A beautiful High Springs and Alachua, FL Areas landscape cannot thrive when there are ongoing drainage issues on the property. When you invest in the health and appearance of your property, you certainly want them to pay off in beauty and increased curb appeal. Here are the reasons why proper drainage is an essential factor in an attractive landscape. 

 

Related: 5 Drainage Solutions That Make Sense for Landscapes in the Alachua and Jonesville, FL Areas

 

Poor Drainage from a Steep Slope 

If you have a steep slope in your landscape, you likely know that every rain storm is going to lead to rushing water and leftover debris in the yard, across the walkway, and down the driveway. Slope drainage is something the original grading contractor should have addressed but often does not remedy. This is not an issue you can ignore for long because the water can damage the foundation of your house and wash away your landscape plan. 

A drainage professional can assess the slope for a solution that diverts the water from the yard and funnels it to a more suitable location where it can flow into the storm drain. 

The most common slope solution can be a stone retaining wall where the drainage is built into the wall. A retaining wall can increase the useable space for an improved landscape design and functional outdoor living features, and it can catch the water as it spills down the slope to send it away from your landscape. 

 

Standing Water Around the Foundation 

Another problem you can have with landscape drainage is standing water that sits in the landscape beds and along the foundation of your house. This can become a serious issue if you don’t address it quickly. 

The standing water will seep into the wood skeleton of your home and into the basement if you have one. The moisture that absorbs into the wood and sheetrock can create an environment where mold and mildew can grow and create serious health issues for your family members.

Once mold and mildew start to grow in the walls, it can be quite costly to remove, resulting in extensive construction work. 

This can be remedied with a French drain that spans the perimeter of your foundation. The water seeps into the drain where pipes carry the water to another drainage location away from your house. 

 

Standing Water on the Lawn 

You might notice that your lawn has puddles that don’t drain after every rain storm. When there are regular puddles that sit on the lawn and in the landscape, the water will eventually kill the grass and plants. 

A drainage professional can install a dry well to eliminate the standing water. A dry well is a box that is recessed into the soil where the water puddles. The top grate is the same color as the grass so you don’t notice it but the drain allows the water to spill into the box. The water can then flow into a gravel vertical trench beside the drain where it can slowly seep back into the earth. 

 

Poor Drainage from Downspouts 

Poor drainage from downspouts can be another issue that mars the look and function of your lawn and landscape. A drainage professional can install pipes that catch the water and carry it to the storm drain through buried pipes in the yard.

 

Related: 4 Lawn Care Services to Consider This Year in the Silverleaf and World Golf Village, FL Areas

Tired of the perennial soggy spots in your beautiful yard?

We get it.

Not only is it painfully hard to mow over the wet spots, but they are a complete eyesore. Not to mention the damage the wetness can cause to your property and your grass over time.

In this post, we talk about some of the common causes of landscape drainage issues and give you some advice on ways to fix these drainage issues to prevent your well-manicured lawn from turning into a swamp.

Common Causes Of Landscape Drainage Problems

Drainage problems are mainly a result of low spots or poor soil quality, leading to poor drainage. It’s actually more common than you’d think, to the ire of countless homeowners across the globe.

Low spots are usually caused by downspouts that are too short and end up draining into the landscaped area, walkways that block off water, yard slope or pitch that does not divert water away from the landscaped area, or impacted soil that retains water for far too long.

Drainage problems in a yard usually start off as wet spots and small muddy puddles which can turn into swamp-like areas all over the property. When it gets to that point, it’s a clear sign that your yard is retaining much more water than it should, and something needs to be done about it ASAP.

Solutions To Landscape Drainage Problems

Because landscape drainage problems result from different causes, they call for different solutions. Here are some of the most common DIY solutions:

Check Your Watering Schedule

Before launching into complex solutions, check your watering schedule. There is a possibility that you overwater your yard. Cut down on both the frequency and the amount of water. If the water spots drain off in the next week or two, you simply don’t have an extensive drainage problem.
If the trouble water spots are still there, then, by all means, proceed with the solutions below.

Extend A Downspout

Again, before you think of dramatic solutions like digging out a trench near your house or hiring a contractor to do regrading, start with a simple solution like extending the downspout to be long enough so that water flows away from your yard. This probably doesn’t seem like much of a fix, but it helps redirect water into a lower area of your yard or to an entirely different location outside your landscape.
Pay attention to the existing downspout inlets. They could be clogged with leaves, debris, and other obstructions.

Install A Creek Bed

Building creek beds in areas with poor grading can help move stormwater from low water spots to either a dry well or rain garden.

If done well, a creek bed will complement the rest of your landscape even when dry. Of course, you won't build a creek bed over the entire yard, but it should be big enough to control the surface water.

Line the creek bed with stones and gravel and add some plants or large rocks for better aesthetics.
A clever way is to channel the water into a small dry well so that the water can seep into the ground at its own pace.

