11
votes
Clay filled lawn with bad drainage, needs solution
This sounds like a lot of work. The picture you show of the backyard looks nicer than some other lawns I have seen where people have a maintenance firm do the fertilizing and cutting.
Just some ...
- 58.8k
9
votes
What's the best way to remove grass/topsoil to prepare for grading?
It depends on whether you want to keep the sod or no and if the ground is already pretty flat. I haven't used a sod cutter, but I think the ground has to be fairly level. I don't think it works well ...
- 5,102
8
votes
Clay filled lawn with bad drainage, needs solution
You will want 3-4" diameter perforated pipes in the stone layer (also sloped 1"/10ft), and you will probably also want filter fabric on both sides of the stone layer, or it will become a layer of clay ...
- 23.2k
8
votes
Accepted
Can drained water from potted plants be used again to water another house plant?
Well, the correct way to conserve water is to watch your water, and make sure you don't have excess drainage. This of course takes time and experience. Till then, use measuring cups, or watering jugs ...
- 3,596
8
votes
Can drained water from potted plants be used again to water another house plant?
I haven't found any good reference sources, so this is just my personal experience. It ended up being too long for a comment, so I hope it's appropriate as an answer.
I do this frequently, with both ...
7
votes
How do I channel heavy water runoff on my sloped desert land?
If you're living in desert country, you should be aiming to capture as much rainwater as possible, and prevent it from leaving your property if you can. If the property is sloping, you need to build ...
- 23.1k
7
votes
Accepted
Would holes in the sides of plastic pots impove drainage and aeration?
No, don't bother, it absolutely is not necessary and not a good idea either. Just use the pots as they are - the fact that a little free water is sitting in the bottom of the empty pot in your image ...
- 132k
7
votes
How can I improve drainage in a rainy area lawn with little manual labour?
There are different reasons why your ground could be so wet, I don't know the situation in Ireland, but here in the Netherlands we can have boggy ground as well.
Different reasons are:
High ...
- 13.1k
6
votes
What are these long, mostly translucent worms in my potted trees?
I'm not sure about the specific species, but they appear to be worms from the family Enchytraeidae (commonly known as potworms). They are not earthworms, but similar. They feed on/live in decayed ...
- 51.8k
6
votes
How low should the surface water table be in order to be considered well draining?
Not remotely related. The level of the water table has nothing to do with how well the soil drains.
High water table can be in clay that doesn't drain very well at all, or in a gravel pit that drains ...
- 23.2k
5
votes
Accepted
How much drainage is considered "well draining" for a bed that doesn't fully drain?
This is the same problem as a potted plant with the same best practices:
do not add a layer of gravel, crushed brick or sand at the bottom. This does not improve drainage but just creates a perched ...
- 58.8k
5
votes
Accepted
What soil mixture should I use for my office Schefflera?
I agree with Bamboo in their previous answer that this is a Scheffelera 'Amate'. A trade marked cultivar that can be identified by the glossier leaves in a lighter green than the species and ...
- 58.8k
5
votes
Drainage in planter boxes
Any wood will rot when in contact with moisture. It's just a question of how long. As a DIY project if you are happy with it lasting a few years then what you have is fine.
There are those among us ...
- 58.8k
5
votes
Why should you usually not place pebbles, rocks etc at the bottom of a container?
I'm not going to answer the entire question, but I am going to make a case for the one time it is useful to use curved pieces of broken terracotta pot, since you mention broken clay pots. Many ...
- 132k
5
votes
Accepted
Are there species that thrive in non-draining pots?
No, is the short answer. Whilst some plants will grow in waterlogged soil quite happily in open ground, such as in a bog garden, soil in a non draining or waterlogged pot can become hypoxic/anoxic and ...
- 132k
5
votes
Are there species that thrive in non-draining pots?
Typically a non-draining pot is used for growing succulents (especially cactus.) The idea is to water infrequently (once a month or longer) and completely soak the soil. This mimics the natural ...
- 378
5
votes
Accepted
Holding water and good drainage contradiction?
It seems a contradiction, but if you look more in deep, there is a reason:
A soil with a lot of clay (so finer grains of soil) is a concrete like structure: water and clay paste together: there is a ...
- 14.2k
5
votes
Accepted
Making boggy ground less boggy and planting trees
I have been researching some stuff for my own garden and came across these two links which might be of use to you (I am certainly going to try some of there methods):
Landscaping Ideas for Boggy ...
- 736
5
votes
Accepted
Plants that absorb carbon monooxide and other drainage gases
If you were trying to use plants to mediate this you would need to approach it at some other point. No plant in the hole or around it will "absorb" gases to reduce the ppm below detectable ...
- 278
4
votes
Drainage in planter boxes
The problem with that design is that all raised beds have a problem with drying out readily. This design doesn't allow for much tolerance to keep water in the box, but only prevents over watering. So ...
- 23.1k
4
votes
What soil mixture should I use for my office Schefflera?
I'd add to Kevinsky's answer, with which I entirely agree - if possible, do not use a self watering pot. I've never yet seen a plant in one of those long term that continues to do well, they almost ...
- 132k
4
votes
Tree roots in storm drain
Listen, if roots are infiltrating, you least expensive solution is to dig it out, retrench, and put in a new drain. You may also wish to trim back the roots, and make a wider trench with heavier ...
- 6,356
4
votes
Clay filled lawn with bad drainage, needs solution
If your looking to make sure the grass actually performs well, you should be sure to amend the soil with a decent amount of compost. I'd recommend at least 1 inch, but if it was me and I was making ...
- 41
4
votes
French Drain Below or Above Retaining Wall?
If you compare the cost of perforated drain pipe with sleeve and the possibilities of water damage then more drain pipe is better. I am a big fan of four inch perforated drain pipe with sleeve as a ...
- 58.8k
4
votes
Accepted
How to reclaim my backyard that has turned into a swamp?
Most yards with this slope would drain better. It must rain an awful lot and your soil must be very high in clay. Nothing wrong with clay but this shows just how powerful water surface tension can ...
- 40.2k
4
votes
Accepted
New topsoil has puddles on it
I thought you were probably in the UK... First, let's just establish that we've had a fair bit of rain in the last few days with these storm conditions, so that might account for puddles for an hour ...
- 132k
3
votes
Accepted
What exactly is garden soil, and why shouldn't it be used for potted plants?
I don't know how I managed to post an answer twice...
Many people do use garden soil in their pots - but it's a risk. Bacteria, pathogens, fungi and other bio diverse life forms in open ground may ...
- 132k
3
votes
How can the "soils" be improved on coral atolls.
Normally, atoll sandy sand is seriously deficiency in 3 mineral, iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn). These 3 mineral is the most wanted. Chemical fertilizer is the best way, buy these 3 mineral ...
- 31
3
votes
Accepted
How many air holes for 100gal vermicomposter?
About the sides, .25" every 6 inches would indeed be adequate. I'd personally go with 1/2", but a 6" grid sounds great. The pvc idea could work, if they are cleaned regularly. I'd suggest using at ...
- 51.8k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible