Improve Drainage in the Garden and Containers

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If you struggle with heavy, clay or compacted soil, you may also deal with poor drainage in your landscape. In this video, I'll demonstrate some of the drainage characteristics of soil and potting mixes. I'll also provide some tips on how to improve the drainage in your pots, containers and garden.
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Photo credits:
French Drain of Bunter pebbles, photo by Robin Stott used without changes under the Creative Commons ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license
Children’s Book of Gardening, photo from National Library NZ on The Commons used without changes under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
Photo of plant roots with Striga plant connected, photo USDA APHIS PPQ Archive used without changes under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license
Fodder radish crop in Drewton Dale, photo by Chris Morgan used without changes under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license
North Caroline Red clay soil, photo by Dr. David Lindbo of the Department of Soil Science at NC State University used without changes under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
Flooded Field, near Stockton, photo by Stephen McKay used without changes under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license
Garden Tilled, photo by Maggie McCain used without changes under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license
The Crewe and Nantwich Circular Walk, photo by Jonathan Hutchins used without changes under the Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license
Drainage ditch, photo by Richard Dorrell used without changes under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license
High Raised Beds, photo by the Local Food Initiative used without changes under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

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Опубликовано:

15 ноя 2019

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Комментарии : 86

@Gcat-ln6ok 3 года назад

Every time I decide to Google whether rocks at the bottom help with drainage, I end up getting frustrated with how complicated the explanation is. But your explanation made it click for me. This is the right level of detail for an inquisitive layperson like me. Not too vague but not too technical either, and with excellent demonstrations. Thank you for this!

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 3 года назад

My pleasure - I'm so glad you found it useful

@alexlindekugel8727 2 года назад

more rock more holding. and faster drain.

@gretchenbell9340 3 года назад

OMG!!! Finally!!! Thank you SO much! This is EXACTLY what I needed! I was so sick and tired of all of these generalized instructions that make no sense! Knowing the "root" of the cause makes it ALL so much easier! Thank you!

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 3 года назад

So happy you found it useful

@matthewsalvador9783 3 года назад

💯 agree... I’ve been doing my garden all wrong thanks for the video

@celiahmance 4 года назад

Thank you for taking the time to share your garden experiences. I am retired and I enjoy continuing to learn.

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 4 года назад

My pleasure. Thanks for your kind comment Celia!

@nelidascott6917 3 года назад

This is such an informative post ! Thank you so much. Just what I needed ! 💥 🙌🏼

@Dee_Cee227 4 года назад

Jason you’re my hero. What an amazing educational video with scientific backing!!! all you tubers should emulate you

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 4 года назад

I so appreciate the feedback! Thanks angel_wings

@Dee_Cee227 4 года назад

I promise one day I’ll make the trip to shake hands with you. It’ll be my honor. Will email you when I am in the area

@dubs3400 4 года назад

Jason. I want you to know that I have had great success rooting both rose cuttings and hydrangea cuttings using your daily misting technique. I also made several cuttings of Oakleaf hydrangeas, using hardened wood. They are slow to show much growth, but are still alive and I get resistance when I attempt to lift them from the medium. Thanks for all your great videos.

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 4 года назад

Thanks Warren - so nice to hear! Oakleaf hydrangea is definitely on the slow side (for me).

@jenniewilliamsmural 3 года назад

Yay! Thanks Jason and appreciate your understanding of soil structure and container planting. You've reversed a couple of my concepts today. Its gonna be hard for me to change my container filling habit! Yours Jennie

@MariaPetrovaNYC Год назад

Wow, really grateful - I was about to do all the wrong things!

@TheCoyotemonster 4 года назад

This video blew my mind. Thank you so much!

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 4 года назад

My pleasure. Thanks for watching!

@yadaahmed2392 4 года назад

Thank you Jason very informative video.

@cgj3888 4 года назад

One well worth retaining and viewing again while trying to Improve my waterlogged clay lawn Nice one Thanks SMILES👍🇬🇧

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 4 года назад

Thanks C Gj.

@Castlefair01 4 года назад

Wow, that was a great demonstration. Thank you so much!!

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 4 года назад

So glad to help. Thanks Amal

@proletariatsgarden 2 года назад

Thank you so much about the knowledge on drainage layer in containers. I just realised I have been wrong for so many years….. and I kept telling people how important the drainage layer is. LOL. This is so embarrassing. 😫😫

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 2 года назад

Nothing to be embarrassed about - it's not an obvious thing when so many books and articles are still recommending gravel or broken pots as a base layer.

