Parts of Wales are set to be battered by heavy rain and strong easterly winds as Storm Claudia hits – and the downpours could leave your lawn waterlogged
Parts of Wales are bracing for heavy rain and strong easterly winds as Storm Claudia approaches. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning across most of England and Wales for Friday, 14 November, and Saturday, 15 November. A more severe amber warning is in place for parts of South Wales and the Midlands, where up to 150mm of rain could fall.
Flooding is anticipated, especially in areas within the amber warning zone. People are advised against travelling unless absolutely necessary, as roads may become impassable. However, the heavy rainfall is also expected to affect people’s gardens, even in areas that don’t experience flooding.
If you have a lawn, you might notice it becoming waterlogged after the downpours. This will appear as puddles sitting on top of your grass, where the water has been unable to soak into the soil.
Waterlogged lawns can lead to dead grass if not addressed promptly. Fortunately, gardening experts on social media have shared a quick and easy method to drain water from your lawn in minutes.
Adam Woolcott posted a video on TikTok demonstrating how simple it is to aerate your lawn to prevent waterlogging. All you need is a garden fork, which you insert into the ground at regular intervals to create small holes that allow water to drain in.
You can stop at this point if you believe your lawn drains water sufficiently, but if additional assistance is needed, Adam suggested spreading a layer of sand across your lawn.
He said: “We’re going to brush sand into those holes. This will keep the soil nice and open, and will improve the drainage and help to prevent the lawn from being boggy and sticky.”
Nevertheless, he emphasised this step should be avoided if your lawn is already waterlogged. Therefore, if you’re currently facing a boggy lawn due to recent rainfall, create the holes now and apply the sand once the water has drained away.
Lawn care specialist Rhiannon Moore has also previously offered her advice for rescuing a waterlogged lawn, recommending you begin by clearing all debris, including sticks and leaves, from the lawn after the water has subsided.
Rhiannon added: “Do not use a metal rake for this, as this will damage the weakened soil surface.”
Your subsequent step should involve aerating your lawn, as this enables air, water, and nutrients to penetrate the grass roots, whilst also helping to reduce soil compaction and improve water drainage for waterlogged lawns.
After completing that, the final stage is to fertilise the soil. Rhiannon advised using a lawn feed high in phosphorus, as this will “help to promote root growth as well as replace the nutrients in the ground”.
However, one thing you must never do following a spell of heavy rain is mow your lawn.
Rhiannon advised: “It’s best to wait until spring when the warmer temperatures will cause the grass to begin growing again. Also, make sure to avoid watering until the ground has dried out.”