New sod staying wet

[Janson]

I put down some new sod in my yard about 6 weeks ago. There is one area that stays wet longer after I water or it rains. I called a drainage company about putting in a drain in that area. The person I talked to from the company told me that I should wait until the soil has a chance to harden in that area. His theory was that because the ground was turned up it will be a little soft and wet at first but should do better in time.

I would really appreciate some input on this issue.

[valley]

HI, They might be right if the ground is likely to settle. Was it a low area that had a little fill pulled in? How long was he suggesting you should wait?

Richard

[Janson]

HI, They might be right if the ground is likely to settle. Was it a low area that had a little fill pulled in? How long was he suggesting you should wait?

Richard

Thank you for replying...

Yes, it was a low area that had a little fill pulled in. He suggested I wait a few months.

[rainbowgardener]

I'm not a lawn person, but I would think it depends on how serious the problem is. If you really have standing water very much of the time, a few months of that could kill your new sod.

As a first step, I would just try taking a long sharp stick and punching some drainage holes in.

[Janson]

There is no standing water. The grass and soil are very soft

[valley]

When and if you decide to install a drain you may have to fill and put cut in more sod. I can't like the idea of a drain in a lawn.
Wouldn't it be better to adjust the watering in that area at the sprinkler heads.

[Janson]

what about when it rains?

[rainbowgardener]

valley probably isn't used to even imagining that water just falls out of the sky all summer. Doesn't happen where valley is!

Speaking of which, where are you located, Jason?

[Janson]

I live in dallas texas.

I have had 4 more drain companies come out to the house. All but one of them said to give it some time to see if the soil settles.

[imafan26]

If water is puddling the ground may have settled a bit after digging and it has to be lower than the surrounding area. If the soil is actually draining, but pooling because it is a low area, you could try to lift the sod and add more soil to bring the level up again and replace the sod.

If this was an area that was filled, the surrounding soil will be more impervious to water infiltration from being packed. The drainage guy may be correct that it will take time for the soil to settle.