Tired of tracking mud into the house or gouging ruts into your grass because your lawn is soft and wet?
It’s hard to enjoy your home’s outdoor spaces when your yard’s always squishy or muddy. It’s frustrating when your family and pets can’t run about on your property without getting wet feet.
Fortunately, you can fix this issue by following the tips in this article! Stick around to learn the solutions to dry up a wet yard.
Whether the ground is muddy, soggy, or soft, you can fix the problem and enjoy your outdoor space mud-free!
How To Dry Up A Wet Yard Quickly
A wet yard issue can be from:
- Low-lying areas that gather rainwater
- Soil that retains too much moisture
- Blocked drainage lines or grates
- Landscape features that impede water drainage
Dealing with low areas
For low areas, the quickest solution is to build up the area with a dirt and gravel combination that allows drainage, packs firm, and stops water from collecting.
Use a rototiller to grind up the surface in grassy areas. Replant seed or lay sod once you level ground enough so water won’t pool.
See the difference between hydroseeding and sod here.
Soil that holds moisture
When your entire lawn is damp, the soil itself may be the culprit. Soils heavy with organic matter retain moisture long after the rain stops falling.
Is your soil mostly clay, silty, or loamy? All these materials hold water, and the only way to combat this issue is to amend the ground under the areas you want to keep dry.
The quickest way to deal with soil moisture retention is to till up the yard and mix sand into the top six or eight inches of the existing soil. Of course, you’ll then have to reseed your yard.
Related | Cultivator vs Tiller
Drain and grate clogs
Leaves and other debris can block off grates and drains made to deal with excess water. Even street drains can back up and flood your property.
If you have a drain nearby, check for clogs frequently, especially before a heavy rainstorm and directly after one so water won’t accumulate in your yard.
SEE ALSO: How To Rake Leaves
Landscape features that impede drainage
It’s surprising how many homeowners place a shed, raised planter bed, or berm directly in the path of natural water drainage off their property.
If you have a wet location in your yard, look around to see if any landscape feature is preventing water from flowing. If so, remove the feature or dig a trench and install drain pipes to wick the water away from that problem area.
Muddy Yard Solutions
Dealing with a mud-filled yard is the worst! Here are some muddy yard solutions.
Aeration
The quickest solution for muddy yards is to use an aeration tool to poke holes into the surface of the lawn. Aeration allows water to drain through compacted topsoil, which is the leading cause of water retention in an otherwise well-graded lawn.
You can rent a commercial-grade power aerator for large lawns or a manual model for smaller yards. You can even stab a metal pole with a sharp end down into the ground.
No matter which method you use, not only will this increase water drainage, but also improve the overall health of your grass since loosening up impacted soil helps increase the root growth.
Trenching
Another method to help with a muddy yard is to dig a trench to remove water to a nearby sewer drain or to another area of your yard that seems to be overly dry most of the time.
A French drain is a trench you line with landscape fabric, then fill with gravel and top with another layer of landscape fabric or lay in a plastic drain pipe. You can then add more soil on top to allow grass or plants to grow over the drain.
The French drain solution is a relatively quick and inexpensive way to drain water from problem areas in your muddy yard.
For excessive drainage needs over a large yard, you may not want to dig a trench manually. Renting a gas-powered trencher can save you time and keep you from getting a sore back.
Plant It
A clever solution for a small, muddy area is to create a planting bed or berm over the area — grow water-loving plant species like elephant ears on top. The plants can thrive while you enjoy the foliage and solve your mud issue.
Soggy Lawn Solutions
Here are some tips to fix an overall soggy lawn that feels squishy and damp when you walk on it.
- Bury downspouts
- Regrade the entire yard
- Spread sand
Downspout Dilemmas
Does your home have downspouts that run off into your grass? If so, you can expect to deal with a soggy lawn, but here’s a way to fix the issue.
Dig a two-foot-wide by a three-foot-deep hole near the end of your downspout. Make sure it’s away from the foundation of your house.
Fill the void 3/4 with gravel. Place an extension onto your downspout, so the end sits on the gravel, then fill around the gutter pipe with more gravel.
Rainfall will now fall into the gravel pit and drain deep under the ground.
Create Proper Water Flow
Regrading the entire lawn is the ultimate solution for a chronically soggy yard.
This solution can be expensive since you’ll need to hire or rent heavy equipment and possibly pay for filler soil if you need to build up the surface. You’ll also need to reseed or sod after completion.
Sand Solution
If you have patience, there is one solution that avoids ripping up your lawn. I love how this works and had success in my yard in the areas my kids like to play.
Buy bags or a load of sand. Place the sand in a broadcast spreader (generally used for fertilizer) and walk over the areas you want to dry up. Crisscross over the area until you begin to see the sand building up between the grass blades.
Let the sand settle into the grass for a week, then repeat. Do this until that area is no longer soggy. This method works like a charm as long as you give the sand time to settle and the grass time to adjust.
How To Firm Up Soft Ground
Soft ground becomes a real issue when divets or gouges occur when anything heavy goes over the area. Even walking can be a hazard if the ground gives too much.
The best way to firm up soft ground is to amend the underlying soil with peat or compost.
These materials are dense and help support the ground under the grass since they have less “give” when you apply weight.
Use a rototiller to mix the soil amendment material into the top six to eight inches of the ground, then reseed.
If an area is exceptionally soft, also mix in a reasonable amount of fine gravel while tilling to increase firmness.
In Summary
Fixing a yard that’s wet and muddy adds to the curb appeal of your home and allows your family and pets to utilize your lawn for play or entertainment with no mess.
I hope the solutions in this guide help you fix the muddy, soggy, or soft problem areas in your yard.
A dry yard means your guests and family can avoid wet, dirty shoes and instead relax and enjoy your outdoor spaces!
