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Question: The clay type soil in our front yard is always water-logged, what can we do to help get rid of the water and provide better drainage for the plants in our front yard? They always seem to have trouble growing from too much “wet.” JoLeen, Brentwood, Tennessee

Answer: JoLeen, soil may retain water beyond the point of safety for a number of plants because of:

• Its intrinsic character
• Hardpan or some other impervious condition just below the surface
• A grading condition that causes water from a higher level to accumulate

When poor porosity is caused by heavy, clayey soil, the remedy is to use plenty of soil conditioners, such as sand, peat moss, and lime, and to work them into the soil until a satisfactory consistency has been obtained.

The Hardpan Like Cement

Hardpan is a hardened or cemented layer of soil, which may occur at any depth below the surface. It presents a much more knotty problem than soil that is merely heavy, and the answer may be to grow mainly plants that don’t mind wet feet, or that are so shallow-rooted that they will not be troubled by poor drainage below the surface.

For plants that demand good drainage, treat isolated areas by breaking up the hardpan and getting a good depth of well-drained soil. Roses, for instance, must have good deep drainage, and if there is any doubt at all about the subsoil conditions in your garden, apply the rough and ready test for digging a hole about eighteen inches deep and filling it with water.

No two people agree on how quickly the hole should be empty. I would feel uneasy if it were not empty in an hour, but in hot dry areas slow drainage may be an advantage. The point is that for most plants the water must drain out. Even in gardens where the drainage is generally good, there may be isolated pockets of stagnation caused by a buried boulder or slab of stone, so it is really always wise to be on guard when planting fairly deep-rooted material that will be injured by excessive water.

Water Accumulation

The accumulation of water in a low-lying area often calls for subterranean drainage of some kind, and it is best to consult a local expert, or to get from the library or the State Agricultural Extension Service in your area information about the various methods of constructing sub-surface drainage systems. These are not necessarily complicated.

At the opposite end of the scale from water-logged soil is the condition in which water drains too freely. If this is due to the quality of the soil, work in water-holding materials. These are discussed in the chapter on soil.

In conclusion, don’t forget that there are plants for almost every kind of situation; if you don’t want to drain the bog, make a bog garden; and if you prefer not to recondition a patch of super-porosity, study the flora of the desert and the dunes. Whether you bend with the wind, or resist its direction, is partly up to you.

by N Grasby 62657