Soggy turf - aerate?

[SMALLTIME22]

I have a situation....i maintain a property which in the past, has had some drainage issues in the past. The back yard gets little sun and stays very wet throughout summer unless we have a month with little or no rain. The ground is not hard at all so i am not sure if aeration will solve the issue. What gets me is that the back yard slopes down and away from the house at a considerable grade yet even towards the top of the hill, it stays pretty we almost all the time.
The downspouts off the back of the house go directly into the ground and out back into the woods (i assume) and i notice no significant back ups in any of the gutters
last year the property was not aerated at all and the problem was worse than in the past. What i wonder is, the soil isnt really compacted............i was thinking about suggesting aeration this spring and again in the fall.......do you guys think this is the answer?

[Smallaxe]

Your analysis of the grade can not be correct.

You need to know where the water is coming from and why it does not go away.

You need to do a permanent drainage fix.

Aeration is not your answer.

[SMALLTIME22]

I appreciate the input and part of me agrees that aeration will not solve the problem.....but what is incorrect about my analysis of the grade?
The bottom of the slope was trenched and back filled with gravel (then a sandy soil) a few years back and the lower portion of the slope is actually more stable than approx. Half way up (if that makes sense)
the other thing not mentioned above is that about half of the back yard sits about 3 feet lower than a patio/walk which runs along the back of the house.
Does aeration provide any releif at all when soil is staying wet? Or could it be making it worse? I almost wonder if the soil was more compacted, would the water just run down to where it needs to go?

[Midstate Lawncare]

Is this house on the middle of a hill? If it is, then this property sits on the natural seep plane. Does the property have a septic system instead of municipal sewer? If it does, then it is probably a shallow or overflowing system. If it is neither.... I have no idea. If it is both.... good luck.:waving:

[weasel]

Aeration will not help from what you have explained.
There is NO irrigation right?
You can have cust turn off all faucets, washing machine, hot water heater, and go to the main meter and if its running they have a water leak.

[SMALLTIME22]

The house is at the top of the hill......but funny you mention the septic (it is septic) as that thought has crossed my mind. The septic is smack in the middle if it all.
I am not familiar with septic systems but would there be an odor if it were overflowing?

[SMALLTIME22]

There is no irrigation, but there is an indoor pool at the top of the grade?!?!?

[cod8825]

SMALLTIME22:

Weasel has a good point definitely do the water check, even if he has no irrigation system water as far as I have ever seen enters the house underground into basement, crawl space whatever it might me. Check if there's a leak and see if their water runs into back of house. Sometimes shifting ground can cause a small crack. I know exactly how you feel we mow a 25 acre yard and it gets wet spots in the weirdest places. Also generally septic systems back up into the house, sometimes things get caught in the laurels. I have never seen one but from back end of the septic system a network of pipes goes out to dissipate the water and that can get clogged.

Matt

Matt

[Midstate Lawncare]

The house is at the top of the hill......but funny you mention the septic (it is septic) as that thought has crossed my mind. The septic is smack in the middle if it all.
I am not familiar with septic systems but would there be an odor if it were overflowing?

not in my experience will there be an odor. Call a local septic guy and play dumb homeowner, not landscaper.

[Midstate Lawncare]

SMALLTIME22:

Weasel has a good point definitely do the water check, even if he has no irrigation system water as far as I have ever seen enters the house underground into basement, crawl space whatever it might me. Check if there's a leak and see if their water runs into back of house. Sometimes shifting ground can cause a small crack. I know exactly how you feel we mow a 25 acre yard and it gets wet spots in the weirdest places. Also generally septic systems back up into the house, sometimes things get caught in the laurels. I have never seen one but from back end of the septic system a network of pipes goes out to dissipate the water and that can get clogged.

Matt

Matt

Indeed they CAN back up into the house, but the "field" is what I'm referring to. If the system is shallow or on a hill (ding ding ding) I would look at that tomorrow.

