When there is an excess of rainfall, especially in Winter when your lawn isn’t at it’s peak growing state, the soil under your lawn can quickly reach it’s draining capacity causing puddles which can affect the quality of your lawn.

This Winter Wagga Wagga, Canberra and our surrounding regions have experienced above normal rainfall, but if your soil has trouble draining away moisture after short periods of rainfall, other contributing factors may also be at play. These include:

• Compacted soil base
• High clay content in soil base
• Excess thatch buildup within the turf profile
• Poor grading (area not sloped correctly)

If you haven’t been experiencing rainfall, and your lawn is waterlogged, this may be a sign that your irrigation system is leaking and needs to be addressed quickly.

For our Wagga Wagga, Riverina and Canberra, ACT lawn lovers, too much rain can cause some problems for your lawn including:

• Root rot
• Disease
• Turf discolouration
• In extreme cases, turf death

What Should I Do When My Lawn Is Waterlogged?

When your lawn is waterlogged, it is important to keep traffic to a minimum until the area has a chance to dry out. This will help prevent compaction and divots within the soil profile. Where possible, assisting drainage so that water does not pool on the lawn is also helpful.

How Can I Fix a Waterlogged Lawn?

Waterlogging from Compaction

If waterlogging has resulted from soil compaction, we recommend aerating your soil.  This will help water absorb further down into the soil profile. If your lawn regularly receives foot traffic, we recommend adding this to your annual lawn care schedule to help prevent further compaction-related issues.

Waterlogging from High Clay Content Soil

Use a clay breaker like gypsum if your waterlogging issues stem from high amounts of clay within your soil profile. Applying gypsum will help break up the clay into a ‘crumbly’ texture, better allowing for water movement within the soil.

Waterlogging from Excess Thatch Build up

When waterlogging stems from an excess build up of thatch, look at dethatching your lawn. Dethatching your lawn can be completed in a few different ways. Some popular options include:

• Mowing low
• Using a dethatching rake
• Specialised dethatching machine

Please note, dethatching is best done in Spring and Summer and should be avoided in the cooler months while growth has slowed.

Waterlogging from Hydrophobic Soil

If your soil has become hydrophobic and is repelling water instead of absorbing it down into the soil profile, using a wetting agent like Lawn Soaker can assist. Lawn Soaker will help improve the penetration of water down into the soil profile by helping break down the wax like substance that is caused by the decomposition of organic matter.