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6 Ways to Inhibit Lawn Flooding in North Dallas
Have you noticed standing water in certain areas of your lawn after a storm or irrigation cycle that take a long time to dry up or always seem to stay muddy? If left unchecked, that excess water from lawn flooding could lead to sod and plant loss and, in extreme cases, foundation issues with your home. If you’re looking for ways to solve drainage problems in North Texas, see our latest article where you’ll find six ways to inhibit lawn flooding.
Relieve Compacted Soils
Compacted soils will prevent water from draining properly and cause pooling or flooding in parts of your property. Soil will compact over time due to thatch from debris and lack of sunlight and water. Once compacted, the soil becomes dense and deprived of nutrients. Plants like sod will not thrive in this soil, leaving your yard with bare spots. These areas with bare spots and compacted soil will continue to worsen over time, causing further problems.
Aerate the Yard
One way to battle soil compaction is to aerate your yard. Lawn aeration is the process of removing small plugs of soil throughout your yard. This removal process breaks through the compaction and allows your soil to receive more air, water, nutrients, and sunlight. Aeration can be done throughout most parts of the year, but we recommend aerating in the fall after the harsh summer heat has passed.
Amend Soil
Compacted soils tend to be depleted of nutrients, so amending the compacted soil is a great way to help revive it. The goal when amending your soil is to first loosen the compacted soil and then add in a nutrient-rich soil, such as compost and sand. We recommend using a sturdy metal rake and running it over the compacted soil to loosen. Then add a thin layer of soil amendment and rake.
Improve Yard Grading
The grading of your yard will determine the way water flows. Around your home’s foundation, the grading should slope down in order to keep water flowing away from your home. Improper grading on your property could be causing water to pool and flood in unwanted areas.
Slope Yard Away from House
The most important grading in your yard is around the home’s foundation. Water that sits along the foundation can cause your home foundation to settle or shift. Make sure the yard is graded downward around the foundation, causing water to flow away.
Create a Swale
A swale is a sloping, shallow channel created to funnel water away from an area or structure. If there’s an area of your lawn flooding, you could create a shallow, sloping trench filled with large aggregate and strategically install it along a path to guide unwanted water to a safe location.
Fill Low Spots in Yard
An easy and inexpensive way to prevent lawn flooding would be to examine the yard for low spots where water is collecting. Once you have identified these areas, backfill them with sand, compost, or sandy loam-type soil. If the low spots are sizeable, you should also plan to scatter grass seed or plant sod pieces. This will prevent the new soil from eroding.
Implement Drainage Systems
Drainage systems can also be installed throughout your property as a means of capturing water and relocating it to different areas of your property or off your property completely.
Install a French Drain
A French drain is buried underground and collects excess water from the surface and routes it through underground drainpipes to another location. This is a fantastic option when you have water collecting over a large area. Specifically, a French drain is a large drainage pipe with perforated holes located along the bottom of the pipe. These holes allow the drainage pipe to collect and fill with unwanted water. The French drain pipe is surrounded by a permeable geotextile fabric that contains aggregate material. The fabric helps prevent dirt and debris from getting into the pipe, and the aggregate creates a void underground around the pipe to help collect stormwater.
Divert Gutter Downspouts
If the source of your yard flooding is coming from your downspouts, you can divert this water as well with a few different systems. If you simply need to divert your water a few feet, you can purchase a downspout diverter and attach it directly to the end of your downspout.
Add Catch Basins
Catch basins can be connected to underground drainage pipe systems. Catch basins are openings or vents that sit at the surface level of your yard and collect water. The water collected in these basins will be passed directly into the underground drainage system and carried along the pipes.
Install New Landscaping
Simple landscaping such as new soil, sod, or planting beds can also be installed to combat low spots in your yard where water pooling is a problem.
Plant New Grass
Planting new grass is a great way to help control erosion. After backfilling any low spots in your yard with soil, cover these areas with new sod grass.
Create Raised Planting Beds
If you have a large area of your property that is struggling with excess water, consider installing a raised planting bed there. A strategically placed raised planting bed can allow you to install landscaping plants above the wet soil unaffected by the water below.
Seasonal Preventative Maintenance
General preventative maintenance of your home gutters, drainage, and irrigation systems is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to prevent lawn flooding. The cost to have a new yard drainage system installed in the North Texas area can be significant, so it’s worth the time and effort to have some basic seasonal preventative maintenance done to your property. Keeping up with the maintenance of these systems may also help you avoid costly foundation repairs, mold, and landscape grass and plant replacements due to excess water.
Clean Gutters
Clean your gutters once each year or as needed. We recommend doing this after your trees have dropped their leaves if planted close to the house.
Clean Underground Drainage Pipes
If you have a drainage pipe system on your property, it’s important to test and flush it out once each year. This will help prevent clogging within your underground drainpipes.
Check and Adjust Irrigation System
Keep an eye on your irrigation system to identify any broken heads or leaks before they become a problem. Have the system inspected once each year and make seasonal adjustments to your irrigation timer. Some water utility companies even offer a free irrigation inspection. We would recommend taking advantage of this service if offered in your area.
Hire a Professional Landscaper
Call Sol Vida Landscaping if you need a professional landscaper near Prosper, Texas, to help solve your lawn flooding and drainage issues. We have a landscaping team that specializes in drainage solutions and installs yard drainage systems.