Waterlogged Lawn - Some Help Please

[Raistlin]

Afternoon All,

My rear garden slopes down from right to left, which obviously means that all the rain water tends to drain towards the left side of the garden. To compund matters the sun moves around the left-hand side of the house during the day, meaning that the waterlogged area is in the shade most of the time.

Apart from the fact that it's (almost perpetually) squelchy, the lawn in that area is mossy and horrible (as you would expect).

The main landwater drain is on the right-hand side of the garden (and therefore at a higher level than the bit that floods).

Levelling the garden is a non-starter.

I've tried keeping the grass (or rather, moss!) in that area short and aerating the surface using a fork, but I'm not sure it's doing any good.

Anybody got any good ideas on how I can resolve this?

[danielf]

http://www.gardenseeker.com/lawns/moss_in_lawns.htm

To be honest, it sounds like this one is going to be very difficult to treat though.

[Raistlin]

Thanks for that link, I tend to agree with you - this is not going to be an easy one

I'm not so bothered about the moss, I'd just like to get rid of the squelchiness

[Jules]

I found this
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/profile...ogged_lawn.asp and this

http://www.flowerpotman.com/lawntips.html

If you google it there are loads of pages, hope that helps

[Noggo]

Few things you could do:

Put a french drain down the bad side of the lawn. Which is basically a trench filled with gravel. You might also want to line the trench with landscaping membrane, this will help stop the gravel getting contaminated with soil.

After forking fill the holes with sand to help with drainage, otherwise the holes will just close backup and you're back where you started. Plus when you use the fork rotate the handle in a circular motion to make the holes a little bigger or get a lawn aerator;
http://www.diytools.co.uk/diy/Main/s...ne-aerator.asp

and save the best till last, a bog garden
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/profile...og_gardens.asp
quote
Bog gardens
A bog garden can be built from scratch, as a conversion from a redundant pond or a naturally waterlogged depression, to give a pond an informal edge or to create a wildlife garden as a stand-alone soft feature.

[Maggy J]

I think Noggo is right that making the sogginess a unique feature can be quite nice.There are loads of water and shade loving plants that would do well in that corner of your garden..I'd love to have a hosta and fern garden..

http://www.worldofwater.com/planting_bog.htm

[Angua]

Also planting a willow might help as they love soggy areas & will dry things out considerably

[cleshe]

Originally Posted by Angua

Also planting a willow might help as they love soggy areas & will dry things out considerably

planting willows is usually self destructive:- 10 years on they usually manage to block your drains or undermine your foundations.You could dig a pond. At least you won't have to fill it as often as most of us.

[Graham M]

Could you not dig the Drowned section out and add some drainage aids such as broken bricks/potter/gravel?

[tweetypie/8]

Originally Posted by Noggo

Few things you could do:

Put a french drain down the bad side of the lawn. Which is basically a trench filled with gravel. You might also want to line the trench with landscaping membrane, this will help stop the gravel getting contaminated with soil.

After forking fill the holes with sand to help with drainage, otherwise the holes will just close backup and you're back where you started. Plus when you use the fork rotate the handle in a circular motion to make the holes a little bigger or get a lawn aerator;
http://www.diytools.co.uk/diy/Main/s...ne-aerator.asp

and save the best till last, a bog garden
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/profile...og_gardens.asp
quote
Bog gardens
A bog garden can be built from scratch, as a conversion from a redundant pond or a naturally waterlogged depression, to give a pond an informal edge or to create a wildlife garden as a stand-alone soft feature.

well answered noggo french drain is the solution.

[hoggie]

Originally Posted by Raistlin

Thanks for that link, I tend to agree with you - this is not going to be an easy one

I'm not so bothered about the moss, I'd just like to get rid of the squelchiness

you need to take the top 6-8 inches of soil. the dig down another 6"s.

place pea shingle in the channel 4"s deep and re-cover with the soil and turfs.
this will create a run-of for the water. you can also do this in stirps up the hill.

im a groundsman

[Cobbydaler]

Originally Posted by hoggie

<snip>

im a groundsman

Can you make The Rose Bowl (Hampshire CCC's) strip unplayable for visitors but not the home team?