If your garden looks arid or soggy, you must have to read about What is Well-Drained Soil + How to Create It.
While reading about plant growing requirements and shopping for plants in garden centers, you must have read about well-drained soil. Why is it so important for plant growth? What exactly does it mean? In this post, you will find the details of well-draining soil and how you can create it.
Read: Hydrophobic Soil: Causes and How to Fix It
What is Well-Drained Soil
Well-drained soil lets water pass through at a stable speed without forming puddles. It strikes a balance, neither draining too fast nor too slow. If the soil drains too quickly, plants might not absorb enough water and could wither. Conversely, if water pools around plants due to slow drainage, their oxygen intake decreases, risking plant health. Weak plants with inadequate watering are more prone to diseases and pests.
Compacted or clay soil holds too much water, keeping plant roots wet for too long. To fix this, either make the soil less dense or pick plants that like damp soil. Sandy soil lets water drain away too fast, leaving plant roots dry. You can improve sandy soil or pick plants that don’t mind dry conditions.
Features of Well-Drained Soil
In soil, there are small gaps between particles that hold oxygen and water, essential for plants to grow well. When it rains or you water your garden, these gaps fill with water. As the water moves down into the soil, air takes its place. This process is called soil drainage, and its speed is crucial for healthy plants.
How to Find If You Have Well-Drained Soil
To check your soil drainage, dig a hole around 12-18 inches wide and deep (it doesn’t need to be exact). Fill it with water and see how long it takes to drain completely. Refill it and observe how fast the water level drops. In well-draining soil, it should decrease by about an inch per hour. If it is slower or faster, there might be issues, but there are ways to improve drainage.
Creating a Well-Draining Soil
Before planting in your garden, it’s essential to test both the soil and its drainage. Compacted, clay or sandy soils can all be improved by adding organic materials. Simply adding sand to clay soil won’t help; it can actually worsen the problem. For areas with extreme drainage issues—either too wet or too dry—mix in organic materials such as:
- Peat moss
- Shredded bark
- Manure
- Compost
Healthy plants need nutrient-rich soil with proper drainage.
How to Deal with Drainage Differences
It’s crucial to recognize that soil drainage can vary across different areas of your yard. This diversity might result from topsoil removal during construction, compaction caused by heavy equipment, or natural landscape contours. If you have a spot in your yard where the soil remains wet for extended periods, the most effective approach could be choosing plants that flourish in soggy conditions. Likewise, if an area of your yard consistently stays dry regardless of rainfall or watering frequency, it’s ideal for planting drought-tolerant species.
If your yard experiences significant drainage issues, installing a drain tile might be necessary. This involves digging a trench roughly 18 inches deep, lining it with gravel, and placing a perforated pipe to redirect excess water away from the problem area. Cover the pipe with gravel to prevent soil from clogging it, then fill the trench with soil.
TIP: Please consider hiring a landscape professional for this project.