Help with muddy backyard please?

Question

It has been raining/snowing a lot here in Chicago, and my yard will not soak up any more water. All of the grass has disappeared and turned to a swampy muddy area. My dogs have a blast in it, but I am sick of giving them a bath every time they go outside. It's really exhausting. The yard isn't big, so I was wondering if there's anything I can do to get rid of it? The yard is a big concrete slab, with about 4' by 12' of grass (now mud) on each side. I wouldn't mind putting down mulch or rocks. I'm sure it's much easier to take care of. But how should I go about doing this? Or is there an easier way? Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Thank you!

Answer 1

If your backyard is muddy, it is likely that you don't have the proper slope to your yard. When the soil gets compacted, especially in the middle of the yard, it gets to be shaped like a bowl and will retain water for a longer period of time than the rest of the yard. This will drown the grass and that's why you can't seem to keep the lawn. Although installing a French drain would work, it is something that you can't really do yourself (because of the heavy equipment needed) and it's expensive as well.

Add more topsoil to the yard and level it in such a way that it slopes 1/4" downward to the end of your property. Once it has the proper slope, it will accept grass seed and it won't retain all of that water. If your yard isn't sloped properly, the mulch will only help temporarily. When it settles, you'll have the same problem again.

I don't think that your dogs will like walking on the rocks and it will also make it harder for you to clean the yard after they go to the bathroom.

Answer 2

We had very large area under a live oak when we lived in Houston. Grass would not grow and so it was a mud hole most of the time. We put down about a 2" thick layer of small river rock. It worked just great.

Our current home has a long narrow back yard with lots of trees, again we put down river rock and it is essentially maintenance free except for spraying a bit of weed killer from time to time.

Answer 3

i'd choose a extra resilient, low starting to be floor cover particularly of attempting to boost grass lower back the position it has already failed. different issues to guage before you seek for suggestion from on what type of floor cover to plant: How a lot image voltaic does the realm get? Does your canine urinate and such contained in the exterior? i does no longer recommend sand, it in no way is going away and many flowers don't like sandy soil. i'd use something which will biodegrade, like untreated bark mulch or sawdust.

Answer 4

There is a black fabric very strong that u can lay down, it is used for weed blocking. It works great and is very wide roll. They sell it at menards or any hardware store. They should know the proper name for it, but trust me it is good for this kind of problem. Don't forget to pick a couple of hole so the water can go down. good luck.

Answer 5

You kinda answered your own question.Remove about 8-10 inches of the dirt in that area,line it with rolled plastic sheets.punture a few holes in it for drainage, then fill up the area with stones or river rock.

Answer 6

go to the plant shop and buy ready potted plants that last all season.
wen it stops rainig/snowing transfer the plants and do not water them till u get rid of this season
itll look nice and you dont have to worry about it
i would recommend that you would aerate the soil every now and then coz it helps
have fun and enjoy the winter!

Answer 7

Throw a Mud-Fest party! Invite your friends, get naked, drink beer and play in the mud. It's like a big muddy orgy!

Answer 8

you need to get a drainage system of some sort.. or just build a pond. hehe.. no seriously, find a way to drain it, or make the ground more aerable where it will absorb more moisture and not flood.

Answer 9

You neeed to install a french drain to allow the water to run somewhere and not just stand in one place