Newly landscaped garden is waterlogged

[Glen]

I had my garden landscaped this summer and since September areas of m

lawn are constantly wet which is a real problem when cutting it. asked the gardener did it need draining before he turned a sod and h said "no". He did all of the work himself and therefore would hav known full well what type of soil it was but still did not mention th need to drain it. I've mentioned the waterlogging and he admitted tha the soil is very heavy and therefore has poor drainage.Am I correct i asserting that the gardener was at fault here for not draining it i the first place? Should he be responsible for putting it right?

I don't fancy the prospect of having the lawn dug up again to drain it I read recently that using a hollow-tine aerator to extract soil plug and then top-dressing with a sandy mixture is useful for improvin moisture penetration in waterlogged gardens. Has anyone used thi method? Can anyone suggest any other way of improving the drainag properties of the soil

[Mike]

1) How do you expect him to drain your lawn? 2) DO NOT aerate a wet lawn, unless you dont value your lawn! 3) DO NOT aerate new sod, unless you want to roll it all up!

[Glen]

I don't know - that's why I posted this

-- Glen

[Srgnt Billko]

Was the area wet previous years before the work was done ?

Where is the water coming from ? - rain ? - springs ? - is it runoff from a hill ? Is it over a leech field ?

Is the area flat ? How big an area are we talking about ?

[Glen]

Was the area wet previous years before the work was done ?

It's on a new development.

Where is the water coming from ? - rain ? - springs ? - is it runof from a hill ?

The garden slopes away from the front side and back of the house and i is rainwater that is wetting it.

Is it over a leech field ?

No

Is the area flat ? How big an area are we talking about ?

No, it slopes away at about 30 degrees. The total area is approx.400 m

-- Glen

[Srgnt Billko]

We must be missing something cause the only thing that could hold water on a

30* slope is a sponge. It's such a small area I wouldn't get too excited over it but since the place is new the developer may have some responsibility. If the rain water coming off the roof is adding to the problem, adding a runoff to the downspouts might alleviate some of it.

[Charles White]

Hi i would advise that Hollow Coring the Lawn is your best bet if th lawn has rooted and is fixed in position to start with getting as dee as you can 5 to 6 inches if Pos then look at putting a 70/30 Sand soi mix Top Dressing into the Holes do this when dry, You can do this 2 t

3 times over the winter and early spring. If this does not help then you will have to lift the lawn put in drain every 3 meters then mix the heavy top soil with a quality san rotavating it well in then re turf. Charles White

-- Charles White

[Eggs Zachtly]

Why suggest sand? Depending on the *type* of soil (note that "heavy" is not a *type* of soil), adding sand to it could wind up causing clumps damn-near as hard as concrete. Sand really does little to "lighten" a soil mixture when compared to, say, screened compost. Adding organic matter will do the soil much more good than adding sand.

[Steveo]

Yeah sand can give you hot spots in those aeration holes and make it hard to keep desirable turfgrass growing over them, especially if you're in a cool season zone with blue and rye.