[OrangeDog]

I am in the transition of moving in to a new place. The house is great and has a big yard but I am having one problem. The yeard is REALLY WET... it is a mud pit and while the dogs don't mind it so much (and it really is only part of the yard... the part they need to walk through to get into the house) the mud is making it impossible!! Any ideas on what I can do to dry out the yard? I was thinking of going to a farm supply and picking up a bunch of bags of shavings, like they use in a horse stall to put over the wet areas. What do you think? Any other ideas?

Thanks!!

[Lara's mom]

I have a feeling that doing what you suggest will make it impossible for the grass to grow. Hence, once the wood chips have absorbed all that they can, you'll be in even worse shape. My suggestion is to wait until the soil dries out a bit and then put down some sod that is appropriate for the area that you're moving to.

[Todd]

what causes the yard to always be wet? Is the wet area of the yard at the bottom of a hill? If so it could be due to runoff. please explain why the yard may be wet in more detail. finding the root cause of the issue is often half of the answer when looking for a solution.

[OrangeDog]

having just moved in I am not sure what the reason is yet. I can tell there is a very strange landscaping set up. They had raised flower beds set up to form a flower shape.... odd huh!!! The flower beds seem to be made from potting soil not regular dirt. I don't really know much about this stuff but maybe the light, fluffy dirt holds more moisture?

[Todd]

Originally Posted by OrangeDog

having just moved in I am not sure what the reason is yet. I can tell there is a very strange landscaping set up. They had raised flower beds set up to form a flower shape.... odd huh!!! The flower beds seem to be made from potting soil not regular dirt. I don't really know much about this stuff but maybe the light, fluffy dirt holds more moisture?

where the yard is wet, what type of soil is there? Is there grass?

I did a bit of research for you and found that you should find a local geotechnical firm to test your soil for the following properties:

Solubility, Absorption, and content ratios of : Sulfates, sodium sulfates, and other organic matter

[Yogi]

like most yards including mine you are most likely sitting on a water table. Numerous under grounds streams all heading through the property to a lake or reservoir. My back yard more so than the front is wet all year round.
I finally put a large area rug like that when you enter a grocery store with the rubber backing so the dogs have to walk or run on that first. It has greatly helped the volume of wet muddy foot prints I have to clean off the kitchen floor.

[Todd]

You could have turf put down although that would probably be pretty expensive.

[CorkyMax]

Just a couple ideas--Off the top of my head! Can you lay some (cheap ones) patio blocks in this area---at least make a sort of path for the dogs to walk on (Lol, if they will!) through this muddy area. Thinking if you put plenty of sand under these blocks---Which you should do anyhow to stop weeds, etc from invading this walking area--might also absorb some of the wetness. How big an area is this mud part? if not too big, prob. best to do the whole area if you can afford it. The original idea you mentioned--Can't remember exactly what you wanted to use right now but I know it sounded to me like something the dogs would track in a lot and be a mess.

[Lara's mom]

I really doubt the shavings will work. Either wait for the appropriate season and put down some good quality sod or, consider Corky/ Max's idea of investing in patio stones.

[Trab]

I just used "blocks" of straw when I had that problem. It was thick enough to keep from sinking when put down in blocks, cheap, and when it was dry enough, I just used the same straw over the grass seed that I planted in the muddy section. Good luck! Cleaning your floor after every potty break is NOT fun.

[Ward9320]

i would suggest straw as well