As we entered 2024 with New Year’s parties and festivities, mother nature decided to bring precipitation in the forms of rain, snow, and mostly freezing rain for much of Salem and surrounding areas. One of the storms left much of the Willamette Valley covered in snow and ice for almost a week. Once the freezing temperatures ended the weather did not and we received heavy rainfall that helped melt the ice that covered everything. This mix does not work well for most property owners as the ground cannot absorb all the water. This leaves our yards and landscapes with standing water and our streams on the brink of flooding.
The good news is that there are pre-emptive steps that homeowners can do to help move that water away from their yards and homes. One of those steps can be installation of proper drainage systems properties which can divert and route excess water to a new location, but do not forget about the gutters on your home. Gutters that become clogged and overflow into your yard can erode topsoil or even flood your basement/crawl space of your home. Another thing that homeowners can do is look at your soil. Some of the soil in Salem is tough clay soil, which is difficult for the ground to absorb water. If you find that you have that clay soil you can rent a self-propelled lawn aerator, a rolling lawn aerator, or a manual lawn coring aerator. Each of these devices remove small plugs of soil to allow sand or other soil to be introduced to your lawn and this process should be done every other year. If you are not up to these tasks you can always call Green Acres Landscape for a free estimate for any of these services.
You put a lot of time and effort into your yard and garden; why not be better prepared for Oregon’s unpredictable winter weather so you can enjoy our beautiful spring and summer weather in your amazing outdoor spaces. Let us help you with your drainage questions or projects; you can contact Green Acres Landscape at 503-399-8066 or www.greenacreslandscapeinc.com to schedule your free estimate.