@proletariatsgarden 2 года назад

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm is there a scholar paper to support this? I agree with you but I want to get deeper into that topic, thanks!

@proletariatsgarden 2 года назад

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm no worries! I found plenty of papers to support this. Thank you very much!

@AnkicaDujakovic 2 года назад

This was so helpful,thank you!♥️

@harreetteB477 4 года назад

Very interesting, educational video! Thank you for for all the comparisons, very helpful!

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 4 года назад

So happy I could help!

@seshadrishankar6827 2 года назад

Very nice and clear experiments.. avoids the debates 🙂One additional thing to consider is to make plug holes and drop earthworms in them and cover with mulch. Over a period they land up naturally aerating and loosening the soil besides fertilizing them of course.

@gadielgomez2709 Год назад

This was a great video.

@SpergleberryFarm 4 года назад

Corn is a good, strong, tap root that will break up soil pans (like clay layers). If you start out, it might be stunted because of a shallow hard soil area, but lop them off, leave the roots in the ground to rot and just keep planting the area in with corn until they've managed to break it up like you'd like. Most corns are heavy feeders, so you want something like a legume to put back what the corn is taking out and corn can be grown for only part of the season, leaving the area open for the rest. You can do interesting things like "three sisters" to get more productivity and balance the effect on the soil. Or, you can use the corn stalk as a trellis for peas as the legume. But, the goal is to leave the roots in the earth to rot, as in, don't till the area. In winter, you can cover in cardboard to attract worms in to do your tilling of the first 6 - 8 inches for you.

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 4 года назад

Thanks. So helpful!

@garyolsen6299 Год назад

Thank you, so great an explanation

@bruce-le-smith 3 года назад

exactly what I needed, such a great channel, thank you

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 3 года назад

My pleasure. Thanks for watching Bruce

@tham1465 2 года назад

thanks very much for your help

@collywogs2258 2 месяца назад

HOLY CRAP!!! In a good way😊

@nancyokyere3460 2 года назад

Thank you 😍

@wolfsangeleyes 3 года назад

Very helpful and informative video. Especially the computer animation was helpful.

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 3 года назад

Thanks so much. I'll try not to let on how much time that took me!

@smhollanshead 3 года назад

Two solutions: Plants up and/or water down. As to plants up, consider raised beds or rows. As to water down, your French drain suggestion is a good solution. Dealing with low ground with no drainage is a challenge for gardening. Straw bale gardening is a creative solution to the problem.

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 3 года назад

I like that: plants up or water down!

@portiaholliday8741 4 года назад

I have spent seasons tearing cardboard and planting it to amend my clay soil. I usually throw coffee grounds a top. I have been able to mix rabbit manure in too! As you know I love the world of cover crops. My radish made such large tubers this time bc I planted them early enough! One year I planted them too late and all I got was radish leaves. I keep a monthly calendar in Pages of my Macbook Pro. My soil is clay but I used to constantly plant into it to improve it. I prefer Oats to Cereal Rye. Oats only get knee high and they winterkill! Cereal Rye gets tall and it takes too long into the spring/summer season to drop its hard seed. I have lots of clover growing around the garden. Both Dutch White and Medium Red Clover look terrible, dirty, when they go to seed. They look like a white rose that has been rained on. I grow a lot of Buckwheat in the summer. It drops its hard seed and returns. I enjoy growing Hairy Vetch up a fence and the Bumblebees love it. As you can see it is easy to fall in love with cover crops. Sunn Hemp was a new one for me this year. It is a legume like Hairy Vetch. It must be grown behind a fence bc the deer eat the tops. It produces beautiful deep yellow flowers if you can grow it behind a fence. I was really pleased with Barley over and above Sudex or Millet. Barley grew the tallest and strongest in my garden. I will grow a lot of it in 2020. Mike McGraph of the "You Bet Your Garden Podcast" agrees with Jason to NOT amend your planting hole. He likens it with children going off to college. They must learn to exist in this tough cruel world:-)

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 4 года назад

Thanks Portia. I missed my cover crop "window" this year, but it worked out okay since we're reallocating the field to make a new rose garden. Always great to hear what's working for you. Do you till the cover crops in after, or just flatten and plant through?

