by Kathleen Couch

Created on: August 03, 2010

If the ground slopes is the soil draining well?  Does loamy soil always drain right?  How can I make an area that has standing water drain faster?  You will learn in this article the difference of surface drainage, and soil drainage.  Why loamy soil may not drain properly and how to make any soil drain efficiently.

Often people will get confused with good surface drainage, in the case of a slope, and whether the soil drains well.  On a slope the surface water may run off quickly.  But the soil drainage on a slope is usually poor.  If you have a sandy soil, the soil drainage may be too rapid.  If you have clay soil, the soil drainage is generally very slow.  Both conditions may cause the plants roots to not get the water and nutrients they need.

A loamy soil is by far the best type soil.  It has neither too much clay, nor too much sand.  The type of soil is generally dictated by where you live.  Loamy soil can get compacted by walking on it or running vehicles or machinery on it.  That causes it to compact, and become a drainage problem.

“To find out how efficiently your soil drains, there is a simple test.  Dig a hole with your garden shovel, about one foot deep.  Pour water in it until it is full.  Then let the water completely drain.  Then immediately fill the hole again.  Measure the depth of the water with a ruler.  Than 15 minutes later, measure again.  Take the number of inches it has drained and measure it by 4.  This number tells you how fast the water drains in an hour.  If it is under 1, it is very poor draining soil.  Above 6, and it drains too quickly.” Source: Cornell University Department of Agriculture

Any area soil can have poor drainage but it is probably most obvious in heavy clay soil.  If you have heavy clay soil and an area of standing water it is very noticeable.  But even that area can have better soil drainage.  Surface drainage may first be needed.  This can be accomplished by installing a French drain in the area of where the standing water is, to drain it off.  Also raising the soil level can help.

The fall is the best time to prepare the soil for good drainage.  The use of compost such as fallen leaves, some grass clippings, newspaper (black and white ink only), and vegetable scraps will help.  A purchased soil conditioner is good to use.  Soil conditioner has a good balance of what is needed to make the soil lighter.  For every 10 square feet of garden soil, use 2 cu. feet of soil conditioner.  Plan to mix compost and soil conditioner into the first 8 inches of you soil.  Mixing can be done with a shovel, or small tiller.  Another thing that can be done, but is usually overlooked is to plant a cover crop of clover, rye grass or something similar.  The cove crop helps add nutrients to the soil, and in the spring it is tilled under, making the soil drain faster.

Don’t wait until it is time to plant.  Improve the drainage of the soil this fall, for a bountiful garden next spring.  You will be surprised at the results you get by helping the soil drain efficiently.

Sources:

http://www.walterreeves.com

http://www.gardening.cornell.edu

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