Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

Well-drained soil is key to growing healthy plants in your yard or garden. If the soil is poorly drained, rain or irrigation water will collect on the soil surface. Plant roots can become submerged in water or even freeze in colder temperatures, damaging the roots or plants that will not flower. Use these methods to fix poor soil drainage.

Steps

1. 1 Mix organic matter with soil before planting. While plowing the soil, use a garden fork or other suitable tool to add solid or coarse organic matter to the topsoil. Sawdust, compost, sand or soil will all work.
2. 2 The addition of sand has a very limited effect, as clay predominates in the layers of fertile soil. The addition of gypsum (calcium sulfate) helps to bind the clay particles together, which allows better drainage because more micropores are formed. Take the soil for testing and look at the saturation of the base cations (Ca, Mg and K). The ratio of 3 parts Ca to 1 part Mg promotes the development of pores.
3. 3 If possible, exclude plowing the soil. Worms (large) can make pores that are very effective for moving water through the soil, but plowing will disturb those pores. It takes 4-5 years for these pores to fully recover.
4. 4 Spread the topsoil where the soil is lower than your normal planting area. This will help level the soil and improve drainage.
5. 5 Build a French drain to drain water away from plants or other places that collect water.
   • Dig a 1 1/2 feet (45 cm) trench.
   • Place 3-4 inches (7.5-10 cm) of gravel in the trench.
   • Position drainpipes over gravel to drain water.
   • Fill the trench with gravel from above. Make sure gravel covers the drain pipes as well. Water will ooze from the surface down through the gravel and into pipes that will divert water away from the plants.
6. 6 Create a dry well in your backyard or garden.
   • Dig a large hole where you want to improve drainage.
   • Fill the hole with pieces of brick, stone, and concrete. Water will pass well through them and slowly be absorbed by the surrounding soil.

Tips

• Fertilizer can perfectly group clay particles, improve drainage and structure of clay soil. When added as a mulching agent, it benefits from drier sandy soil, allowing it to retain moisture and nutrients.
• Know what type of soil you have in your yard or garden. The main types are wetter clay soil, drier sandy soil, or a combination of the first 2 soils. Since different soils can absorb different amounts of moisture, knowing the soil type can determine how much fertilizer you need to add in order to successfully improve drainage.
• If water will constantly collect in a certain area of ​​your yard or garden, try to water the plants less often.
• Organic matter, which can be added to the soil to improve soil looseness, allows plant roots, air and water to more easily enter the soil through open pores.

Warnings

• Adding too much sawdust, bark, or other high carbon organic matter to the soil can create a nitrogen deficiency. Use nitrogen fertilizers or manure to restore nitrogen balance and increase the rate of organic degradation.

What do you need

• Coarse or sandy organic matter
• Garden pitchfork
• Topsoil
• Shovel
• Gravel
• Drainage pipes
• Bricks
• Stones
• Pieces of concrete