@portiaholliday8741 4 года назад

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Why are you relocating your rose garden? I don't till. I just grow the cover crop and let them go to seed. This way I always have them growing in the same spot and I don't have to repurchase seed. My Alfalfa is growing in rows. I dug some up this summer and I also dug up a weed, Cassia:-( I let it grow bc the Monarchs wander off of the Milkweed plant when they are ready to hang. I thought it would be a nice support. I grew into a small tree:-( Yesterday I was digging it up and I snapped my "Lifetime guaranteed" long handled pointed Sneeboer shovel. They are charging me $25 for a replacement, smh. As it turns out the wood is NOT "lifetime guaranteed". I am having the fortune of replacing it at Xmas time and they engrave the tool for free at this time. It snapped like a matchstick:-) I do love Sneeboer tool and I'm finding out a lot more about them:-) It is easy to miss the cover crop planting window. This is another reason why perennial Alfalfa is nice and the dropped hard seeds return. There was no chance to get Sunn Hemp seeds bc frost came too soon:-( The radish tubers look so cool. Just like magic (4) nights under 25 degrees will shrivel them. I planted many among my Kordes roses. As you know I was so late getting my Weeks roses planted there was not time to surround them with radishes. Radish also drop a hard seed and return but not as plentiful as Buckwheat and Hairy Vetch. The deer don't bother the Brussels so I plan to plant a lot of them in 2020.

@Annairea 4 года назад

I’m so glad I found this video in time! I’m planning on planting some lavender in my yard, which likes good drainage, and I figure my soil is actually fine for English lavender as it’s suited to the climate here, but I just wanted to give it a little boost by putting some sand or rocks down... I’m glad I haven’t bought any yet, or it would have backfired! Thanks so much xx

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 4 года назад

Thanks DahliaDear - I'll be working on a lavender garden this year too. Seedlings are on the go! Best of luck

@articmars1 2 года назад

Has anyone tried Hugel kulture to help with drainage? I know most people think of it as a way to retain water but using that ability will kinda act like a drain but it will the store the water until needed plus actually raise the area naturally with out disturbing the soil. Not to mention its great for feeding plants for free 😊

@heatherstephens9295 4 года назад

👍👍

@jccuchvjvj 3 года назад

Maybe mix of clay pebbles with soil at bottom is the solution. What do you think?

@gutersteinker 3 года назад

Double digging, triple digging for clays and rocky soils Broadfork for clays and hardpans Also baseless pots

@romilsgarden6234 4 года назад

Vermiculite actually soaks moisture it is a retainer, not a drainer. 1:32 is saying it under faster draining components which is incorrect.

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 4 года назад

Hi Romil's Garden. Thanks for the input. I think the key distinction I need to make (and I did in the video) is "coarse" vermiculite. I know that in the finer grades, we often say that we use perlite for air and vermiculite for water. That's an oversimplification of course, because both components are there for both reasons. But it's true that vermiculite holds less air and more water than perlite. However, there's a world of difference between fine and coarse grades. Have a look at this suppliers site, as they recommend the coarser grade for "greater drainage and aeration" : www.schundler.com/hort-prod.htm Now I don't expect anyone to blindly take a supplier's word on the matter, but I did find this thread (from a mushroom growing forum) rather precise and convincing: www.shroomology.org/forums/topic/10425-coarse-vs-medium-grade-vermiculite-big-difference/ If I were talking more about the components (rather than as an overview) I should have been more careful to warn off the smaller grades as a little too moisture retentive, and so thanks for adding your caution. One more note on vermiculite, and one of the reasons I do like it so much: it does a way better job than perlite on CEC (Cation exchange capacity) - overall much improving a mix's fertilizer retention.

@romilsgarden6234 4 года назад

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Thanks for the thorough reply, very informative! I did, in fact, not know about the difference in their grades!

@mikufukasaku7356 2 года назад

Thank you as always ! This really makes sense, still majority of garden experts recommend to put gravels in the bottom of the pots to "improve the drainage" in Japan though, haha. I have a question, I wonder if there are any ways to improve drainage of the nice thick terra cotta pots. I used to use thick terra cotta pots which only have only tiny hole for growing roses. But, it turned out roses thrive with cheap thin nursery pots, while they were really struggling in those terra cotta pots. I do not intend to use them for roses anymore, but for perennials. However, I appreciate if you have some recommendations? I will blend perlite for the soil though.

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 2 года назад

Hmm. I wonder if you could drill a larger hole (or holes) with a masonry bit

@mikufukasaku7356 2 года назад

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Thank you for the advice! Hope you had Happy Holidays!!

