How to recover your lawn after flooding and heavy rain
Assess the damage
Before you begin flood recovery efforts to your lawn, you’ll need to first determine whether it is safe to do so. Flood water can be surprisingly dangerous, even perceived shallow water can pose a substantial risk when moving at a rapid pace. If there is still a substantial amount of water remaining on your lawn, it’s best to wait until it has drained naturally. When your lawn is accessible, you should avoid walking all over it. As the wet soil is soggy and soft, foot traffic will damage the roots of your lawn and slow down its ability to bounce back.
Remove mud and debris
After a flood, your lawn will likely be covered in some mud as well as other garden and urban debris. Anything that could pose a risk to people, pets and the lawn should be removed, this includes rubbish, glass, nails, and other non biodegradable materials. We’d also recommend removing any green waste like leaves and branches as this can smother your grass and prevent growth. Clearing this away will also provide you with a better understanding of where there issues are in terms of drainage as well as the state of your lawn. Expert gutter cleaners can help you get set up after a flood and get you the garden care and maintenance you need.
Aerate the soil
After your lawn has dried, it’s time to aerate the soil. This helps to increase the oxygen levels and improves the soil structure, both which are vital in helping your lawn bounce back post flooding. If you don’t have a lawn aerator, call in the lawn aeration experts to handle it for you. They will also be able to advise on any additional lawn care maintenance you may need.
Use fertiliser
Post aeration is the best time to apply some fertiliser to your lawn. Applying some fertiliser will enable your lawn to receive some much needed nutrients after flooding and help stimulate growth. We’d also recommend doing a pH soil test to see if the acidity of your soil has changed due to the flooding. If it’s become more acidic, a lime or seaweed fertiliser is recommended until the acid levels become more stable.
Monitor for diseases
Flooding can unfortunately be the perfect opportunity for pests and diseases to take residence in your lawn. Common lawn diseases that flourish post flooding can include, Nut Grass, Lawn Grub and Helmo. When you identify these lawn diseases or any others, you’ll need to act quickly to prevent the spread and before they take hold of your lawn. If you are unsure about how to best treat a lawn disease, get in touch with a lawn care expert.
Perform regular maintenance
As your lawn makes a slow recovery after the flood, you will want to continue monitoring and performing maintenance when required. Ensuring that there is sufficient drainage should be a top priority, preventing your lawn from being as damaged from future rain and flooding.
Starting Over
Sometimes, even after all your best efforts, your lawn can’t bounce back after some intensive flooding damage. If your lawn is beyond saving, it might be time to consider removing it and starting over with a fresh lawn or even artificial grass.
