There’s nothing worse than stepping onto a sodden boggy lawn, so green-thumbed experts have shared their clever tips for sprucing up your garden – and it will only set you back by £4.50
All green-fingered folk will know that a waterlogged lawn can damage your turf, encourage algae and lead to fungal problems, but there are some handy tricks that can help transform your boggy backyard.
The main cause of puddled grass in compacted soil, which can occur after building work or simply from being walked and played on regularly, explains the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). The gardening charity adds that heavy clay soil and poor soil preparation before the lawn was created, can also lead to waterlogging.
This can deprive soil and grass of valuable nutrients, leading to damaged roots and unsightly bare patches. Fortunately, green-thumbed experts have shared their top tips for improving drainage and sprucing up soil.
Taking to the Gardening on a budget Facebook group, one user wrote: “What can I do to fix my garden that holds water and becomes like a paddling pool?” Responding to the post, one helpful user shared a tried-and-tested method that transformed their new build garden.
They wrote: “My garden used to store all the materials, so it was very boggy. I put drainage on either side and planted a few conifer trees – their roots drink a mass amount of water. Then, I poked a few holes in the ground and laid fine sand. All is well so far.”
This was backed up by self-proclaimed amateur gardener Tom Smart, who told The Guardian that removing a large conifer tree from his sodden lawn left him with “one large pond”. He said: “It was then I realised that taking this tree out had exacerbated the situation. A large, mature tree can absorb hundreds of litres of water a day. The tree acted like a pump, helping to improve the drainage.”
Shoppers can pick up conifer plants for £4.50 from B&Q or £7.99 from Gardening Express. Other group members suggested alternative clever tips, as another penned: “There are a couple of things – build a runoff pond, install tiles for drainage. If it’s just that you have soil that retains too much water, mix in some sandy soil.”
A third echoed: “If it’s because your lawn isn’t soaking the water, you probably have clay soil and with that you need to do aerification of the soil. You do this by adding, with the right equipment, big holes which you fill with fine sand.”
“Add lots of organic matter. Composted manure, homemade or bought ordinary compost, wood shreddings. Just pile it on top and let the worms and ants do the hard work,” recommended another.