@olgaistratii7130 2 года назад

Fantastic video! So many things click now! Do you know whether buried tree trunks and branches (as in hugelkultur) at the bottom of the hole will have the same slowing effect as with the gravel at the bottom? I have an urban garden with terrible soil (one can hardly call it soil, it has large rocks, construction debris like ceramic tile, glass and super compacted clay or silt surrounding all those debris’s); nothing grows in that soil. This year i dug large plating holes (about 30 inches deep and 30 inches diameter), pulled out all the rocks and debris and filled it with garden soil sold at my local nursery. I dug 8 holes in total, although not all of them were as deep and as wide, and I planted 8 tomatoes plants. Now, I live in NYC and weather this year was terrible, we had flood after flood all summer. Our precipitation in July and August totaled 23 inches of rain, which is precipitation norm for a half year in our area. So out of 8 tomato plants 4 survived and 4 died (sudden wilt, I suspect root rot). Now that I’ve watched this video it makes me think that perhaps half of those smaller holes served as a drainage for other plants that survived. And I am wondering whether I can do anything to improve drainage and whether large tree branches buried at the bottom of the holes will help me improve drainage.

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 2 года назад

Thanks Olga. I expect the rotting wood eventually act like a sponge, storing moisture in the bottom of the hole (which is kind of how hugelkultur is supposed to work). I hope that the problem doesn't repeat - given that this was an exceptional season of rain for you. The only other thing I could suggest is to build upwards a little bit with a little raised bed or bottomless planter above the planting hole - if the tomato plants can build a good root system in this well-draining planter, it may keep them healthy (enough) even if the bottom of the planting hole gets waterlogged occasionally. Just a thought.

@FirePantherPena 3 года назад

How about sand the clay soil?

@hydr0539 4 года назад

Hey Jason love your videos, can I ask you a question? I just bought some very healthy looking lavender floribundas, about 7 to 9 inches high very bushy about 6 to 8 inches around, I ordered though the mail overnight and the 1 gallon containers seems to have taken a beating, about 10% of the soil they traveled in is displaced in the packaging, I live near pheonix az and the roses came from ca, do you think I can safely repot them into 2 gallon containers? Temps still in the 70s outside and plenty of sun, I was planning on giving them morning and day sun, with afternoon shade and bringing them inside when the sun drops. Any advice would greatly be appreciated! Thank you again for your videos, they are very thorough.

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 4 года назад

Thanks Jose, I appreciate the encouragement on my videos. With temps in the 70s, there's still every chance for your plants to do some more root development after potting. I'm not sure how quickly winter turns in Phoenix, but I'd advise you go ahead with the potting up. Manage the new pots a little bit on the dry side until spring, and once you strong growth and rooting to the sides of the pot, you can begin to increase the water and feeding. Best luck!

@hydr0539 4 года назад

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm thank you so much

@PaPa-yw6ch 4 года назад

Hi Jason, do you have any advice on why roses develop buds too early while stems are still very short (3-5cm)? What can i provide my roses for longer stem? Thanks.

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 4 года назад

Thanks Thiên Ân Bùi - stress can do funny things to plant growth. For instance, excess heat or salinity (too much fertilizer release) can cause flower abortion or deformation. First I would check for proper growing conditions. Sometimes, a fertilizer with a higher proportion of phosphorus will encourage a good stem length. I haven't tried gibberellic acid (GA3) treatments, but it can also increase stem elongation.

@PaPa-yw6ch 4 года назад

Fraser Valley Rose Farm thanks Jason. I’ve heard recenty about ga3 and cytokinin but havent tried it. Whats your opinion about applying cytokinin on roses?

@mikefa5891 2 года назад

Wish i had saw this informative video sooner as i am experiencing a drainage issue on my 2 new 4'x8' and 2 feet tall raised flower bed built over existing lawn area, and are filled with 50% soil mixed with 50% compost bought from the local nursery where the soil and compost mixture remain wet weeks at a time even during very hot and sunny weather. It is a bit late to install a french drain now, but i was wondering whether mixing pea gravel (less than 1/4") into the top 12" of the raised flower bed will help my situation?

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 2 года назад

Hi Mike. My impression is that it won't help. Better draining material up high in the soil profile won't address the standing water and drainage from down low. Is there any natural slope at all? If so, I wonder if it would make sense to dig a small drainage channel out (under) the low end of the raise bed into a French-drain style gravel pit. I'm not talking anything large, but just to see if you can move some of that standing water.

@mikefa5891 2 года назад

@@FraserValleyRoseFarm thanks for the suggestion - seems like a lot of work but i will give it a try.

@heatherjowett5382 4 года назад

Lucky ppl who have too much water. My garden struggles with water repellent sand so continuously mulching.

