New Homeowner – posted 12 February 2004 13:06
I am in the process of buying a new home. The sod in 2/3 of the back yard is very wet; it squishes when you walk on it and has puddles. The other 1/3 of the back yard is not as wet (but still moist), and the front yard is dry. There is no sprinkler system and the grass is not watered (except by rain). The back yard is very flat and it is fenced. The house was built in 1996, and I assume the sod was laid soon thereafter. My realtor said the wetness is because the sod has not had time to connect to the ground yet. This did not make sense to me if it has been there for several years. The inspector said it’s because the land is flat, and he also said that the house is dry so the wet sod is not causing any structural damage to the house. I still don’t want my children to have to wear golashes every time they play in the yard. We live in Eastern NC, and it does rain on a regular basis, but it’s not an unusual amount of rain. Any ideas on what the problem may be or how it could be fixed?
Craig – posted 15 February 2004 08:31
I would recomend you find out where your drain field is loacted (if you’re not on municipal sanitary sewer). If your drain field is failing, it is not seeping into the ground. The area over the field will be wet.
If the grass is very healthy and dark green in that area, this may be a clue as well.
A good inspector should identify any problems.
CEB
Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 04 March 2004 01:04
LOL! Realtors crack me up.
Any time there is standing water you can be 100% assured the soil microbes are being killed off. It is the microbes that provide tilth and open up the soil for drainage. If you want to recover that area you’ll need to reestablish the microbes and take care of them.
You can reestablish them with compost at a rate of 1 cubic yard per 1,000 square feet. You can keep them happy with organic fertilizer. Synthetic fertilizer will not do anything for your wet spots. I use corn meal but alfalfa pellets are another inexpensive choice. Check your local feed store for cheap protein sources. Any one is fine. Apply at 10-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. You can apply both the compost and the corn meal on the same day if you want. You don’t have to worry about anything.