Build A Rain Garden

Consider building a rain garden if your yard has no proper slope to drain off water from the low spot. A rain garden may not necessarily get rid of all the water in the low spots but it will most certainly be more aesthetically pleasing to the eye than the muddy holes full of nearly-floating turf.

A rain garden is usually filled with water-friendly plants like ferns and decorated with stones, river rock, and gravel.

The rain garden is a perfect ending point for a downspout or a creek bed.

Construct A Dry Well

A dry well is often constructed as an endpoint of a creek, downspout, swale drain, or even a french drain to collect water and slowly disperse it to the soil nearby. It is basically a hole fitted with either a drainage fabric, concrete basin, a weighted sleeve, or a large metal basin with holes in all its sides to allow water to drain out into the soil.

You can find a lot of DIY tutorials on building a simple dry well in your backyard.

The great thing about a dry well is that you can always increase its capacity by installing a larger tank. Gravel and other porous stones are usually added to control the amount of water being drained.

Install A  French Drain System

A French drain is a long perforated drainage pipe that is buried underneath the soil to collect excess water and drain it away from the low spots. The drainage pipe is usually angled downward for improved drainage and then covered with gravel, rocks, and other porous material at the grade level so that it's not visible.

Installing a french drain is pretty easy. However, you'd need to dig a trench using heavy-duty landscaping equipment that is about two feet wide and six feet deep and then backfill the gravel.

Remember to use appropriate safety gear if you are operating heavy equipment and other digging tools.

Try out these fixes but if the problem persists, consider hiring a Gainesville landscape drainage professional to assess the full scope of the issue and design a customized corrective measure for your drainage issues.

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Angelica Lovelock is the Content Manager at FortisHD. She loves to collaborate with industry experts and has written various articles around landscaping, heavy equipment, Gardening, and much more. In her free time, she enjoys riding everything from solo adventures in the mountains to big social night rides.

With the high level of rains and tropical storms threatening recently in Gainesville Landscapes, we have received several calls regarding drainage solutions to keep the water clear of the home's foundation, from standing in areas and killing the lawn, and from keeeping mosquito breeding grounds active. Here are three ways we can help keep these drainage issues from affecting your Gainesville lawn and landscape.

1 Functional approach. Most do-it-yourself homeowners believe the way to solve bad drainage problems is to simply install a French drain, which is a 4-inch or 6-inch diameter perforated plastic or PVC drainpipe with a drain field surrounding it. Oftentimes,  this is not the answer though - and even if it is, it is a matter of installing it correctly. Many DIY-ers are unaware that the pipe should be wrapped with a geotextile fabric to eliminate any infiltration of soil or other debris. The pipe is then placed within backfilled drainage rock and directed away from the house or structure. A 1% to 2% slope is necessary to move the water consistently. Gutter downspouts should be connected to the French drain as well to keep water away from the home's foundation. This approach takes little aesthtics or extreme situations into account - but more of your basic moving water from point A to B.

2 Aesthetic approach. Our most successful solution has been recreating the look of a creek or riverbed, utilizing the French drain system with a different twist, known as a Dry Creek Bed. We excavate to a minimum depth of 18 inches and line the riverbed with 2 inches of sand covered with a geotextile fabric. Then, we fill it with 10 inches of drainage stone, add another layer of fabric and top it with 6 inches of mixed river rock, ranging in size from 1 to 6" in diameter. Accent boulders are placed to emulate the look of a dry creek or riverbed. Below is a home in Haile Plantation that we have a Dry Creek Bed and Drainage system. 

3 Extreme solutions. For extreme amounts of runoff, we typically design and install a Flo-Well system or Sump Pump system to push the water away from the home. These are a series of underground connecting modular dry wells made by NDS  that function great for these applications. It is recommended to wrap the Flo-Well with geotextile fabric to eliminate soil migration. and keep the well clear for the maximum amount of drainage capacity.

Managing water, whether it is a drainage nuisance, aesthetic desire, or ecological preservation concern, can all be managed by a professional Drainage or Landscape Company. If you're located in Gainesville, Newberry, Alachua, or High Springs, give us a call at (352) 378-5296.

The winds and rain of Hurricane Irma have passed and left a path of destruction in their wake. Although many are worried about much larger problems due to Irma's visit, here are 3 problems to watch out for in your landscape:
1. Widowmakers - For tree arborists, a 'widowmaker' is a detached or broken limb that is caught in the top of a tree awaiting for an opportunity to fall. These are dangerous for obvious reasons and need to be addressed quickly. Our licensed and insured arborist team can safely remove these from your trees before they damage anything. We can also remove any trees that you were worried about but couldn't get removed before the storm hit, because now it looks like Jose is coming to nearby as well. 
2. Lawn Fungus - After a storm like Irma drops as much rain as she did in Gainesville, it's common to find lawns struggling with fungus from all of the excess moisture. Make sure to verify that your rain sensor is protecting your sprinkler system and keeping it from over-watering. Our lawn health program can treat the brown spots if they pop up in your lawn. 

