Protecting Your Landscape from Rain
Avoiding Rain Damage in Your Yard
As spring rolls into Pittsburgh, so does the rain. Rainfall is great for keeping your lawn and landscape green and lush, but excessive rain can ruin your landscape and cause extensive and expensive damage that can lead to lengthy repairs and restoration to bring your landscape back to normal.
Your landscape is a feature of your home that you have invested a lot of time and money into, so it is essential to protect your landscaping from excessive rain. Using our years of professional experience maintaining landscapes, we’ve put together a few tips on how you can most effectively protect your landscaping from the heavy rainfall.
Control Storm Water Runoff
There are several ways to control stormwater runoff. Two of the most common methods are to use swales and to divert your rain spouts.
Swales
A swale is a depression in the landscape used to redirect the water runoff so that it drains away from your landscape to a drainage area. This can help keep your landscape from flooding. For a more effective swale consider placing rocks, pebbles, and deep-rooted plants at the lowest point of the swale to control the speed of the rainwater as it travels to the drainage.
Rain Spouts
If a swale is not an option for your landscape right now, you can divert your rain spouts to help more effectively control the water flow around the landscape. At J Bird’s Landscaping, we can also evaluate your landscape and provide you with other recommendations on how to remedy you storm runoff problems.
Stay off of the Water-Drenched Soil
After heavy rain, be sure to avoid walking on water-soaked areas. This will not only keep your feet dry, but it will also help you avoid compacting the soil. If the soil becomes compacted, plants will have a harder time getting the oxygen they need to thrive. Compacting the soil can also lead to hard soil once it dries which can make landscaping difficult.
Practice Preventative Maintenance
No one can control the weather, but you can take preventative measure to help prevent and reduce the damage caused by excessive rain. For best results, it is crucial to put together a maintenance plan for your landscaping where you inspect your landscape to identify any potential issues and correct them before the next spring storm.
Check for Impermeable Surfaces
Impermeable surfaces are surfaces that are resistant to water, so instead of soaking up rainfall, its runoffs of these types of surfaces, such as roofs and pavement. If you notice water running off of impermeable surface during the next rain storm, discuss your options with your landscaper to reduce these surfaces and minimize the water that is getting trapped in your landscape.
Need Help Controlling Water Runoff? J Bird’s Landscaping Can Help!
At J Bird’ s Landscaping, we offer a wide range of services to keep your landscaping looking great. Pittsburgh customers can take advantage of our years of experience and our expert team of landscapers to find ways to effectively control water runoff and keep their landscaping manicured and healthy. Contact J Bird’s Landscaping today to learn more!
