If it feels like it has rained nonstop this August, you’re not imagining it. Here in Carmel, Westfield, Noblesville and throughout Hamilton County, we’ve had an unusually wet stretch.
Normally, we’re hoping for rain during the heat of summer. But there can definitely be too much of a good thing.
All this moisture may have your lawn looking green and growing fast, but what’s happening below the surface is just as important.
Too Much Rain Can Stress Your Lawn
Grass needs water, but the roots also need oxygen. When the ground stays saturated for long periods, the small air spaces in the soil fill with water. That makes it harder for roots to get the oxygen they need.
Wet soil is also much easier to compact. Simply mowing, walking or driving lawn equipment across a soggy lawn can pack the soil down and make it even harder for air and water to move through it.
You may notice:
- Areas that stay soggy long after the rain stops
- Mower tracks or ruts
- Thin or matted grass
- Yellow or brown patches
- Mushrooms popping up
- Grass growing much faster than normal
- Areas that suddenly don’t look as healthy as the rest of the lawn
What About Lawn Fungus?
This is something we’re watching.
Warm August temperatures, high humidity and grass that stays wet for long periods can create good conditions for lawn diseases.
That doesn’t mean every lawn is going to get fungus, and it doesn’t mean every brown spot you see is a disease.
If you notice brown, yellow or straw-colored patches that are spreading, unusual spots on the grass blades, or areas that seem to be declining even though we’ve had plenty of rain, it’s worth having them looked at.
And don’t panic if you see mushrooms. After this much rain, mushrooms are common. They usually indicate there’s plenty of moisture and organic matter in the soil and don’t necessarily mean your grass has a damaging fungus.
A Few Things You Can Do Right Now
Turn off the sprinklers.
Your lawn doesn’t need additional irrigation when Mother Nature is already doing the job.
Don’t mow when the ground is soggy.
We know the grass is growing like crazy, but sometimes waiting another day or two is better than leaving ruts and compacting wet soil.
Don’t cut it extra short to make up for a missed mowing.
Keep the lawn around 3 inches and avoid removing too much of the grass blade at once.
Give wet areas a break.
Try to limit unnecessary foot traffic and equipment on saturated areas.
Pay attention to where the water goes.
If the same area stays wet for days after every rain, this weather may be showing you a drainage or soil problem you didn’t realize you had.
After All This Rain, Fall Aeration Makes a Lot of Sense
We’ve spent most of August talking about too much water. As we head toward fall, we’ll start talking about something just as important:
Air.
Core aeration removes small plugs of soil from the lawn. This helps loosen compacted soil and gives air, water and nutrients better access to the root zone.
Think of it this way:
Your lawn has had plenty of water. Now it needs some room to breathe.
Aeration is especially helpful for lawns with compacted soil, heavy traffic or thin areas. And if your lawn has taken a beating this summer, combining aeration with overseeding can help thicken those areas while we’re entering one of the best times of year to establish new grass in Central Indiana.
One thing we don’t want to do is aerate a soaking-wet lawn. The soil needs some moisture so we can pull good cores, but we don’t want to run equipment over saturated ground. We’ll let the weather and soil conditions tell us when it’s time.
This Weather Can Tell You a Lot About Your Lawn
One benefit of an unusually wet summer is that it can show you where problems are hiding.
If part of your lawn drains quickly while another stays soggy, pay attention to it. If certain areas are thinning, developing disease or getting badly rutted when they’re wet, make a note of those too.
Those are the areas we’ll want to address as we head into fall.
We’ve been taking care of lawns in Hamilton County for more than 20 years, and if there’s one thing we know about Indiana weather, it’s that no two seasons are exactly alike.
The goal isn’t to fight the weather. It’s to help your lawn handle whatever Indiana decides to throw at it next.
If this wet August has you wondering what’s going on with your lawn or whether aeration and overseeding would help, give GreenLawn by Design a call.
We’re local, family-owned and veteran-owned. When you call us, you’re talking to real people who live and work right here in the community.
Real People. Real Service. You’re Not a Number.
GreenLawn by Design
Carmel • Westfield • Noblesville • Hamilton County
📞 317-804-8088
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