Ground Cover for Small Yard

Updated on March 16, 2012
K.P. asks from Carrollton, TX
6 answers

I have a very small (maybe 200sqft yard that is virtually unusable at the moment. We have been in this house for 3 years now and have yet to be able to do much of anything back there. I have a pretty large but totally uneven covered patio(not included in the 200sqft i said above). I want my kids to be able to play outside more and use the space but the ground is just dirt, doesnt drain well and attracts mosquitos in a major way every summer. I am looking at putting down some kind of ground cover to help prevent the standing water(which of course attracts the mosquitos) but grass will not grow because the yard gets very little sun do to a very large tree that overhangs from the neighbors yard. Any ideas on what i should put down to cover the dirt, even out the yard to prevent pooling of water, be soft enough for the kids to play on, and not be a lot of upkeep (it gets REALLY hot here in the summer so it needs to be able to survive that)

I am considering maybe wood chips of some kind liek they would use on a playground but dont know if that would help much with my other issues.

Any ideas yall have would be great.

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Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.B.

answers from Dallas on

WE installed a french drain for our standing water issue. We had to dig a trench from our back yard to the front. Put in the pipe, cover with gravel and rock and then cover back up with the dirt. We have neighbors that actually had to install a sump pump in their yard.

My experience with ground cover is that most need good drainage to do well.

A trick for the mosquitoes in the mean time....drop a bath bead in any standing water. The oil will help stop the mosquitoes. We dropped some in a neighbors yard who refused to do anything about the standing water, we got permission first. It helped cull the population.

There may be a lot of reasons for the standing water. It may be worth making an appointment with a landscaper to find out what can and needs to be done. You may find you can do quite a bit yourself. Hurry...with this crazy weather this season, those 100 degree days are right around the corner!

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B..

answers from Dallas on

First, you need to scale your yard. If water is pooling, it's got to be very uneven. Rent a tiller (or hire a company,) till and level your yard. If your yard is on some kind of incline that causes pooling, you could install a french drain, or some other drainage system. Once your yard is level and can drain, mulch would actually be fine. BUT, you HAVE to have a level yard and drainage, otherwise the mulch with retain the water. You can buy it by the truck load at many landscaping places. We use a place in Denton, here's the link: http://www.cityofdenton.com/index.aspx?page=1127

(There is a formula at the bottom of the page, to figure how much mulch you would need.)

1 mom found this helpful

T.N.

answers from Albany on

See if this is what your looking for.

http://www.rubberecycle.com/

Nice for the kids to play on.

:)

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

To avoid the pooling of water... I would think that you need to problem solve that, first. Meaning, thinking about some sort of drainage system.
Even if that means, creating a "swale" for the water to escape.
http://www.handymanhowto.com/2008/08/26/making-a-grassy-d...
That is what we have.
Or get a professional to do it.

Because, even if you lay down some wood chips there, or ground-cover, the water will STILL accumulate. And mosquitoes.

So, ultimately, you have to problem-solve the pooling of water, in your yard. Because, that is the problem.

Google search: "swale for drainage."

Then Google search: "ground cover for shady areas," or "hardy low maintenance ground covers."

After you have solved the problem of the pooling standing water in the yard, then you can solve what kind of ground covering to put in.

1 mom found this helpful

F.H.

answers from Phoenix on

If cost isn't an issue, check into the fake grass. My neighbors have it in their front and back yard and it looks real and is basically NO maintenance. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.S.

answers from Tyler on

I second some of the other options - put a french drain in to solve the draining water problem. You will be AMAZED at the difference. Our backyard pooled water and we put the French drain in and it was a dream.

I also like the idea of the fake turf. I have no idea how much it costs, but they use it on HGTV all the time and it looks awesome (when installed properly).

Good luck,
L.

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