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How To Effectively Improve Your Yard’s Drainage

From improper grading to drainage obstacles, there are many reasons why your yard may have pockets of standing water or muddy puddles. Despite drainage issues being such a common problem, many homeowners don’t know what to do and either spend too much money or wait too long to fix the problem. This is understandable! Drainage problems and solutions are complex, but we’re here to help.

Read on to learn how to pinpoint the problem and effectively improve your yard’s drainage.

Identify the Problem

To find the right solution, you need to be able to identify the problem. The next time it rains or you water your lawn, see where the water pools. If it tends to collect near your yard’s hardscaping, such as concrete paths and patios, there may be an issue with your yard’s grading. Another way to identify issues with grading is to monitor where the water flows. If it doesn’t flow down and away from your home and instead collects in one area, your home may be improperly graded.

However, if water tends to collect near obstacles like flowerbeds, it may just be a matter of giving the water a path to flow in a different direction. Be sure to check your downspouts as well because if the mouth is shooting water in a dip of land or flat area, the mouths may need to be diverted. If none of these seem to be the issue, your soil may just be very compacted. Once you’ve identified the issue, you’ll be ready to tackle the problem. Below are the solutions to drainage issues.

Grade Your Yard

Pooling water, patches of dead grass, and standing water are all signs of improper grading. No matter where your home is located, your yard needs to be properly graded to allow water to flow down and away from your home. Ideally, you want the area around your home to be slightly sloped so gravity can do the work for you, which is known as positive grading. If the water is coming toward your home, this is known as a negative grade.

Sometimes, the solution is as simple as filling in a few pits in the land, and other times, an entire yard needs to be regraded. For larger projects, you should always consult a professional. If you do it incorrectly, you could make the problem worse, and you’ll have to spend more of your time and money to fix it.

Install a Dry Well, French Drain, or Channel Drain

If you want more long-term solutions that don’t involve having your yard regraded, you have three installation options: dry wells, French drains, or channel drains.

Dry wells can be put at low-point areas of your yard where water collects due to negative grading. These wells are dug-out pits filled with aggregate materials, lined with a perforated casing usually made of plastic, though they can be made with concrete. Water will collect in the sedimentation chamber through the grating, go into the dry well, and slowly leak into the surrounding soil. They should be deep enough and far enough away so they don’t freeze during the cold months or cause issues with your home’s foundation.

French drains are good for dispersing water in areas that can become too muddy or collect too much water. Traditionally, the pipes will be perforated and surrounded by gravel. The gravel will collect the water and act as a gutter system, redirecting the flow while allowing water to drain into the soil. You can leave the gravel open air or put vegetation on top so it blends into the property.

Channel drains are above ground with a grated cover that looks like gutters. They’re long, narrow trenches that allow water to move away from the home to a local sewer. Channel drains can be installed almost anywhere around your home and are commonly used in flat driveways. This option is best for homes that experience a lot of rain and runoff to the point where the soil can’t absorb the water.

Redirect Downspouts

As mentioned, sometimes the drainage issue is simple, such as a poorly placed downspout. Downspouts are connected to your gutters and direct the water away from your home, but sometimes they don’t do their job very well. Occasionally, the mouth of the spout isn’t far enough away from your home or directs water to an improperly graded area. In these cases, you can redirect or extend the downspout to release water into a different area of the yard. This way, the water can flow down and away from your home as it’s supposed to or flow to a portion of turf more suitable to absorb the excess water.

Aerate Your Yard

As you’ve likely already guessed, the soil in your yard does a lot of the heavy lifting and is a critical part of ensuring water doesn’t pool on your property. If water is collecting near a high-traffic area of your yard, your soil may be overly compacted. Luckily, this is the most straightforward problem to have in terms of fixing it. There are a few solutions you can choose from; you can use a spike aerator, a slicing aerator, or a core aerator to create holes in your yard that loosen soil and promote drainage.

A spike aerator is a tool with a tube of rotating spikes that you can push into the ground. There are even spike aerators that you can strap to your shoes so you can walk around and aerate your yard. Slicing aerators function similarly to pushable spike aerators but with large blades that create deeper and larger holes for better drainage. Core aerators also work the same but are sharp tubes rather than spikes or blades, and they puncture much deeper into the dirt. The more water pooling in your yard, the larger and deeper you want to holes to be.