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 4 года назад

I feel your pain Heather - my last garden was on a west-facing sandy slope, and as much as I sometimes knock my heavy soil it's definitely an upgrade from what I had.

@Yaqeen2013 2 года назад

Will adding wood like branches, twigs and leaves at the bottom of a wet vegetable bed help?

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 2 года назад

I think that would serve almost like a sponge, holding additional moisture in the area.

@msayenkomsayenko 2 года назад

Thanks for the video but my issue is entirely different. I planted a row of arborvitae trees as a privacy hedge. I have a slightly sloped yard that backs up to a fence where I planted the trees. They have been dying and I’ve replaced the majority of them. It’s an absolute nightmare and I can’t figure out why. It’s becoming evident that I’m getting root rot because my soil is very thick and has a lot of clay. I’m not going to invest in some large scale French drain or anything like that. Any suggestions on what to do? All I keep hearing is to water my arbors none stop or they will die. Well evidently I’ve been over watering them and causing root rot. How can I improve drainage? Or should I just stop watering regularly? But that will lead to a lack of water and also damage the trees right? FYI this is my first house and first time planting anything in my life. I thought these trees were easy and low maintenance. That’s completely false!

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 2 года назад

Hi Max. Well, I think you've answered your own question. If you're not going to solve the drainage problem (which you're right, can be a huge project) you'll have to be careful with the watering. With a heavy soil, it'll hold a fair bit of moisture naturally. If you have a wet season (in my area, it's wet in winter through early spring) you might hold off watering entirely. In the first stretch of warm/dray weather, dig a little test hole nearby and check if there's sufficient moisture at 4 to 6" below the surface. Once you initiate watering, it's likely still 1x per week to maintain sufficient moisture, but you can always dig another little hole to check.

@Rena0Dawn Год назад

Hoooooo boy I just worked very hard to double dig a 4 by 4 foot bed in my clay soil. I threw away the bottom clay and amended it with compost so about 60% my clay and 40% compost I had read double digging was a great thing and I really wanted to improve my drainage and clay soil. Did I just do a terrible thing for my new rose bed?

@FraserValleyRoseFarm Год назад

Wow, that's heavy work! Every soil and site is different, and I can't honestly predict how well your amendment and mixing will work out for you - but no, I wouldn't say you've made a mistake. That addition of compost is bound to improve the soil qualities & the mixing in is certainly a lot faster than topdressing and letting nature take its course.

@Rena0Dawn Год назад

That’s music to my ears thank you! It has been intense but I’m excited to finally have my English rose arch dream come true!

@gaypreator8547 4 года назад

Lost me with plants go searching for: assuming you mean the roots. I thought the roots deal with what is - available -. As the system expands - deals with what is available. Goes searching totally confuses me.

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 4 года назад

Thanks Gay Praetor - and yes, the roots. I saw one study where the roots go "looking" for water by sensing acoustic vibrations in the soil. Another where the roots were divided into two containers, one with a different distribution of fertilizer than the other (as I recall), and the roots seemed to grow in a way that approximated a cost benefit analysis for the different soils. No one is really saying that the roots are "thinking" but only that the plant is programmed by DNA to expend it's limited growth energy in a way that best benefits it's survival. My experience has been that plants grown with ample water and nutrients nearby don't grow as extensive a root system - because they don't need to.

@kimberlyoboyle451 4 года назад

Roots "grow towards", they don't literally "look" for areas. For example, not thoroughly watering a newly-planted bush (like a rose) can cause all the roots to grow within the top couple of inches of the ground surface, which is as far down as the "inadequate" watering will go. When you water thoroughly, it encourages roots to grow deep causing a healthier plant that will withstand cold and drought better. This is an example of roots "searching" for water.

@wayneessar7489 4 года назад

An example might be turf that is watered lightly every day, and comparing this to heavy, sustained irrigation once a week. The light shallow watering satisfies the plants needs without the need for the roots to "go looking" for water. Heavy irrigation plus the presence of Mycorrhizae, will encourage the roots to follow the moisture as it recedes and will result in more drought tolerant turf.

@FraserValleyRoseFarm 4 года назад

Thanks Kimberly - that's a better way to put it. I do kind of anthropomorphize my plants a bit - and I know it's wrong, but then why are they always outsmarting me!

@TheRanaTouseef 4 года назад

Plants are smart, and roots don’t grow if all the nutrients & water is easily available. In hydroponics roots don’t grow as much as they grow in soil because water and nutrients are not as easily available as in hydroponic.