Rainy April weather will soon be upon us. While the rain is beneficial to May flowers, it can also bring water issues. Standing water is more than just unsightly. It can kill your grass and plants, damage your home’s foundation and attract mosquitoes and other pests.
If you consistently have standing water in the same spot every time it rains, perhaps it is time to do some investigating and determine the cause.
Reasons for Standing Water:
Soil is simply saturated from too much rain
Poor soil health and compaction
High water table
Very high clay content
Broken or clogged drain lines
Downspout water
Poor initial site planning and grading
Conservation Options:
1. Install a rain garden. You can turn an eyesore into a blooming landscape feature that also provides important habitat for insects. The LMEF office can be a source for advice and resources. Purdue University also has some excellent information on rain gardens here.
2. Install a rain barrel(s). LMEF has free rain barrels and adapter kits made possible through a Nipsco Environmental Grant.
3. Plant native trees/shrubs to capture a portion of the rain both in the tree canopy and through the roots. Some trees/shrubs do very well in wet conditions and the benefits to adding native plants to your landscape are well documented.
Call for Help
If these options don’t help your standing water issue, it might be time to call the professionals for grading, drain installations and soil amendments, however they are a good place to start.
“When in April the sweet showers fall That pierce March’s drought to the root and all And bathed every vein in liquor that has power To generate therein and sire the flower;”
Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales
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