Testing Soil Drainage

Here’s how to find out what sort of drainage you have

In this video recording , Lee Reich , author ofWeedless GardeningandUncommon fruit for Every Garden , explain why knowing the drainage of an area of dirt is important for gardening .

drain is about how tight and how well water drain through the soil and is one of the most of import characteristic of the soil . Even if the soil is very fertile , plant are n’t run to be able to expend those nutrients if the drain is pitiful . There are two primary reasons why drainage can be hapless : ( 1 ) the water table in that surface area is too high , or ( 2 ) the dirt ’s the Great Compromiser content is high . remains stain is full of small particles that do n’t create much space between them for piss .

Reich then demonstrates an well-situated method acting for determining the drainage of an orbit of soil .

1 . Remove the top and bottom from a metal can.2 . Dig a hole and bury the can so that its top is about an column inch above the surface.3 . Fill the can with water and let it drain . Repeat , but this prison term take a swayer and measure the pace that the water debilitate out of the can .

If the water in the can drains out at least 1 column inch per minute , the drain is good . If it drains out less than 1 inch per time of day , the drain is piteous . you’re able to still plant in such an surface area , but you will need to either build a raised bed , install drain tile , or select plants that can subsist in territory with poor drainage .

If you resolve to institute in a raised seam , keep in judgment that it will dry out out more apace than the surrounding area . To mitigate this , you’re able to irrigate and/or use mulch to slow up evaporation .

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