Heavy rains in summer can really damage the garden.
You can find out what you can do when the meadow is under water in the article.
Storms in summer are part of the annual cycle.
But the rain front that overran large parts of Germany in July was more violent than in previous years.
It is not uncommon for not only basements and living rooms to be under water after such heavy rainfall,
but also the garden
.
Anyone who has taken care of their house is then faced with the task of draining the soaked garden again.
Underwater garden: how to dry it out after heavy rainfall
Some parts of Germany were badly hit in mid-July 2021.
For example, North Rhine-Westphalia was hit particularly hard, where, according to the German Weather Service,
153 liters of rainwater per square meter fell
in just one day
in the Cologne area and in the Eifel
.
In addition, it had rained a lot the days before, so that the ground could no longer absorb a large amount of the precipitation.
There were major floods, in some cases even entire cities were under water.
In addition to full basements, washed away cars and flooded living rooms
, many gardens are also under water
.
Because flower beds and lawns could no longer withstand the masses of water and were quickly transformed into small ponds and lakes.
But gardeners don't have to worry too much, because with a few tricks they can arm themselves well for the next rain shower and many plants are often more robust than expected.
Underwater garden: how to repair acute damage
As a first step, gardening fans of course have to wait
until it stops raining
. Because if water keeps coming in from above, even the best measure won't help. As a rule, however, gardening enthusiasts have to get used to the idea that the plants on flooded lawns and beds can no longer be saved for the time being. For example, well-cared for pampas grass quickly dies when it is waterlogged. Only plants that
can tolerate waterlogging
have a chance of surviving this situation. If the garden is under water, they rarely survive.
Once the weather has calmed down to some extent, gardeners should take
stock
: Which areas in the garden are under water?
Does the water surface shrink after a few days?
Does the water threaten to run into the house from the garden?
If the flooding of the garden is still acute and the water threatens to run into the house or is already pressing against the house wall,
quick action is required
.
In this case, gardening enthusiasts should get a pump and try to pump out the largest amounts of water first.
Those affected have to pay for it, but the investment is much cheaper than renovating a cellar.
If it hasn't rained quite as hard and only a few spots in the garden are wet,
drainage holes can also help
.
To do this, gardeners dig a hole at the deepest point in the lawn so that the water can more easily penetrate the deeper layers of the earth.
This drainage hole also makes it easier to scoop the water out by hand if the rain gets out of hand.
Gardening advisor
You can find more exciting gardening topics at 24garten.de *.
Also Read
: Crazy Facts About Vegetables, Plants, And Gardening: Did You Know?
Garden under water: How to protect your garden preventively
Extreme weather situations are no longer uncommon and the garden is under water at least once a year.
It is therefore worth taking
preventive measures against flooding right
from the start of garden
planning
.
This is particularly recommended for gardens that are on a hillside or at the foot of a hill.
Gardeners have the following options:
Scarifying and mowing the lawn
: Regular lawn care is mandatory if the area tends to accumulate water.
Annual scarifying and lawn mowing are on the to-do list.
Loose soil
: So that the soil can easily absorb large amounts of rain, its quality is crucial.
Loamy, solid soil is not a good reservoir of water, but loose, chalky, sandy soil is.
To do this, it is worth loosening the soil right at the beginning and mixing it with sand before the lawn seeds find their place in the ground.
Beds also protect plant fans from large amounts of water.
There it is even possible to loosen up the soil even after the planting.
Level the
area
: Before sowing the lawn, it is also worth leveling the lawn area.
If there is no gradient, the water does not collect more in one place, but is more evenly distributed over the entire lawn.
Digging drainage grooves
: If the lawn has already been sown or is already growing, it is worth digging so-called drainage grooves or even drainage holes.
In strategically good places in the garden, the water can then collect more and run off better instead of piling up.
Install drainage
: The safest, but also the most expensive option is drainage.
The easiest way to do this is when the lawn has not yet been sown.
Gardeners should always bring in specialists for such a project, because laying pipes and draining the water must be skillful.
It is also important to clarify where the water is allowed to flow.
Because simply feeding into the municipal sewerage system is not always allowed or means extra costs.
So it turns out that there are already protection options before the great disaster.
However, if it is too late and the garden is under water, gardening fans have to intervene quickly.
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Also read
: Keeping Order: Ten Tips for a Tidy Home.
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