several reasons your lawn could be improperly watered.

How often you water your grass will depend on the type of soil, type of grass, the season, and the average rainfall in the area. If you are overwatering your lawn, you may notice:

Fungus – This appears like webbing, colored spots, or dead patches.
An abundance of mushrooms or weeds
Grass that is yellowing

Typically, an inch of water per week is sufficient for most lawns. But keep in mind that if it rains, it’s best to skip watering. Your lawn requires more water during the growing season and less water when it lays dormant.

Grasses active in the fall and spring include but are not limited to Kentucky bluegrass or ryegrasses. Bermuda grass and buffalograss are examples of warm-season grasses that are actively growing in the summer.

Rather than using an automated water schedule, we recommend that you take the time to observe your lawn over the course of a few weeks and only water it when it needs, such as when the leaves have wilted, browned, or curled. Keep track of how much you are watering, and then you can create your automated schedule.

You also need to make sure that your sprinkler is properly functioning. Take care of your system by cleaning the heads and filters and checking for any damaged heads. You also want to make they the heads are in a position where they can most effectively deliver water to your lawn.

Use Compost on Your Lawn

If you are still noticing puddles on your lawn, even after you’ve nailed down your watering schedule, then you may need to improve your soil. This can be done using compost. The type of soil in your lawn will determine how well the lawn drains. You will either have loam, sand, or clay.

Sand and loam allow water to pass through quickly. Clay, on the other hand, is not so easy for water to pass through. The water becomes trapped by the clay and causes puddles.

You can improve your lawn’s soil by adding compost to it and breaking up the clay. This will allow the water to move through more easily and help alleviate your drainage issues.

Install a Drainage System

If your lawn is not properly sloped or graded for drainage, it can cause issues such as standing water on the lawn. With a drainage system, you can create channels where the water can drain to the appropriate place, like with a french drain.

A french drain is a trench that is dug down around the foundation of your home and is filled with gravel with a perforated pipe. It is installed to run from your lowest point to an exit point that will direct the water away from home and to the proper drainage.

A dry well can also be installed to alleviate drainage problems. This is a hole that is dug down deep and filled with rocks. Water drains into the well, into the rocks, and down into the soil. This can be used as an endpoint for a french drain or a downspout.\

How Does Standing Water Impact Your Home?

In our most recent article, we discussed standing water and ways to get rid of it, but you may be wondering why it is so important to get rid of standing water.

Standing water can affect your home in numerous ways. At J Bird’s Landscaping, we’ve put together a guide on how it can impact your home and what causes standing water in the first place.

What Causes Standing Water?

If your lawn is not properly draining away water, there are a few reasons this may be the case, such as:

Overwatering/improper watering
Soil issues
Low spots on your property that collect water

The methods we covered in our last article can help you control these issues.

How Does Standing Water Affect My Home?

When you have standing water around your home, it builds up along the sides of the foundation and puts pressure on it. During the dry seasons, this standing water dries up and releases pressure, which causes your home to shift back and forth throughout the seasons. This shifting is placing stress on your home’s foundation, which can lead to cracking and an unstable foundation.

How Does Standing Water Affect My Lawn?

In addition to the damage it can cause to your home’s foundation, standing water can also damage your lawn. The standing water creates a soggy lawn which leads to bald spots and lawn diseases that can destroy the lush green lawn you’ve worked hard to maintain.

The diseases standing water causes can be difficult to get rid of and will only get worse with fertilizer. This means you will need to stop feeding your lawn, which can cause it to become nutrient-deprived. Prevent fungal diseases on the lawn altogether by getting rid of their water source.

Ways that Standing Water Can Impact You and Your Family

In addition to creating a soggy yard and putting pressure on your foundation, it can also be a health risk to you and your family. Standing water can harbor harmful bacteria and also serves as a breeding ground for mosquitos that can carry dangerous pathogens like the West Nile virus or Zika.

Have Issues with Standing Water? Contact J Bird’s Landscaping Today!

We offer expert drainage solutions such as french drains to help dry up your yard and take the water pressure off your foundation. Contact us today to learn more!