Lawn guide
How to fix a waterlogged lawn
Puddles that sit for days, squelchy grass and moss creeping in: a waterlogged lawn is a common sight on the heavy clay soils of the North East. The fix depends on why the water isn't draining.
Why water sits on a lawn
Clay soil holds water and drains slowly. Add compaction from years of footsteps, building work or a thin layer of topsoil over a hard subsoil, and rain has nowhere to go. Low spots collect water from the rest of the garden, and shade slows drying.
- Heavy clay subsoil, common across Tyneside and Wearside
- Compacted ground under a well-used lawn or after building work
- A hollow or a garden that slopes towards the house
- Thatch and moss holding water at the surface
- A high water table in some low-lying spots
Matching the fix to the cause
| Cause | What helps |
|---|---|
| Surface compaction | Aerating with a hollow-tine aerator, then top dressing |
| Thin soil over hard clay | Breaking up the subsoil and adding topsoil before returfing |
| A hollow that collects water | Levelling: filling the dip with topsoil |
| Moss and thatch | Scarifying in autumn, or replacing a lawn that's mostly moss |
| Water running in from elsewhere | Changing levels or adding a drain, which may need a drainage contractor |
Aerating a compacted lawn
For a lawn that's basically sound but slow to drain, aeration helps. A hollow-tine aerator pulls out small plugs of soil, letting air and water in. Brush sharp sand or a sandy top dressing into the holes afterwards. Autumn is the best time, and it may take a couple of years of doing it to see a real change.
When starting again is the better fix
If the problem is the ground itself, such as thin topsoil over compacted clay on a new build, no amount of surface work will fully cure it. Lifting the old lawn, breaking up the compacted layer, bringing in topsoil and laying fresh turf deals with the cause. See new-build gardens and levelling.
A muddy garden
Sometimes the lawn has simply worn away to mud, often along paths where people and pets walk. Turf on properly prepared ground solves that, and a stepping-stone path along the busiest route keeps it from happening again.
Common questions
Will new turf fix a waterlogged lawn?
Only if the ground underneath is fixed too. Laying new turf on the same compacted clay leads to the same problem.
Do you install land drains?
Our work is preparing the ground and laying turf. If a garden needs a land drain, we'll tell you so you can talk to a drainage contractor first.