How to Fix a Soggy Muddy Lawn
- 1). Find a downward sloping area of your yard. Make sure that your drain pipe runs at downward angle, or else the water will not be able to drain anywhere. Start digging your trench so the end is near an area of water buildup, such as downspouts near the house.
- 2). Dig the trench on a downward slope. Use a shovel as well as a pick ax or chisel point bar to break through the soil. Make the trench wide enough for a 4-inch diameter plastic drain pipe. Use a wheelbarrow to haul away the excess dirt. Dig the trench deeper as you get further away from its beginning to ensure that the slope is always running downward.
- 3). Drive a wooden stake into the ground near the beginning of your drainage trench. Install wooden stakes approximately every 6 to 8 feet along the edge of the trench.
- 4). Tie a string to the first stake and the second stake. Attach a string level to the string to make sure the yard slopes downward. If it does not, add some gravel to the bottom of the trench to make sure it tapers down and the water will flow out. Tie a string from the second stake to the third stake, and check the line with the string level. Repeat this for all remaining stakes until you have checked the entire length of the trench.
- 5). Place the 4-inch diameter plastic drain pipe into the trench. Fill the trench with some of the leftover dirt. Tamp the dirt down firmly with the back of the shovel.
