How To Find & Repair A Low Spot in Your Yard

As spring approaches, now is a good time to keep an eye out for low spots in your backyard. The increased rainfall will make it easier to identify any low spots in your yard.

And if you notice low spots in your yard collecting water, now is the time to take action. With grass still growing, you can ensure your landscape remains healthy and vibrant even after leveling your lawn. 

Why Is There a Low Spot In Your Yard?

It’s common for you to realize that your yard has low spots it didn’t have before. That’s because there is any number of things that could cause this sunken patch.

• Children or pets digging holes
• Drainage issues
• High foot traffic
• Lawn diseases
• Leaky pipes beneath the surface
• Pests and wild animals
• Settling
• Uneven thawing

As you can see, these underlying issues run the gamut from natural to man-made. Before leveling your lawn, you should try to fix these initial causes to prevent the situation from recurring.

In many cases, the problem has an easy solution. Giving the kids a ball instead of a shovel and pail may be all you need.

In some cases, though, the cause may require additional attention. Leaky pipes, for instance, should be repaired, and barricading or fencing the area from pests can help ensure your lawn remains level going forward.

Are Low Spots in a Yard a Problem?

A minor dip may not seem like a major issue. However, the problem may grow beyond aesthetics into something more significant.

Low spots in yards can cause trips, falls, and injuries. Pooling water can become a breeding ground for everything from bacteria to mosquitoes.

And eventually, the cause of the low spot may reach your foundation. At that point, you may encounter cracks in walls and flooded basements. 

So, a tiny divot may not end up being a big deal. But if it begins to grow or pool water, then it’s time to intervene.

How to Drain a Low Spot in Your Yard

If you’re dealing with repeated issues of pooling water in the low spots in your yard, you’re likely dealing with compacted soil. Compacted soil makes it difficult for water to drain, which causes it to collect.

To fix minor issues caused by compacted soil, dig up the grass, making sure to get its root system as you pull it up. Then let it sit an inch or two above the surrounding area and settle.

If things still aren’t quite even, you can use the topsoil mix mentioned in the next section to help make it level.

For larger areas affected by compacted soil, dig up small patches half an inch across but three to four inches deep and four to six inches apart. Then use a topsoil mix to even out the low spots. 

How to Fix a Low Spot in Your Yard That Collects Water

Fixing a low spot in your yard is a multi-step process. It’s not a particularly difficult one, but you may need at least the afternoon to finish the project.

Again, spring is the ideal time to do this, as your grass will go through its growing period and better adjust to its newly even life. 

Mow Your Lawn

The first step is to mow your lawn. The goal is to cut it short enough to better identify the full scope of the low spot without exposing grass stems to the sun.

Dethatch As Necessary

This process should allow you to see the thatch beneath the grass. Thatch is a layer of organic material that sits on the soil.

Ideally, the thatch layer should only be less than half an inch thick. Any thicker than that, and your grass won’t receive the water and air it needs to grow and thrive.

If your thatch layer is thicker than half an inch, you’ll need to remove it. A thatch rake will help over small patches, but you’ll likely need a dethatcher if the issue is over a larger area. 

(Local hardware or home improvement stores likely have detachers available to rent if you’d prefer not to purchase one.)

Mix Your Fill-In Material

Once you better understand exactly how big that low spot in your yard is, you can create your fill-in mix.

This top-dressing mix should be composed of two parts topsoil, two parts sand, and one part compost. Each ingredient plays an essential role in fixing the low spot in your yard.

The sand adds structure and stability as it’s harder to compact. The topsoil and compost add the needed nutrients to keep your grass healthy and growing.

Remove the Grass in the Low Spot

If your low spot is only an inch or two deep, ignore it for now. You’ll only want to remove the grass of any spot deeper than two inches.

Using a shovel, dig up the area of the sunken spot. Place the shovel’s blade a the low spot’s perimeter and push it about two to three inches.

The goal is to get below the roots of the grass to damage them. Then pull up the grass to see the dirt beneath.

Fill in the Hole With Your Soil Mix

When the dirt is exposed, add enough of your mix to fill in the low spot. Leave enough room so that when you place your removed grass back on top, it will be even with the surrounding area.

Spread Your Soil Mixture Over the Rest of Your Lawn

To even out areas where the low spots don’t quite reach two inches deep, spread your soil mix on top of the grass. Even if you think things aren’t even, try to keep this layer to less than half an inch.

When spreading across areas that are more or less even, you’ll need less soil mixture. In shallower areas, a quarter of an inch of mix may be all you need. 

If you add any more, you could damage your grass by preventing air and moisture penetration. Use the back of a bow rake to level out the soil mixture.

Water Your Lawn

The final step, hopefully, is to thoroughly water your yard. Water will help even out your soil mix and give your grass the boost it needs to absorb the additional nutrients.

Reapply as Needed

As spring showers bring more water to your yard, you may notice that things aren’t quite as even as you thought after your first application. If that’s the case, wait until your grass begins growing again, or you can no longer see the first application of your soil mix.

Then reapply the soil mixture by following the previous two steps again. While not likely, a third application may help if you still notice low spots in your yard.

However, any additional applications in such a short period may indicate a more significant issue is at hand.

Fixing Low Spots In Your Yard Keeps Things Healthy

A low spot in your yard may not seem like a major concern at first. However, it’s better to tackle the problem when it’s small before it requires additional time and money to fix.

For even more tips, tricks, and advice on keeping your lawn healthy and thriving, check out some of our favorite articles.