[SMALLTIME22]

I will check it out later this week........thanks for all the input. So at this point i am not absolutely positive of the cause but i have ruled out aeration as a solution. Do you guys think this portion of the property should be aerated at all?
Also, is there a way to introduce more sand into the soil without a complete removal?

[Smallaxe]

I will check it out later this week........thanks for all the input. So at this point i am not absolutely positive of the cause but i have ruled out aeration as a solution. Do you guys think this portion of the property should be aerated at all?
Also, is there a way to introduce more sand into the soil without a complete removal?

You can add sand as a topdressing about a 1/4 - 1/2" at a time as long as you are not suffocating the grass in the process.

Do you have standing puddles after a rain, on this hill? If you find no other high volume sources of water pooling underground, I would be interestted in regrading the surface. For surface runoff.

[Fife Lawn&Lane]

From past experience if the house(plumbing) is sufficiently higher than the septic system it will not back up into the house but will overflow the tank causing conditions like you are seeing.

When the bath tube drained or washer drained it would actually cause water to spurt up out of the soil above septic tank. The main weeping tile was clogged from not having the tank pumped out at proper time intervals. There was no odour as there is way more gray water then actual sewage going into septic system.

[SMALLTIME22]

Yeah....the septic is approx. At the same height as the basement so much lower that the ground floor not to mention upstairs. So in order to check this septic i just pop the hatch and check the level? The grade is perfect, there is no standing surface water anywhere. The soil just holds everything which is suprising due to the downward grade.

And regarding topdressing with sand.....what is the best method. I was thinking of aerating then spreading heavy w/ my fert. Spreader??? Do that this spring and then again in the fall and see where it gets me

[Midstate Lawncare]

Yeah....the septic is approx. At the same height as the basement so much lower that the ground floor not to mention upstairs. So in order to check this septic i just pop the hatch and check the level? The grade is perfect, there is no standing surface water anywhere. The soil just holds everything which is suprising due to the downward grade.

And regarding topdressing with sand.....what is the best method. I was thinking of aerating then spreading heavy w/ my fert. Spreader??? Do that this spring and then again in the fall and see where it gets me

rent a top dresser, or sub it out. it would take you forever to spread sand w/ a rotary spreader! But first, get the correct diagnosis on the problem, fix the problem, the symptoms will fix themselves.

[SMALLTIME22]

Thanks........Im just thinking out loud. When it comes down to it, Im not wasting anytime or anyones money without being at least 90% sure

[tombo82685]

rent a dry ject i think that would be an easier method. If thats not available then aerify the backyard or that spot then topdress it. I wouldnt do a straight sand mixture though maybe like 80/20

[SMALLTIME22]

Reading up on this dryject.............i always wondered if such a thing existed. It only makes sense. I will keep this in mind going forward

[Smallaxe]

Yeah....the septic is approx. At the same height as the basement so much lower that the ground floor not to mention upstairs. So in order to check this septic i just pop the hatch and check the level? The grade is perfect, there is no standing surface water anywhere. The soil just holds everything which is suprising due to the downward grade.

And regarding topdressing with sand.....what is the best method. I was thinking of aerating then spreading heavy w/ my fert. Spreader??? Do that this spring and then again in the fall and see where it gets me

There you go! :) Let common sense prevail. There is NO mystery - in that - water is water , and it flows according to the laws of gravity whether through the soil or over the top.

Ultimately it will be a the lowest point you have access to no matter what you do.!!

This is an interesting scenario for all of us who have not seen the problem. Keep us posted if you will. :) what actually happened and what you did that ACTUALLY fixed that problem.
:)

[Midstate Lawncare]

There you go! :) Let common sense prevail. There is NO mystery - in that - water is water , and it flows according to the laws of gravity whether through the soil or over the top.

Ultimately it will be a the lowest point you have access to no matter what you do.!!

This is an interesting scenario for all of us who have not seen the problem. Keep us posted if you will. :) what actually happened and what you did that ACTUALLY fixed that problem.
:)

Absolutely, I am interested as well.