May 9, 2015

With our plentiful rain here in Ann Arbor MI, there’s no reason not to have a beautiful, green lawn to enjoy year after year. Many St. Bernard With Ballhomeowners are surprised to learn, however, that there’s more to keeping a great lawn than grass seeds and watering.

Here are five big warning signs that your lawn might need a good re-grading.

1) Your slope is all wrong!

If your lawn is sloping down towards the house or driveway instead of away from it, you know there’s a problem.

  • A healthy lawn doesn’t just look pretty– it should also direct rainwater away from the edges of your house and property, saving that property from the miseries of mold, fungi, and other types of water damage.
  • If your lawn has low patches, even far from the house, it could spell trouble for your grass and for your or the neighbor’s property; another sign of lawn grading trouble is…

 

2) Water PoolingCouple Concerned About Lawn

If your lawn feels more like a marsh, with visible pools of water and soil that’s spongy to walk on, it’s a sure-fire sign that the ground under your grass could use some help.

  • Water pooling may seem like no big deal when it’s far from the house, but near the foundations, excess water and inadequately directed runoff can spell disaster for a house’s basement or foundations.
  • In the Ann Arbor MI area, some yards are on top of porous gravels that can convey water that pooled far down the yard toward your basement or to the neighbors, even if the lawn seems to slope away!

 

3) Erosion and Runoff

When the slope of your lawn is uneven or too acute, water will run off the surface of your lawn and garden, taking soil and vital plant nutrients with it.

  • Runoff can carry nutrients away from the grass and garden plants you want to encourage, only to fertilize undesirable weeds and crabgrass elsewhere.
  • Erosion can get worse year after year, and may expose tree roots, invisible fences, or the foundations of your home; in the long run, this can introduce the need for costly repairs.

 

4) Problem PatchesGreen And Dry Grass,patterned Field Of Green Grass Sports Field

Does your lawn have a weed problem? If so, the problem might be grading.

  • Over time, lawns develop areas with highly-compacted soil that’s impenetrable to growing grass seeds
  • Other areas might be so overrun by deep-rooted weeds that grass no longer survives there.
  • Some dead patches of lawn may be caused by deep matrices of soil fungus, which will only spread as time goes on.

Problem patches rarely get better on their own; it may be worth re-grading your lawn to rip out weeds, fungal infections, and overly-dense mounds in order to give your grass a fresh start.

 

5) Tripping Points

Some lawns may develop holes, gullies, rivulets, and trenches– all safety hazards when mowing the lawn or even taking a casual stroll, and all signs that the yard is suffering drainage problems.

  • Uneven surface and drainage can negatively affect the survival of decorative trees and shrubs, and of course your grass
  • Tripping points, holes, and rivulets can also be breeding grounds for molds, fungi, weeds, and other enemies of the lovely lawn.

Get your yard looking its absolute best with custom landscaping solutions from Twin Oaks. Find us online at https://www.twinoakslandscape.biz/, visit us in Ann Arbor, MI at 4100 South Maple Road, or call us at (734) 213-6911.