The Grass Doctor

Will my grass grow in this condition?

My husband and I just bought a house and the yard holds SOOO much water when it rains...the backyard has several trees, shading the ground from much sunlight. Should we build up the ground or just use a certain type of grass seed?? the water is coming from rain...although the ground is naturally very wet all the time in my area...I live in southern Indiana...very close to Kentucky.

Public Comments

1. Don't build up the ground, would be a waste because of the several trees around. Just use a certain type of grass seed.
2. the nore water the better ur grass will grow
3. Sounds like my backyard, and grass grows ok, good ole high quality grass seed
4. You gotta get rid of that water by using a drain or by grading the dirt so the water runs off. If the grass won't grow in the shade, get yourself some fake grass. I've seen some really real-looking grass at a shopping center in Idyllwild, California that I actually had to get right up to and feel. It was awesome.
5. If your yard holds water, you might want to install a French Drain. Not too hard to install. Also thin out the limbs on your trees. You might want to consult with a landscaping professional if the trees are really tall. Building up the ground can cause your trees to go into shock if you do too much too fast. I am not sure where you live as to what type of grass grows best. Go by a Local Home Depot and see what they suggest in gardening. Good Luck!
6. if jus get different seeds they will get all washed up by the rain
7. you may want to look into your drainage setup..
8. If the shade is very dense, even varieties of grass for shade will not grow well. You can have the crown of your trees thinned out to allow dappled shade, although this can be expensive and you have to make sure you have a good arborist who won't top-off or otherwise harm your trees. If the water does not drain off in a day or so, you may have to have the drainage worked on, too. Mosquitos.
9. Where is the water coming from? If it's your gutter downspouts you could consider installing a dry well. I had the same problem and this worked well. You dig a pit about 4-5' wide and 5' deep. Fill to within 1' food of top with course gravel. Use drain pipe from downspouts to well, buried in a trench. Cover gravel and pipe with landscape fabric and then dirt. The fabric keeps soil from filling the spaces between the gravel. Save the sod you removed or plant grass seed on top. When it rains, the water will flow into the dry well and absorb into the surrounding ground slowly, but will not be left as standing water on the surface. If you raise the grade it will be costly, and you could end up with a mud hole as the new layer will simply soak up the standing water.