Questions tagged [drainage]
Ability for water to drain through soil. Use this with questions about what techniques, tools, materials to use to increase or decrease drainage of the soil or other planting medium.
141 questions
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How do I channel heavy water runoff on my sloped desert land?
I live on a sloped lot in desert country. There is little vegetation on the lot - bushes and small trees. When it rains there is 99% runoff. I want to channel the water so that it does not eat away ...
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Clay filled lawn with bad drainage, needs solution
We just bought 28 acres of land with a 30 year old existing house in the center on about 1 acre cleared, the rest is completely tree filled.
There is a natural slope only a few degrees heading from ...
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Tree roots in storm drain
A 12" square catch basin collects water from my driveway and transports it under the lawn to adjacent stream about 150 ft away via 4" corrugated buried pipe. They used corrugated covered w/stone (vs ...
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Raised bed on concrete that is sloping the wrong way and thus there will be a drainage problem
I am planning on putting raised beds on a concrete pad. However the concrete slab is sloped so the runoff will end up in the wrong area.
Does anyone know how to put a bottom on a raised bed that ...
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What's the best way to remove grass/topsoil to prepare for grading?
I want to remove about 250 square feet of grass/topsoil and then lightly grade for drainage below a future deck.
Should I:
Man up with a spade & a rake?
Rent a sod cutter & go deep?
Use ...
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Drainage in planter boxes
I have to build some 6' x 2' planter boxes, I'm not sure what's going to be planted in them; probably "garden-y" stuff like oregano, basil, etc.
I know how to build things but I know nothing about ...
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What are these long, mostly translucent worms in my potted trees?
I buy, re-pot and take care of Norfolk Island Pine trees in my office. They're mostly decorated and displayed around Christmas time, but I take care of them year round and sometimes decorate them for ...
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What soil mixture should I use for my office Schefflera?
I'm on here again, asking more questions about my office's Schefflera that I'm in charge of. You can find pictures and a previous question here:
Whats the next step to improving my schefflera?
I ...
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Advice on potted heathers please!
I don't have a garden, but I have taken to having window boxes with some wild flowers from seed and keeping herbs, which is working out great so far. However, recently I bought heathers, a range inc. ...
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How many air holes for 100gal vermicomposter?
I'm fixing to start my vermicomposter. I'm using a damage 100gal Rubbermaid horse water tank.
I'd like to know how many and of what sized hole to drill in the side for air. I figured maybe use a .25&...
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How deep should the soil be above a new retaining wall to allow shrubs to grow?
We have recently needed to build a retaining wall to prevent the garden sloping off into our neighbor's garden at the rear. We had to back-fill the gap created in building the wall with rubble and ...
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Underbed for raised garden
We have a drainage / flooding problem where lots of water passes through our garden, from the higher house on our right to the lower house on our left.
I want to put in a raised garden, which has a "...
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Reduce water in saturated backyard
I've noticed that maybe two days after heavy rainfall that my small 500sqf back yard is still saturated with water to the point where I get mud on my shoes just walking back there. I have low cut ...
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What "gotchas" should I avoid when building a raised garden?
I am planning on constructing a 2-tier outdoor raised vegetable garden. I'd like to avoid any "gotchas". I live in the US Pacific Northwest, so three non-summer seasons a year are moist. My plan is:...
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Most effective way to fix a poor drainage easement? [duplicate]
I just bought a house a couple of months ago, and like many suburban lots, the property has a drainage easement that runs along the sides. One side has a stone culvert pipe that moves water away from ...
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How can I add drainage to an area with shrubs already there?
I have 12 sweet viburnums (Viburnum odortatissimum) in a row as a future privacy hedge. I had to replace 2 of them just recently because they suffocated from sitting water when I had heavy rain at the ...
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Is drainage needed for a new lawn on compacted clay?
I am in the process of creating a lawn at the back of my house. The previous owner had paved and stoned the area. The size is about 30ft by 40ft, it is raised from the level of the house by about 2ft, ...
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How to completely rid my potting soil/container of fungi which seems to continually attack my plants
So, after so many dead plant and ruts, I have come to realize that for some reason, my plants seem to contract some fungal issue most every week. I am not exactly sure why but I have had to pluck up ...
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How Many Holes Do I need to Make at the Bottom of a Plastic Planting Box?
I'm planning some bulbs in a few planting boxes that are 40cm long. There's a note at the bottom, saying: "Drill holes if required."
I've made 6 holes from the possible designated places, but ...
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How can I drain water from a low spot in my garden when I have no lower spot to drain to?
I have a low spot in the back of my yard that pools excessive water after a rain. The only lower spot than that is my neighbor's yard (there is a brief upslope between my yard and his) so I cannot ...
