To give plants the best chance of flourishing it is important that they are given the best growing conditions to achieve this. Soil assessment is therefore essential to ensure suitable planting is selected and any soil texture or drainage amendments be undertaken.
Topsoil and subsoil are the two layers that make up a garden's soil. Topsoil is where plants will grow and where texture can be altered if required.
There are three types of soil - clay, sand and silt. In an ideal world, a garden would hold a mixture of these to establish a loamy soil consisting of 20% clay, 40% silt and 40% sand and organic matter. Plants also require water and air, so the soil should also retain a 50% soil mix, 25% water and 25% air space.
Heavy clay soil can be greatly improved by digging in a 3 to 4-inch layer of gritty sand as well as adding well-rotted compost/farmyard manure to open up the soil.
Overly sandy soils find it difficult to retain water and nutrients, so forking in a 3 to 4-inch layer of well-rotted compost/farmyard manure as deep as possible will help to improve this.
If the soil texture is relatively good, the double dig method is an effective method to enhance the bed. This technique involves moving topsoil in sections and mixing through organic material into lower levels. See diagram below.
Raised beds are another solution to enable successful soil management as all the soil can be brought in and layered in as required. To prevent raised beds from shifting under the pressure of water-filled soil a perforated drainpipe is often adopted to run excess water out of the bed.
Drainage is also super important in the rest of the garden when encouraging healthy plant growth.
If soil retains too much water (indicative of clay soil that drains and heats up slowly) then plant roots can suffocate and stunt growth. In addition to amending soil texture, additional drainage may be required.
French drains are particularly useful where dense or compacted soil layers slow water drainage. Excess water is collected in a sunken ditch filled with washed drainage stones. It is held here until it is able to percolate back into the soil. In some cases, a series of French drains may be required to effectively drain the area.
Dry wells, similar to French drains, may also be employed to assist with drainage. These are also sunken stone-filled voids, but involve water being piped to them from problem areas. Catch basins may also be used to gather debris and allow pipe water to run freely.
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