Small, flooded areas in the yards are common during the wet season. Depending on where you live in the county, this might be something you face every time you get heavy rain. With more and more land being repurposed, rainwater has fewer places to escape.
So, we have become accustomed to flooded lawns and grass turning brown after lots of rain. But what does this mean for your lawn? Can too much rain kill grass? Let’s take a look.
Can Too Much Rain Kill Grass? (The Short Answer)
Too much rain can kill even the most established lawn. If the grass is trying to grow in a very wet area or submerged in water, then the roots will not be able to breathe, and they will suffocate. If the wet conditions persist for too long, the grass and the lawn will turn brown and eventually die.
Why Your Lawn is Turning Brown After Lots of Rain
The roots absorbing nutrients, water, and oxygen is a key step in grass growth. If the root system is overwhelmed with water, it can’t absorb oxygen. As a result, the grass roots will suffocate and die. You’ll need to address the water issue ASAP to prevent your lawn from dying.
What to Do If Your Grass Turns Brown After Heavy Rain (3 Ideas)
So, what action should you take if you notice your grass turning brown after lots of rain? Well, here are a few ideas that will help.
Turn Off Your Irrigation
The first course of action is to make sure you switch off your irrigation system. You would be amazed how many times I have seen people watering their yards while it’s raining and adding to the problem. While you might have a rain sensor as part of your irrigation system that prevents your irrigation from coming on when it rains, rain sensors only work when it’s actually raining.
Unfortunately, there is nothing to stop irrigation systems from watering a saturated or flooded lawn other than switching it off manually.
Dethatch Your Lawn
The next step is to head out to your yard and dethatch your lawn. Dethatching will remove the thick mat of dead and decomposing grass from the soil’s surface. Not only will this remove some of the moisture in your lawn, but it will also give it a chance to breathe and help some of the water to evaporate.
Aerate your Lawn
Next, it’s time to aerate your lawn. Aeration is the process of putting a small hole in the surface soil to improve drainage and allow air to get to the roots. You can aerate your lawn by using a few different tools.
For example, some small aerators spike the ground with wide spacing and penetrate an inch or so. In comparison, other larger machines have much closer and longer spikes that aerate deeper to around four inches and in a much more concentrated pattern. Depending on how aggressive you need to be, you might want a larger lawn aerator.
Are There Any Long Term Solutions For Flood Areas
If you notice rainwater is causing your lawn to struggle regularly, you’ll want to look for long-term solutions. Here are a few ideas if your grass is turning brown after lots of rain on a regular basis.
Routine Dethatching
I would normally suggest that you dethatch your lawn once or twice a year, depending on how thick a layer of thatch develops in a year. But, if moisture retention is an issue, it would be a good idea to increase how often you dethatch or at least make sure you dethatch before the rainy season begins.
Routine Aeration
I usually aerate whenever I dethatch my lawn. Therefore, I typically pull out the aerator once or twice a year. But if heavy rain is an issue, then again, I would increase the frequency of aerating. Three or four times a year would be ok, but don’t get carried away, as over-aerating has its own set of problems.
Drainage Solution
Introducing a lawn drainage solution is a sure way to prevent rainwater from ever becoming an issue and causing your lawn to turn brown and die. These systems will carry the rainwater away from your lawn during a heavy rainstorm and prevent your lawn from becoming oversaturated. Here are a few ideas of different drainage solutions you could use.
- French Drain
- Lawn Drain
- Swale
- Dry Well
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