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How can I water the plants on my balcony without dripping water on my downstairs neighbor?
I live in an apartment with a balcony and I'm having issues figuring out the best way to handle my drainage. I have a neighbor below me and don't want any water dripping down on her patio.
Are there ...
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Can I drill drainage holes on the side of the container?
This is a cross-section of a container. Most containers have a drainage hole on the bottom. I've marked that hole with an asterisk.
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The problem with ...
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How to get proper drainage in a pot with a built-in saucer?
I bought a 16'' wide plastic pot with a built-in saucer. The saucer is removable. On the inside of the pot, there are 4 holes where the saucer connects with the pot and 4 other tiny holes that appear ...
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Can you have too much drainage in a garden?
I plan on using some of these drainage bricks to build a retaining wall.
The installation of the drainage bricks recommends that a drainage layer is used to route the water away from the base of the ...
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How to grow Trailing Rosemary as a ground cover in very heavy clay?
I want to cover a large area that is on a steep slope with ground cover. There is absolutely no soil at all, it's all pure clay: hard rock when dry and soft when wet.
I was thinking of putting a ...
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How can the "soils" be improved on coral atolls.
My Parents are currently living on a small pacific coral atoll. Coral atolls, for the most part don't have much soil. Mostly they just have coral sands. These "soils" are very well drained (and they ...
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What should I consider when putting raised garden beds on concrete?
I have a bunch of raised garden bed frames, and I'm considering putting them on a slab of concrete that I have in my back yard. I wanted to avoid putting them on the grass, as when I've done this ...
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What is this black plastic-looking drain hole in my lawn?
I bought my house a few months ago and have noticed a long and narrow strip that is mostly bare of grass in my backyard. I have no idea why it is there, but recently I found what looks like a plastic ...
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Is drainage important in Greenhouse beds?
I just finished building my first greenhouse!
I built in beds on the shelves along the wall that can have up to 10 inches of soil. (I'm planning on putting 8 inches in.)
I lined the bottom of the beds ...
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proper drainage in aluminum foil dish, container
I have a bunch of aluminum foil dishes that are maybe 3" deep:
I'm going to fill with soil and put on the roof of my apartment building. How should I prepare the container? Specifically, how ...
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Can I grow herbs in a glass bottle with no drain holes?
I read this page, Mason Jar Wall Planter, and many people complained about the bottles not having drain holes, but many others said that simply adding some rocks at the bottom will fix it.
What do ...
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How do I make a wooden container fit for growing stuff in it?
I have bought a number of used wooden containers that I would like to grow Thuja trees and various vegetables in:
they are about 1 foot wide, 2 feet long, and 1 foot tall.
Being an amateur in these ...
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Can an evergreen fern be adapted for indoor use?
I was hoping to find a fern houseplant at the gardening store, but the next best thing I could find was a potted evergreen fern, Dryopteris Affinis Crispa.
I would have thought it's small size and ...
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What is a suitable slope for a lawn to drain water away from a house?
We're about to level our front yard. It will be partly sown with grass, and partly planted with trees & shrubs, though it may not be completely relevant to this question. What is a suitable slope ...
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How do I determine the proper way to drain a yard?
I have an issue with a small area of my lot collecting a couple inches of water pretty much any time it rains. It takes it a few days before the water finally evaporates or soaks into the yard.
I ...
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Can I use crushed stone instead of pea gravel for drainage?
In another question I was advised to use pea gravel for french drains.
Now, as it happens, a previous owner put down a lot of weed matting and covered it with perhaps 5cm of gravel. My best guess, ...
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How to create a living driveway resistant to heavy Canadian winters?
I want to create a living driveway. I saw a clip on TV the other night about 'rain gardens' that absorb run-off and help filter water into the aquifer as opposed to dumping it into storm drains. ...
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How do I improve drainage vertically through clayey soil?
I live on a hill where the soil has lots of clay. My back garden has been terraced with small (1m) retaining walls. The net result is that we have several lawns / gardens with the following ...
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How can I drain lawn with very little slope?
I have a depression on the side of my lawn where rain and sprinkler water collects. There used to be a plastic lined pond and a lot of rock (for the last 5-8 years) that I suspect blocked the water ...
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What should I do about standing water in potted plant?
I have a large (70L?) moulded plastic pot which is filled with topsoil, and has a freshly planted lilac bush in it. I had noticed this pot did not have drainage holes at the bottom, but had thought ...
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If I fix some drainage for my waterlogged pumpkin, will they revive?
I've been growing pumpkins in home made growbags (old cat litter bags filled with well rotted horse manure).
Obviously I have to remember to put plenty of holes in the base of the bags.
One pumpkin ...
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