Drainage is a common problem in many gardens and backyards around Victoria. Flat land and dense soil mean that without proper drainage solutions in place, water may collect to undermine and cause damage to structures, drown expensive plans and turns parts of your land into perpetually wet swamps. Creating a drainage system for your backyard doesn’t have to be costly, there are a few ingenious solutions for your drainage problems that can do yourself with a few supplies from your local garden centre. Bittern Garden Supplies is the trusted centre for quality garden supplies servicing Moorooduc and the Mornington Peninsula. Here’s our guide to a few drainage problems and how you can solve them in a weekend.
Common Causes of Backyard Drainage Issues
There are a few factors that can lead to a backyard failing to vacate excess water and different problems call for different solutions and approaches. Below are some of the most common reasons your backyard may be draining poorly:
- Land slope or pitch – in many cases, water pools in a yard because the flat plane doesn’t divert enough water away
- A too-short downpipe – some downpipes may flow directly into a flower bed or other landscaped area, meaning excess water can collect in the soil beneath
- Inadequate soil quality – water only gets to soak into the ground if there is a good soil containing the right mix of sand and minerals. The opposite of this is where you have hard, compacted soil, such as clay. In this case, water cannot sink in, forcing it to pool in your yard.
- Runoff erosion – in rainy and storm prone areas, excess runoff may have stripped away some of the topsoil in your yard, leading to heavy water collection below the eroded areas
Drainage Solutions You Can Do Yourself
Put Gravel and Rocks in Raised Beds
Putting a layer of gravel or rocks at the bottom of your raised garden beds beneath the soil allows the water to move quickly through the ground, thus reducing accumulation around plants’ root systems.
Landscape with Gravel
Water drains more quickly through gravel than it does through most types of soil, so puddles form less readily on gravel-covered pathways and borders than they do on soil surfaces. A simple 5cm layer of gravel will deter puddling.
Dig a Creek Bed
An artificial creek will draw water away from low spots. This involves digging the soil into a long, shallow trench and filling it with gravel and decorative rocks. Assuming your yard has the right downward slope, this installation will act as a slide for runoff to escape through. An added bonus to a creek is that even when it’s not in use, a dry creek can be an attractive addition to your landscaping.
Install a French Drain
When your soil has drainage issues that can’t be addressed by surface-level adjustments, it may be time to go deeper. French drains are installed below the topsoil to disperse and redirect excess water. Consisting of a long trench filled with gravel and a drainage pipe running down the length of the drain, the pipe is then covered up with soil or river stones at the grade level. French drains are versatile and can be installed almost anywhere.
If you need advice on any drainage issues in your backyard or for the best garden supplies for your backyard, get in touch with the team at Bittern Garden Supplies today. Located in Bittern, just a short drive from Moorooduc, we have all the garden supplies you need for landscaping projects of any size and type. Call us today on 5983 9779 or contact us online now.
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