 3. Drainage Problems - Did certain areas of your lawn hold water or drain slowly during the storm? If water threatened to flood your home in any way, take a look at your drainage system around your home. Where do your gutter downspouts direct water to? Did the french drain get clogged up? or do you need to add a new drainage solution to your yard? We are here to help if you need us!

Of course, there are many other things that extreme amounts of rain and storms bring in the fall - like Sod webworm damage to lawns, lightning damage to landscape lighting, lightning damage to irrigation systems, etc. If we can be of help for any of these items, please feel free to call or text our office at (352) 378-5296. 

As all eyes are turned towards Hurricane Irma, a powerful storm already wreaking havoc in the Caribbean and threatening our state, we pray that family and friends already affected are safe. As we look towards the future and try to predict the storm's path we can take some steps today to help protect ourselves from damage. Here are 5 things you can do today to help protect your home and property.

• Look over your trees Remove any dead limbs that are within reach and any growth close to windows or your roof. It's may be late in the game to call our arborist out in advance of this storm, but if you have a chainsaw or even a hand saw, you may be able to remove and dispose of some lower tree limbs yourself

• Check your Gutters & Drainage system - Most Gainesville homes have some type of rain runoff control system - gutters, downspout extensions, french drains, or drainage system. These are meant to keep water from building up around the foundation of your home, so make sure your gutters and downspouts are clean and that extensions are directing water away from your foundation. If you have a French drain, take a moment to make sure that it's cleaned out and that the catch basins are free of mulch, leaves, and debris to allow maximum water flow. We have had a very wet year already, so if you are already aware of drainage problems in your yard, take extra precautions to keep water out of your home. If you have a Gainesville drainage project planned, make sure to call us so we can get it taken care of before the next storm! 

• Stormproof your Irrigation- Many clients find out too late that their irrigation system is one of the most likely places to be affected by lightning. If you have a pump that services the irrigation system, we recommend that you unplug it as well as unplugging your controller. One of the most common calls that we get after a storm is an irrigation timer that is no longer functioning after being struck by lightning. Unplug your timer during the storm to prevent this from happening. 

• Unplug Fountains- Before a storm, fountains should be turned off and secured, electrical cords should be unplugged, rolled up and secured. Any body of water is a draw for lightning, and will commonly fry pumps if not protected properly.

• Secure Loose Items- Remove loose items that can be moved by heavy winds, creating potential hazards. Garden furniture, grills, pots, and yard tools that may be laying around can become dangers in high winds. Move these items into a garage or secure structure before the storm arrives.

We will continue to monitor this storm closely and ask that you take all needed precautions in your Gainesville yard to keep your home and neighbors safe. It's always better to err on the side of caution and be over-prepared. If we can be of service after the storm passes, please call or text our office at (352) 378-5296 or e-mail info@themasterslawncare.com. Thanks and stay safe!

From the changing colored leaves to the cooling temperatures, fall is the perfect season to take advantage of your outdoor entertainment area and enjoy your landscape. However, now that the fall season is upon us, don’t make these 3 common fall mistakes!

1. Overwatering can cause brown patch fungus. 

 Many homeowners exprienced drought stress in their lawns over the heat of summer, and to combat that raised their irrigation run times. However, now that the temperatures are dropping in the evening, this can cause light brown rings to pop up in your lawn (photo) called Brown Patch Fungus.  When our evenings become cool while our days are relatively warm, the grass never quite dries out making perfect conditions for fungus to develop.  Left untreated the areas will spread throughout the lawn.  

What to do to avoid or treat brown patch?  First, water in the morning so the lawn has a chance to dry quickly.  Cut back on watering shady areas as much as possible, instead of 30 minutes per week, try 10 or 15 minutes in those areas. Second, call our office for a fungicide application which will stop it from spreading and further damaging your lawn. 

2. Allowing poor drainage to remain unaddressed

Many Gainesville lawns have poor drainage that heavy summer rains create minor issues with, but nothing that causes actual damage. Unfortunatley, with the end of summer and beginning of fall comes hurricane season (as Matthew brews off the coast) and that can bring extreme amounts of rain in short periods of time causing flood damage to homes with poor drainage. Installtion of french drains, downspout extensions, pop-up emitters, and other Gainesville drainage solutions allows water to be transported quickly away from the home to avoid flood damage and water sitting against the home's foundation. These poor drainage concerns also cause lawn and landscape issues as roots are unable to dry out and are more prone to disease and lawn pests.

3. Not Fertilizing the Lawn

Many homeowners see the fall as the wind-down toward dormant season for Gainesville lawns, and don't see a need to fertilize. That couldn't be farther from the truth! With soil temperatures not reaching low numbers until late December or January, your lawn is able to develop quite a healthy root system in October if it's encouraged to do so. The added root system will help protect from frost damage through winter and provide a faster bounce-back in spring. Just make sure to get a fertilizer with high potassium and limited nitrogen to protect from fungus damage.

If you're able to avoid these 3 common mistakes this fall, your Gainesville landscape should be much more appealing and enjoyable. Enjoy the (slightly) cooler weather!