10 Tips For Lawn Care After Heavy Rain

Last updated: 9/28/2022

Estimated read time: 3 minutes

After a heavy rainfall, you may notice standing water in your backyard. While the water may not cause any immediate problems, it is important to practice proper lawn care to avoid any long-term damage. Here are a few tips and tricks to keep your lawn healthy.

Immediately After Storm – Remove Debris

If there is any debris on your lawn after the storm, such as branches or foliage, remove it as soon as you can. Also, remove anything else that may keep your lawn from drying, such as children’s toys. Debris can keep your lawn from drying properly, and trapped moisture can make your lawn more susceptible to common lawn diseases such as red thread, brown spot, fairy ring, and others.

Empty Standing Water

While the rain may have soaked your lawn, other areas of your yard also collect water during heavy storms, such as buckets, birdbaths, pet food or water bowls, or flower pots. Make sure to empty these containers, as standing water can allow mosquitoes to start breeding in your backyard. We also recommend checking your gutters and downspouts to make sure water is flowing correctly.

Don’t Mow

Don’t mow your lawn shortly after a storm, even if there is no standing water. The mower’s weight on the wet ground can cause soil compaction and sometimes leave deep ruts in the soft turf. Instead, wait until your lawn completely dries before mowing.

Note Areas Where Water Collects

If there are areas of your lawn that collect more water than others, make a note of them. Depending on the severity, take immediate action by adding topsoil to these areas once all the water has drained or wait until the end of the growing session. Leveling out the ground can vastly improve drainage during future storms and make overall lawn maintenance easier.

Excess ground moisture can make lawns nutrient-deficient and cause heavy insect activity – especially fleas and ticks.

As the moisture reduces, be on the look out for mold or fungi.

Avoid Foot Traffic

Avoid traffic on the lawn as much as possible until the lawn has time to dry out some. This will help to minimize soil compaction and prevent unnecessary damage to the grass blades.

Cover Exposed Grassroots

Heavy rain can sometimes wash away topsoil, exposing the roots of your turf. If this is the case, replace any lost soil to cover roots completely.

Reduce Soil Compaction

One way of reducing soil compaction and encouraging drainage is through core aeration, also known as mechanical aeration. Once your lawn has completely dried, use an aeration machine to pull out plugs or “cores” of soil—this will allow the rain from the next storm to drain properly and reach the roots of your grass.

Overseeding

A freshly aerated lawn provides a great environment for lawn seeds to germinate, so use this chance to spread some additional grass seeds on your lawn. By overseeding your lawn, you encourage growth and help to establish new grass in areas that may have been damaged during the storm.

Fertilize

The best time to fertilize is about two days after the storm, while the turf is still a little moist. But make sure to check the weather—if there is more rain coming, wait to fertilize, as the additional water can wash away the fertilizer.