Can Your Lawn Get Overwatered?

Can There Really Be Too Much Rain?

Lawns need about one inch of water every week. The tricky thing is, this includes both the water you give it and rainfall. Even if you haven’t run the sprinkler in a while, a week or two of heavy rain should give your lawn the water it needs for at least a few months. Excessive rain can promote the growth of weeds on your lawn. They develop deeper root systems than grass and can deplete your lawn of water rather quickly. Removing weeds needs to be a priority if you want to maintain your lawn’s health.

Here’s what to keep in mind when it comes to heavy rain and your lawn.

Protecting Grass From Heavy Rain

Excessive rain can be a setback when you’re trying to cultivate new grass.

Best practice is to avoid putting too many seeds on a soggy lawn. Instead, wait for the lawn to dry off and check to make sure there are no upcoming rainy days when you plan to seed. Then, properly prepare your lawn for overseeding so the seed can establish itself before any upcoming rainstorms.

Can Grass Be Overwatered?

Typically, yes. Heavy rain often leads to erosion. If you seed right before heavy rains, your fresh grass seed could get washed away.

Let’s say you choose sod instead of grass seed. Can new sod get too much rain? Yes. Sod demands a good amount of water, but too much rain over a long time makes it hard for the sod to establish strong roots.

Gray Patches After Heavy Rains

Flooded grass has a hard time taking in water and nutrients from the soil. It may even turn brown and die as a result. But that doesn’t mean your lawn is a lost cause. Find out how to help your brown lawn get back to green.

Can I  Mow My Lawn After Heavy Rains?

Technically, you can mow a wet lawn. But we would advise you against it.

For starters, water causes grass blades to bend over, which makes it hard to get a precise cut. And, leaving wet and clumpy grass clippings in your yard will make it look untidy. There’s also a chance you could damage your lawn mower when working with wet grass. Wet clippings tend to clump together, which can block the mowers deck. Mowing wet lawns also increases the risk of rust damage to your mower.

How Can I Dry Off My Lawn After Heavy Rains?

A soil test can help you figure out how to fix water drainage problems in your lawn. Poor soil drainage is one of the main causes of water getting stuck on your lawn. With a soil test, you can figure out what you should add or modify to your lawn soil to get better drainage. Common drainage aggregates include sand, gravel, and small pebbles. 

Another option is creating a rain garden, which is a reservoir that catches and filters stormwater. Rain gardens give an alternative and safe place for water to go so it won’t stand on your lawn and cause damage.