Build a Rain Garden

Rain gardens are the most aesthetically pleasing way to solve your drainage problems, especially if you have flowerbeds blocking the waterflow. If you have a particularly muddy area where water likes to collect, you can plant a garden bed or replace the plants in a garden bed with water-loving flowers. While this alone won’t redirect all the water, it is a beautiful eco-friendly solution, and you can install overflow pipes to catch and redirect water your plants can’t.

While the types of plants in a rain garden will vary based on your area, you want to pick plants that are fibrous with thick, strong root systems. Black-eyed Susans, bee balm, coneflowers, rush, and little bluestem are all perennial plants that do very well in rain gardens. And fortunately, there are many more perennial rain garden plants to choose from if those don’t suit your style.

No matter the case, there are ways to effectively improve your yard drainage. And if you’re uncomfortable or unsure about DIY, Hernandez Lawnscape is here to help! We have experienced drainage contractors in the Baton Rouge, LA, area with the knowledge and experience to handle all your yard’s draining issues and solutions.

How To Effectively Improve Your Yard’s Drainage

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED

At Hernandez Lawnscape, your satisfaction is our highest priority. We want our clients to be 100% satisfied with every project and service that offer.

To ensure this level of satisfaction, we offer a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If you are ever not 100% Satisfied with our work, simply contact us and we will make it right Free of Charge. That’s how sure we are that you will love the work we do.

 

OUR CUSTOMERS LOVE US

We work with clients large and small.
Whether you are a residential customer who needs a weekly lawn mowing, or a commercial client who needs regular maintenance. We have you covered!

Jamie W.

Jamie W.

"I approached Mr. Hernandez several years ago (2014?) whenever I saw the detailed work he was doing at my neighbor's house. After talking with him for just a minute, I felt confident that his business was right for me. Since that day, he has been maintaining my lawn and my grandmother's, and a couple of years ago he began maintaining my parents' property, as well. ... I could not be more pleased with Hernandez Lawnscape. Excellent service all around...5 stars!"

Sonya Aydell

Sonya Aydell

“They have provided lawn care for us for about three years. We couldn’t ask for better workers. They always go a step beyond what I expect and consistently provide excellent service. Mr. Hernandez is honest and trustworthy and provides strong leadership for his company. I highly recommend his company.”

Raul Zarazua

Raul Zarazua

"I have been using them for over 5 years. They are honest, responsible and good people to work with. Mr. Hernandez is always fair and follows through with his projects."

Mary Lynn

Mary Lynn

"Gerrardo Has been 100% reliable and does a great job on my lawn!"

Charlene Diaz

Charlene Diaz

"I have been using Hernandez Landscaping for a few years now and he always does a great job!! Highly recommend!!"

Josue Lopez

Josue Lopez

"Mr. Hernandez has done an incredible job. He has served my family and I landscaping needs for a long time now. If you are looking to keep a well manicured lawn, this is the company for you. I absolutely recommend them. Thank you Mr. Hernandez for all you do."

Christy Reeves

Christy Reeves

"We used Hernandez Lawnscape to clean up our lawn after the winter months and provide regular maintenance for our yard. They were outstanding. Very responsive and thorough. But the value was also outstanding. A fair price for the work. I like that they take a lot of pride in their work and want to be sure the customer is happy. I am very pleased and will continue to use them for as long as they maintain this high quality workmanship."

Glen-Kirby

Glen Kirby

"Crew showed up when they were supposed to. They have a lot of knowledge about plants and did a great job trimming and cleaning up our flower beds. They also trimmed out trees and cleaned up the mess quite well. I am very happy with their work and the conversations we have had. They had quoted me an extremely fair price for the work they were to do and they did a wonderful job. I highly recommend this company for all your landscaping needs!"

Our Service Area

Hernandez Lawnscape services Baton Rouge neighborhoods like Lafitte Hill, Highland Lakes, Oakbrook, Goodwood West, Meadowpark, Riverbend, South Baton Rouge, Pollard Estates, & Capital Heights as well as the surrounding area like Prarieville, Shenandoah and beyond. Unsure if we service your area? Give us a call and speak with one of our expert staff. They will be glad to check your address, and if you are in our area, schedule service for any of your lawn care needs!

Hernandez Lawnscape Service Area Map

Contact Hernandez Lawnscape

225-347-9540

Hours: Mon-Fri: 7am-7pm Sat: 8am-3pm Sun: Closed

16148 Confederate Ave, Baton Rouge, LA 70817, United States

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