I live in 9B area. Whenever it rains the area on the sides of my house get really muddy.
I’ve tried to:
– Grow Clover
– Grow Dichondra
– I went to Buchanan’s to find plants that could soak up the water with mild success.
It’s been two years and I haven’t had success. I’d like to reduce the grass, and water accumulation so I can walk back there.
I’ve tried to grade the side of my land on my own with more mulch and dirt. But that didn’t work out.
Do you think I would just add MORE mulch at a slope that could satisfy the pooling area?
If you have any recommendations for affordable landscapers, I can do good grading in the Houston area. Please DM me.
The Clover was so pretty, but it just didn’t grow back. The Dichondra was equally beautiful as well, but it didn’t grow back.
by murphycee
7 Comments
To clarify: the ponding in the photos are between the two grasses, and between the stepping stones. Sorry for the quality !!
Unfortunately that’s too much water for plants to “soak up.” You either need plants that are happy in bog conditions, regrade the soil to divert water to another location via gravity, or set up an under soil pipe (like a french drain) to divert water into a sewer drain or dry well nearby.
Additionally, mulch won’t divert water. It’s porous and water will simply run through it. It’s good to slow water down on flat places to allow plants to soak it, but water will go straight down. You need to remove any soft materials (mulch, bark, etc.) and regrade with a heavier soil that is more dense that will prevent water from absorbing directly in, and sheet it away.
If you’re just looking to make it walkable, personally I would probably grade it and add gravel as extra drainage. Or are you looking for a walkable plant?
Does this happen all the time or just after rain? Maybe need to install gutters
I would look at some ferns. They love the moist soils and deep shade and there are a ton of native ferns for your zone.
Once established they will help (slightly!) with water control.
I saw Houston subreddit on your profile.
Maybe try this as a resource:
https://www.npsot.org
You can set some parameters and see what plants meet your needs.
Hey I just fixed my constantly wet spot. You have to address the ground itself. Dig out like 5/6 inches add a layer of sand mixed with native soil like 70/80% sand to a 30/20% native soil mix. Gravel on top of that then whatever top layer you want o used river rocks. Haven’t had water pooling since it’s been about three months took me one afternoon in a much larger space. Is it totally level and perfect? No. Is it significantly approved from where I was? 100%