Urhighness88
Well-Known Member
How to check for how well drainage is ina hole in the ground.i have dug 5 holes n 2 of the holes are taking a while to drain idk if it's Cuz I already filled the hole with water once or twice before
hole drainage?
- Thread starter Urhighness88
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Mr.Marijuana420
Well-Known Member
some low areas don't drain well, some soil(like high clay amount) wont drain well, also Im not sure where your located but the ground here is still very saturated from winter melt and spring rains
Urhighness88
Well-Known Member
Well I started digging the 5 holes 3 of the 5 where quick and easy and the other 2 were super hard soil only 4 feet from the other holes. So I would fill the holes with water in hopes it would soften up the dirt but I did this a few times and the water doesn seem to be wanting to drain. Would this be a bad spot to try n grow or did I over saturate the soil and it can't take in much more moisture? I just kinda at a stand still right now till I figure this out.
Mr.Marijuana420
Well-Known Member
its a bad spot, though it may be decent in a month or so when the water table drops. look around a little more, look at the contour of the land, for slightly sloping areas where water isn't likely to collect. And it needs to drain well, If if has a lot of clay or a layer of clay below dirt go elsewhere, digging holes in this stuff is just making a low point for water to collect. Either way I would just keep them in 3-5 gal containers until youre sure u wont be flooded out
Urhighness88
Well-Known Member
My backyard has no low spots it's pretty flat and there could be that big of a difference in dirt even if it's within 5 feet of the hole that had good drainage.. and be filling the holes with water wouldn have anything to do with it?
Urhighness88
Well-Known Member
No one has any help.
SenorBrownWater
Well-Known Member
I do bro...
1.Fill your hole with water
2.Wait 24 hours
3.Look at your hole...water still pooled? you're fucked
4.????????
5.Profit
1.Fill your hole with water
2.Wait 24 hours
3.Look at your hole...water still pooled? you're fucked
4.????????
5.Profit
Garden Boss
Well-Known Member
Here is #4
Urhighness88
Well-Known Member
OK so if the water is still in the hole after 24 hours then just try a different spot? Cuz like I said above I did 5 holes there all within feet of each other n
SenorBrownWater
Well-Known Member
Then you have poor drainage like me...You will need to buy/make pots...
Urhighness88
Well-Known Member
But it is literally 2 holes so filling thay one and digging another one in a different area wouldn be a good.idea? Cuz like I said 3 holes have good drainage and there feet from the ones that don't
Urhighness88
Well-Known Member
I think I'm going to do my own texti been trying to look up ways to test drainage and the fact I filled the hole to soften it possibly could of made it.hard.to absorbed the water.once I was done I have read not to test after it has rained and I figure it's the same shit as filling the hole with water I'm going to let it dry n re test it if not I'm just going to dig 2 new holes on the other side of the good draining holes.
SenorBrownWater
Well-Known Member
What kind of dirt do you have? I think it's odd that the other holes would drain well....
FresnoFarmer
Well-Known Member
Sounds like you tryna grow in clay. Might want to just get big pots, fill them with soil and make holes in the ground, then put a bunch of gravel in the bottom of the holes(wash the gravel well first), place the pot on top of the gravel and then back fill with the clay soil or some compost. 
Urhighness88
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure exactly what kinda soil I wanna say it has some clay but not alot and I know I find it odd too that them being so close they have such different drainage. And in all honesty u think I'm fine I grew in the ground last year and only problem I had was pm and bud worms
ruby fruit
Well-Known Member
Fresno farmer has the way to go about it : )
charface
Well-Known Member
Look at perc test. google
I think they fill it more than once.
Gotta figure you are not testing for what happens when conditions are perfect.
You need to know what happens after it rains all week.
I would think.
Wavels
Well-Known Member
If you are ambitious you could build raised beds, they should help alleviate your problem.
Building raised beds is well worth the effort. Raised beds allow you to overcome problems such as poor, rocky soil, waterlogged areas and people walking through your gardens. While raised beds drain better than in-ground beds, adding rocks to the bottom of the bed improves drainage even further.
