Heavy rain can cause grass to become waterlogged, flooded, and covered in silt after the water recedes. If your area has experienced a period of heavy rain, you need to be careful in the way you care for your lawn until the water has receded in order to prevent damage.
You should not walk on wet or damp grass because that can cause the grass blades to become damaged. If your lawn has been flooded or waterlogged for several days, wait for the water to subside completely so you can walk on the grass without leaving wet footprints. It could take two to three weeks for the water to be fully absorbed into the ground.
If your lawn needs to be mowed, wait until it has dried out first. You should not mow a wet lawn because this can cause it to become impacted and develop ruts. Never use an electric lawnmower on a wet or damp lawn. Set the mower blade to the highest cutting height.
If your lawn has been flooded, silt that is left behind could be contaminated. When working on your lawn, wear disposable rubber gloves and rubber boots. Remove silt and any debris by raking or hosing it off. Removing debris will let the ground breathe and absorb more sunlight. If your lawn has been covered with water for more than a week or has more than ¾ inch of silt, it might need to be re-laid in the spring.
Heavy rain can wash away nutrients that your lawn needs to be healthy. You should replenish the nutrients by feeding your lawn. After the lawn begins to recover from the heavy rain, continue applying fertilizer so it can rebuild healthy roots.
If your lawn has been flooded, it can benefit from aeration. You can do this manually with a garden fork, or you can use a powered aerator. Damp grass can allow moss to grow. Treatments like aeration, scarifying, top-dressing, or reseeding of bald patches should be done in the spring.
Look for areas of your lawn where water tends to collect. You can prevent water from accumulating in the future by evening out the level of the ground or improving drainage.
If you are having the opposite problem and your area has not gotten enough rain to keep your lawn green and healthy, you need to water it yourself on a regular basis. A sprinkler system with a timer can make it easy to make sure your lawn gets the hydration it needs. You can set it to water your lawn at predetermined times so it consistently gets the right amount of water. Order a sprinkler system with a timer from Sprinkler System Store today.
