How to Check Soil Drainage

The study of soil is a science unto itself, but for a beginning gardener, the most crucial bit of knowledge is how fast soil drains. That depends on whether the soil is sandy (very fast), clay (very slowly) or loam (just right).

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Garden Hoses
• Shovels
• Shovels

1. Dig a hole large enough to hold a one-gallon container.

2. Fill the hole with water and go on about your business.

3. Check the hole in an hour. If it's empty, you have sandy soil.

4. Come back an hour or two later. If it takes between two and four hours for the water to drain from the hole, you have loam: the gardener's dream soil.

5. Look again four hours after you poured the water into the hole. If some of it is still there, you have clay soil - and poor drainage.

Tips & Warnings

• Severe drainage problems may require professional help, but in most situations, you have a magic bullet at your disposal: organic matter. Amending your soil can make sandy soils more moisture-retentive, clay soils better-draining, and loam simply better. (See "Choose a Soil Amendment.")
• If your soil is hard to dig because of stone, roots or hardpan, consider raised beds.

[Bookrider]

on 4/4/2008 I can't thank you enough for posting this method! I've read so many gardening books and they all talk about the importance of drainage, but all of them used the ambiguous "standing water after a heavy rain shower." Heavy according to what standard?! Thank you for offing a real measuring standard that can be used by anyone during any weather. You rock!