If you have poor drainage in your back yard, results in muddy patches and swampy backyard areas that destroy grass or otherwise damage your yard. Poor yard drainage results in over saturation from heavy rain. If, however, you consistently have swampy areas in your back yard, then an underlying problem exists and you need to find a way manage a swampy backyard.  Most homeowners hire drainage contractors. Although the cause of backyard swampy areas depends on the composition of the soil and the overall landscaping layout, generally a drainage contractor is called in to repair the situation. Some homeowners decide to take care of the problem themselves.

What Causes a Poor Yard Drainage?

Some common causes of poor yard drainage are seen with great regularity in most Austin landscapes. There are spots that are lower in the yard, extremely high clay content in the soil and water runoff from poor gutter installation. Identifying the cause of the poor yard drainage makes fixing the problem of a swampy backyard much easier.

Repairing a Swampy Backyard

Swampy backyards need to be fixed. We all want to be able to enjoy our backyards free from drainage problems. So to be free from a swampy backyards, we need to look at how we can fix some serious problems that occurred from a backyard laden with water, mosquitoes and full of humidity.

rototiller

Break Up the Soil

Breaking up compacted hard soil is key to a beginning the process of removing the swampy feeling of a backyard. Here are the steps needed to take to break up the soil:

  • Break up the soil in the swampy area with a rototiller
  • Apply mulch, compost or other organic material to cover the soil you broke up
  • Rototill the yard again.

By using a  rototiller the soil and adding the organic material allows air into the soil, it ensures that the packed soil isn’t packed and adds water-absorbing organic material that will assist in landscape water drainage.

Gutter repair

Repair Potentially Faulty Gutters

Take the time to inspect, install or repair broken or faulty gutters on your house. If repair or installation is necessary, and divert their water drainage away from the swampy areas in your back yard. The next step would be to attach drainage pipes to the downspouts if necessary, which ensures that the water from the gutters drains to the right places.

Dig. Dig. Dig.

Dig out a portion of your yard that normally drains well and is near your gutter downspouts. Divert water from the gutter downspouts into the small depression. If your back yard continues to have drainage problems. Tilling the small depression’s soil and adding sand or organic material may be necessary to promote drainage.

fresh grass

Every Yard Needs Grass

Apply grass seed or install sod in the areas you tilled and leveled. Planting grass will prevent erosion and packed soil while absorbing excess water from the soil. Avoid walking over the seeded areas until grass begins to take hold.

Hire a Drainage Landscaper to Manage a Swampy Backyard

Hire Austin landscape drainage contractor with many backyard drainage solutions to help you to manage a swampy backyard. Reach out to us at Austin Drainage + Landscape Development at 512-453-4932 to help clean up your yard drainage problems today.