Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Wet and soggy shore line problems

I have not been able to get grass to grow on the shoreline of my new pond. Prior to the winter we had initial growth but since the spring melt the area has stayed very wet and soggy. The pond is dug out and there is a lot of clay in the soil so there is very little seapage. I have a tremendous amount of water shed that feeds the pond. Does any one have ideas on how to get the shore area to drain off so that I can get a lawn area to grow?

i know nothing about your part of the country, but i will tell you what i did.in order to grass started fast i bought pallets of grass and laid the sod were the water line would be a full pool.not alot of fun when you have to put out 40 pallets of grass.

You may not wanna hear this, but why even plant grass? You could install flagstones, rock rip rap, or some other such medium instead. I assume you will be walking around the pond to fish it. Wouldn't that wear the grass down and leave bare spots? Why not just avoid that problem? Just my 2 cents worth! Good luck!

Grass around a pond is important in my area for filtering runoff and if it is left a little on the long side it helps uptake nutrients that would otherwise go into the water. Rip rap is fine for minnows to spawn in but it doesn't consume nutrient or filter water.

Did you leave topsoil around the pond or are you trying to grow grass in clay? I would recomend having the soil checked out by the local nursery.

We have a pretty good layer of topsoil around 1/3 of the pond. Lost it around the other 2/3 due to heavy rains. In that area it is mostly clay. Grass is not growing well in the top soil either. Not sure if it's the pH or the fact the soil is very wet or both.