Achieving the best possible growth for your plants in your home landscape requires good soil. However, several factors can prevent plants from thriving in nutrient-rich, organic soil with balanced pH. One such issue is soil retaining excessive water. Over-watering, faulty irrigation systems, soil type, terrain, heavy rain, flooding, or a high water table can lead to waterlogged soil.
For example, high clay soils tend to have more drainage problems than sandy soils and can become compacted, restricting airflow and nutrient circulation. This article will discuss how to identify and fix oversaturated soil to improve the conditions for your plants.
Understanding Well-Drained Soil and Soil Drying Time
To address soggy soil, it’s essential to understand how water behaves in soil and how long it takes to dry. The following signs indicate a landscape without ideal drainage:
- Rapid water flow over-saturated soil, leading to erosion.
- Standing water after rain, signaling slow drainage.
- Plant leaves turn yellow and brown, indicating possible root suffocation and decline.
- Visible root decay, such as a leaning shrub with wet, shallow roots.
Texas A&M University Extension suggests digging a 12-inch deep and wide hole, filling it with water, and observing the drainage time to test your site’s drainage. Draining times and their implications are as follows:
- Less than 3 hours – excellent drainage, but may require drought-tolerant plants.
- 3 to 12 hours – adequate drainage, about one inch per hour.
- More than 12 hours – poor drainage, requiring soil correction or wet-condition-tolerant plants.
Addressing Soil Compaction and Drainage Issues
Compacted soil contributes to poor drainage, resulting from years of foot and mower traffic. This compaction restricts water and air movement around tree roots, potentially causing roots to die or fail to grow, ultimately leading to poor plant health and growth.
Ideal soil consists of approximately 50% solid materials and 50% pore space for air and water. Compacted soil has solid materials packed into larger pore spaces, slowing down water drainage and air movement. Poorly drained soils have most of this pore space filled with water for extended periods, leaving little room for airflow.
Excessive runoff, which occurs when rainwater runs off hard soil surfaces rather than absorbed, can erode your landscape or degrade garden soil. Alongside proper soil drainage, consider implementing rain gardens to collect and filter excess runoff, reducing water pollution.
Restoring Waterlogged Soil with Organic Matter
The best solution for restoring soil drainage is incorporating organic matter while breaking up the soil. Organic matter can be added to the surface (mulching) to improve surface infiltration or deep holes (vertical mulching) to enhance deep drainage. Adding humus, compost, peat moss, biochar, or other organic matter to the soil can create the necessary pore space, allow air to circulate, prevent clay particles from forming solid masses, release nutrients, and promote microorganism growth.
Selecting Suitable Plants for Wet Conditions
If your home landscape naturally has waterlogged soil, choose plants that adapt well to these conditions. Wet-area-friendly plants can absorb excess moisture, handle wetter roots, and continue to thrive.
Consider planting trees such as weeping willow (zones 6-8), white cedar (zones 4-8), and oriental arborvitae (zones 6-11), shrubs like red twig dogwood (zones 3-8), blue elderberry (zones 3-10), and American cranberry bush (zones 2-7), or plants such as daylilies (zones 3-11), Japanese iris (zones 4-9), and primrose (zones 3-8) in areas that tend to collect standing water or at the bottom of hills. These plants will help absorb excess water and add color and texture to otherwise bare spots in your landscape.
Achieving a Healthy Landscape with Proper Soil Drainage
Fixing oversaturated soil is crucial for your plant’s overall health and growth. Understanding the signs of poor drainage and addressing soil compaction issues can help you make the necessary adjustments.
Incorporating organic matter into your soil can improve drainage while choosing plants that thrive in wet conditions can further enhance your landscape’s appearance and vitality. By taking these steps, you can create a thriving, beautiful home landscape that showcases healthy, robust plants.