Well Water Logged at www.japanese-home-gardens.com

GRASS will not grow well water logged in waterlogged soil. Its roots need air as well water logged as moisture. The ideal is a film of water surrounding each soil particle and air in the spaces between. It is as though you dipped a bunch of grapes in oil or molasses, lifted it out and held it to drain. Around each grape a film of the liquid clings, even after draining, but there are considerable air spaces between the individual grapes. Except in swamps and bogs where free-standing water is at (or close to) the surface, this is the condition that normally exists in the upper soil. But if you dig down deep enough you will, unless you hit bed-rock first, come to a level below which the spaces between the soil particles are filled with water. The top of this free standing water—its surface, is the water table. Holes you dig fill with water to this level.

In the event that your soil is waterlogged, if free water stands in the test holes closer than a foot to the surface for any lengthy period, it needs draining. Before you decide to install Tile drains check to see what holds the -water. It may be only a shallow impervious layer. In this case you should be able to relieve the trouble by busting through it with a subsoil plow or by spading deeply, provided, of course, that the soil beneath the impervious layer is porous. If the water-holding layer is too thick to break through, then an installed drainage system, provided you can find a suitable outlet, is the answer.

The type of vegetation already growing in a plot is often a good indicator of the nature of the soil. If gardens are lush with rhododendrons and azaleas in the spring and there is an abundance of heathers throughout the year, it is certain that the soil is acid. On the other hand, if the surrounding country supports a large population of plants that enjoy alkaline conditions, the soil is definitely chalky. The point to bear in mind is that some plants are lime-haters while others cannot thrive in acid soils. If you are starting a garden from scratch it is a good idea to buy an inexpensive soil-testing kit. Test the soil in several places all over the garden: it is possible that it will prove to be acid in one spot and alkaline at a point only a few yards away. A preponderance of marsh plants among the wild flora will give a good indication of water-logged soil. If the whole plot shows Signs of being wet, the ground will need to be drained. Such a spot in only one part of the site, however, provides the opportunity to have a marsh garden or a natural pool as a special feature. Also take note of any particular places where the soil appears to be exceptionally dry, so that planting can be carried out accordingly.