Growing Lawns In High Rainfall Areas

You can grow grass almost anywhere and while many consider hot dry areas to be the hardest, the opposite is actually true. Areas that receive a lot of rain can be difficult when it comes to creating a great lawn. Most grasses don’t like a lot of water, certainly not over an extended period of time. Areas like the northwest can be difficult, but there are a few tricks that can make life easier.

The only way to have a well established lawn in high rainfall areas is to provide an area that minimizes the amount of water on the ground. If rain pools, your lawn will suffer. You should really create your lawn in these areas from scratch. This is not always practical but if you can, follow these basic principles.

Soil - a good well draining soil is a must. Increase the sand content before sowing your seed.

Slope – changing the slope is the only long term solution. Anything from 1 to 6 degrees is acceptable; just be sure the slope runs away from buildings.

Flow – if water is running from other areas across your lawn, put in place some for diversion so the water runs around your lawn, not over it.

For lawns that are already in place, you can divert the flow of any water coming from other parts of your property and you can add sand to the soil to add extra drainage. Sand can be added on a regular basis using the Grass Stitcher to break up the surface then raking sand across the top of the lawn. Don’t cover the grass crowns and give it time to work its way down into the soil.

You can also slowly adjust the slope of the lawn by adding small amounts of topsoil. The difficulty with adding topsoil is that any heavy rain received could wash it away before the grass takes hold. Be sure to select the driest time of year to do it. Reduce the amount of water that lies on your lawn and your lawn will perform well.