If your yard has not been draining properly, then there can be any number of issues that you might face. Sometimes your grass ends up waterlogged, and other times, entire flowerbeds might die out from being drowned in dirty water.
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Whatever the cause, fixing up your yard’s drainage system is important. Identifying the actual problem is only part of the solution, though – you also need to understand how you can handle it and what methods can tackle the issue properly.
Common Causes
Most drainage issues have the same basic causes, no matter how different individual parts of the garden actually are. Dealing with a major drainage problem can be as simple as making one small change to your garden, so it always helps to understand the basics first.
- Water flows down slopes, meaning that it tends to pool in lower areas. A garden that pitches downwards in one direction will divert most of the water to that lowest point, which could flood during heavy rainfall.
- A gutter’s downspout might pump water straight into a landscaped area or flower bed, which can result in waterlogging.
- Damaged or impacted soil might become harder to drain as a whole and can retain moisture for longer than expected.
- Walkways, flower bed boundaries, and other decorations can all block a water’s drainage path, making it pool in an inconvenient location.
- Sometimes, the runoff from a drainage pipe can strip away topsoil, eroding an area and making water gather there more often.
Fixing the Problem
While understanding the common causes can help a lot if you do not know the situation, you also need a way to fix it once you have figured out what is wrong. There is not always a one-step solution to each problem, and some drainage issues might even need a combination of smaller changes to resolve it.
Even if you are not completely sure of the reason behind the lack of drainage, there are some tricks that can always make an impact. These are some of the most common fixes, the tricks that will resolve the vast majority of drainage issues.
If these do not work, or your drainage problems are only getting worse, then there could be something much more serious causing the issues. Always check that your solutions are actually making a difference before assuming that the problem is fixed.
Water Less Often
Over-watering can be a common cause of plants dying and drowning, especially if you aren’t keeping to any kind of consistent schedule. If you are watering plants too often, then you can end up drowning a lot of the plants without realizing it, especially if the water flows downhill.
Cutting back on watering might help. Try to water plants only when they seem dry, and make sure that other people are not watering the plants at other times without telling you. Alternatively, get a sprinkler system and set it to a lower speed or schedule to get more consistent coverage.
Alter the Downspout
Runoff from your gutter downspout can often funnel excess water into one specific spot, and that can often cause a core area of your yard to get far more water than it should be. Diverting it away from the house needs to be done in a way that will not hurt your plants.
Instead, try to aim it for a drain, or even place a barrel under your drain to collect the water in there. This gives you more control over where the water goes and opens up a new supply of water to use on your plants if they are drying out.
Dig a Creek
One of the lesser-known solutions involves digging an artificial drainage swale to draw away excess water, helping to suck moisture out of wet areas. By creating a kind of ‘dirt slide,’ you are able to control where the runoff goes and which areas it passes.
This can be a good way of draining water straight out of your garden, but it also gives you a useful tool for moving water to areas that might not get enough water on a daily basis. Redistributing the natural water can help you get more control over how your yard looks and feels.
Create a Rain Garden
A rain garden is a garden specifically designed to catch heavy rainfall, making it a great choice for areas that are almost constantly wet or waterlogged. These are plants that either require a lot of water to grow or naturally thrive in water regardless.
By doing this, you can turn an otherwise useless patch of your garden into a dedicated ‘wet space,’ somewhere that water-loving plants can grow. For example, if you have a sloped yard, you might put water-needy plants at the very bottom to use up any water that drains down there.
Create a Dry Well
A dry well is basically a pipe running underneath your soil (or, more specifically, topsoil) that can collect water from underneath the plants themselves, draining away any moisture that sinks too deep into the dirt. They’re often well-concealed and can be a permanent addition to any yard.
By using these dry wells (also known as French drains), you can create ‘secret’ drainage pipes that either move the water out of your property or redistribute it elsewhere. They are versatile, reliable, and can be installed almost anywhere with only a small amount of effort.
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