Storm revealed drainage problems; tips for how to redirect all that water
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The easiest way to direct runoff away from a home's foundation is with a downspout extension. But depending on the landscape, the location and the home's footprint, a more permanent drainage solution may be necessary. (Photos: Kathy Morrison) |
The aftermath of Sunday’s record rainfall was a physical reminder of a basic law of nature: Water tends to accumulate at the lowest spot. If you didn’t know where that was in your yard, you do now
So much rain after years of so little created instant lakes in landscapes that are now taking days to drain.
Where did all this water come from? Often, off your roof.
Rain gutters – in particular, the misdirection of runoff from those gutters – can lead to drainage problems. Typically, downspouts run straight down off the roof to the ground – ending close to the house and foundation. That causes water to pool around the building and potentially leak inside into basements or crawl spaces.
The solution: Extend the downspouts away from the house and foundation. Ideally, the extensions should take rainwater at least 10 feet away from the house.
If that’s not enough, a “perimeter drain” – a gravel-topped trench around the house – can help prevent water from getting into basements or crawl spaces. This drain redirects the water to a safe release point away from the foundation.
A similar technique is a “French drain” – a buried perforated pipe that collects water and directs it away from the low spot.
Despite the name, French drains have nothing to do with France. According to experts, these unusual drains were invented by an American, Henry Flagg French. He popularized them in his book on agricultural drainage, published in 1859 in Massachusetts.
Such drains can be simple to install – dig a trench, put it in – but must be strategic. (Where do you want the water to go?)
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The drainage aisle of a local Ace Hardware store was looking picked-
over Tuesday, but these NDS catch-basin drain grates were still in
stock.
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Water tends not to drain well through clay; that’s why the backyard “lake” formed in the first place. If you cover the French drain with clay soil, it plugs up the drain and doesn’t give it a chance to work.
Instead, backfill over the drain with sand, gravel, decorative rock or other fast-draining material.
Use that clay dirt to form berms to redirect rainwater away from the house and to that gravel-covered French drain.
Those berms also could form a “rain garden,” catching stormwater and allowing it to soak in where you want it – not next to the house.
Need more help? NDS, which makes a broad range of water-related products, offers tips for how to tackle drainage issues at its online Home Drainage Center. Find it here: https://www.ndspro.com/home-drainage .
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Food in My Back Yard Series
June 3: Make your own compost
May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?
May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
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Garden Checklist for week of June 8
Get out early to enjoy those nice mornings. There’s plenty to keep gardeners busy:
* Warm weather brings rapid growth in the vegetable garden, with tomatoes and squash enjoying the heat. Deep-water, then feed with a balanced fertilizer. Bone meal or rock phosphate can spur the bloom cycle and help set fruit.
* Generally, tomatoes need deep watering two to three times a week, but don’t let them dry out completely. Inconsistent soil moisture can encourage blossom-end rot.
* It’s not too late to transplant tomatoes, peppers or eggplant.
* From seed, plant corn, melons, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.
* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.
* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias.
* It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.
* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.
* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.
* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.
* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.
* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.
* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.