I had my garden landscaped this summer and since September areas of my lawn are constantly wet which is a real problem when cutting it. I asked the gardener did it need draining before he turned a sod and he said "no". He did all of the work himself and therefore would have known full well what type of soil it was but still did not mention the need to drain it. I've mentioned the waterlogging and he admitted that the soil is very heavy and therefore has poor drainage.Am I correct in asserting that the gardener was at fault here for not draining it in the first place? Should he be responsible for putting it right?

I don't fancy the prospect of having the lawn dug up again to drain it. I read recently that using a hollow-tine aerator to extract soil plugs and then top-dressing with a sandy mixture is useful for improving moisture penetration in waterlogged gardens. Has anyone used this method? Can anyone suggest any other way of improving the drainage properties of the soil?

"Glen" wrote in message
...

I had my garden landscaped this summer and since September areas of my
lawn are constantly wet which is a real problem when cutting it. I
asked the gardener did it need draining before he turned a sod and he
said "no". He did all of the work himself and therefore would have
known full well what type of soil it was but still did not mention the
need to drain it. I've mentioned the waterlogging and he admitted that
the soil is very heavy and therefore has poor drainage.Am I correct in
asserting that the gardener was at fault here for not draining it in
the first place? Should he be responsible for putting it right?

I don't fancy the prospect of having the lawn dug up again to drain it.
I read recently that using a hollow-tine aerator to extract soil plugs
and then top-dressing with a sandy mixture is useful for improving
moisture penetration in waterlogged gardens. Has anyone used this
method? Can anyone suggest any other way of improving the drainage
properties of the soil?

1) How do you expect him to drain your lawn?
2) DO NOT aerate a wet lawn, unless you dont value your lawn!
3) DO NOT aerate new sod, unless you want to roll it all up!

I don't know - that's why I posted this!

"Glen" wrote in message
...

I had my garden landscaped this summer and since September areas of my
lawn are constantly wet which is a real problem when cutting it. I
asked the gardener did it need draining before he turned a sod and he
said "no". He did all of the work himself and therefore would have
known full well what type of soil it was but still did not mention the
need to drain it. I've mentioned the waterlogging and he admitted that
the soil is very heavy and therefore has poor drainage.Am I correct in
asserting that the gardener was at fault here for not draining it in
the first place? Should he be responsible for putting it right?

I don't fancy the prospect of having the lawn dug up again to drain it.
I read recently that using a hollow-tine aerator to extract soil plugs
and then top-dressing with a sandy mixture is useful for improving
moisture penetration in waterlogged gardens. Has anyone used this
method? Can anyone suggest any other way of improving the drainage
properties of the soil?
Glen

Was the area wet previous years before the work was done ?

Where is the water coming from ? - rain ? - springs ? - is it runoff from
a hill ?
Is it over a leech field ?

Is the area flat ? How big an area are we talking about ?

Was the area wet previous years before the work was done ?

It's on a new development.

Where is the water coming from ? - rain ? - springs ? - is it runoff from
a hill ?

The garden slopes away from the front side and back of the house and it is rainwater that is wetting it.

Is it over a leech field ?

No

Is the area flat ? How big an area are we talking about ?

No, it slopes away at about 30 degrees. The total area is approx.400 m2

"Glen" wrote in message
...

Srgnt Billko Wrote:
"Glen" wrote in message
...-

I had my garden landscaped this summer and since September areas of
my
lawn are constantly wet which is a real problem when cutting it. I
asked the gardener did it need draining before he turned a sod and he
said "no". He did all of the work himself and therefore would have
known full well what type of soil it was but still did not mention
the
need to drain it. I've mentioned the waterlogging and he admitted
that
the soil is very heavy and therefore has poor drainage.Am I correct
in
asserting that the gardener was at fault here for not draining it in
the first place? Should he be responsible for putting it right?

I don't fancy the prospect of having the lawn dug up again to drain
it.
I read recently that using a hollow-tine aerator to extract soil
plugs
and then top-dressing with a sandy mixture is useful for improving
moisture penetration in waterlogged gardens. Has anyone used this
method? Can anyone suggest any other way of improving the drainage
properties of the soil?
Glen-

Was the area wet previous years before the work was done ?

Where is the water coming from ? - rain ? - springs ? - is it runoff
from
a hill ?

Is it over a leech field ?

Is the area flat ? How big an area are we talking about ?



Was the area wet previous years before the work was done ?

It's on a new development.

Where is the water coming from ? - rain ? - springs ? - is it runoff
from
a hill ?

The garden slopes away from the front side and back of the house and it
is rainwater that is wetting it.

Is it over a leech field ?

No

Is the area flat ? How big an area are we talking about ?

No, it slopes away at about 30 degrees. The total area is approx.400 m2
--
Glen

We must be missing something cause the only thing that could hold water on a
30* slope is a sponge.
It's such a small area I wouldn't get too excited over it but since the
place is new the developer may have some responsibility.
If the rain water coming off the roof is adding to the problem, adding a
runoff to the downspouts might alleviate some of it.

Hi i would advise that Hollow Coring the Lawn is your best bet if the lawn has rooted and is fixed in position to start with getting as deep as you can 5 to 6 inches if Pos then look at putting a 70/30 Sand soil mix Top Dressing into the Holes do this when dry, You can do this 2 to 3 times over the winter and early spring.
If this does not help then you will have to lift the lawn put in drains every 3 meters then mix the heavy top soil with a quality sand rotavating it well in then re turf.
Charles White
www.everythingforthegarden.co.uk

Charles White said:

then mix the heavy top soil with a quality sand

Why suggest sand? Depending on the *type* of soil (note that "heavy" is not
a *type* of soil), adding sand to it could wind up causing clumps damn-near
as hard as concrete. Sand really does little to "lighten" a soil mixture
when compared to, say, screened compost. Adding organic matter will do the
soil much more good than adding sand.

--

Eggs

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

wrote:
Charles White said:

then mix the heavy top soil with a quality sand

Why suggest sand? Depending on the *type* of soil (note that "heavy" is
not a *type* of soil), adding sand to it could wind up causing clumps
damn-near as hard as concrete. Sand really does little to "lighten" a
soil mixture when compared to, say, screened compost. Adding organic
matter will do the soil much more good than adding sand.

Yeah sand can give you hot spots in those aeration holes and make it hard
to keep desirable turfgrass growing over them, especially if you're in a
cool season zone with blue and rye.