Draining When It's Raining
Because many plants require well-draining soil, placing rocks in the bottom of a raised bed to create additional drainage space below the soil is a sensible step. Excess moisture in the soil often creates conditions that allow root rot to thrive and damage or kill delicate plants. As soil settles over time and becomes compacted, a layer of rock at the bottom of the bed ensures there is always space for excess water to drain away from plant roots. Unlike soil, rocks will not degrade or compact over time.
Rock On
Crushed rock or pea gravel work well at the bottom of a raised bed to improve drainage, particularly in beds more than 18 inches tall or where the bed is in an area of the yard with poor drainage. You can buy crushed rock and gravel from home improvement centers or rock yards.
Layers and Layers
Once the raised bed site is prepared, install the drainage rocks at the bottom of the space. Dump the crushed rocks or gravel into the framed space, one bag or bucket at a time. Spread the rock by hand, or with a metal rake, until you achieve a uniform depth of 2 to 3 inches across the bed. Add a good quality topsoil on top of the drainage rocks until it reaches just below the edge of the raised bed.
Don't Drown Them
Even with the benefit of drainage rocks in the bottom of a raised bed, it's crucial you water correctly to avoid over- or under-watering. Check the water requirements on the insert included with plants you have purchased and follow those instructions. If you're not sure, follow the rule of thumb to water the plants only when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil feel dry.
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/using-rocks-drainage-raised-bed-91489.html
http://www.almanac.com/blog/gardening-blog/raised-bed-gardening-cheap-and-productive
http://thecouponproject.com/frugal-gardening-four-inexpensive-raised-bed-ideas/
Building raised beds is well worth the effort. Raised beds allow you to overcome problems such as poor, rocky soil, waterlogged areas and people walking through your gardens. While raised beds drain better than in-ground beds, adding rocks to the bottom of the bed improves drainage even further.
Draining When It's Raining
Because many plants require well-draining soil, placing rocks in the bottom of a raised bed to create additional drainage space below the soil is a sensible step. Excess moisture in the soil often creates conditions that allow root rot to thrive and damage or kill delicate plants. As soil settles over time and becomes compacted, a layer of rock at the bottom of the bed ensures there is always space for excess water to drain away from plant roots. Unlike soil, rocks will not degrade or compact over time.
Rock On
Crushed rock or pea gravel work well at the bottom of a raised bed to improve drainage, particularly in beds more than 18 inches tall or where the bed is in an area of the yard with poor drainage. You can buy crushed rock and gravel from home improvement centers or rock yards.
Layers and Layers
Once the raised bed site is prepared, install the drainage rocks at the bottom of the space. Dump the crushed rocks or gravel into the framed space, one bag or bucket at a time. Spread the rock by hand, or with a metal rake, until you achieve a uniform depth of 2 to 3 inches across the bed. Add a good quality topsoil on top of the drainage rocks until it reaches just below the edge of the raised bed.
Don't Drown Them
Even with the benefit of drainage rocks in the bottom of a raised bed, it's crucial you water correctly to avoid over- or under-watering. Check the water requirements on the insert included with plants you have purchased and follow those instructions. If you're not sure, follow the rule of thumb to water the plants only when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil feel dry.
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/using-rocks-drainage-raised-bed-91489.html
http://www.almanac.com/blog/gardening-blog/raised-bed-gardening-cheap-and-productive
http://thecouponproject.com/frugal-gardening-four-inexpensive-raised-bed-ideas/
Fresno & Senor, if you live in an area with clay-ish/sandy-ish soil then (depending on drainage of course) it is probably best to do what you suggested Fresno? I hate to dig holes in this soil just to put containers in.. If doing that I would like to just use smart pots, but then i'm assuming the roots would probably cook so that is the reason for still digging the hole to put them in? Awesome suggestions either way, it's much appreciated!
FresnoFarmer
Well-Known Member
Yes. Putting the pots in the ground will:
1. Keep your plants less visible to prying eyes
2. Keep your roots cool
3. Let you go longer without watering. Because the sun wont be beaming on your pots drying them out.
I will probably be burying some pots in the middle of my vegetable garden bed for those 3 reason. Last time I grew in the ground I had to keep supercropping in order to keep them from growing over the fence line. I don't want to raise the fence line because I fell like this might raise suspicion. Also watering is a bitch in the 110 degree heat, so I mulch with compost and poops from my teas.