How to Deal With and Prevent Garden Flooding
For many of us, growing a garden is a central part of our lives. Having floodwaters destroy that special space can be a truly devastating experience - and it's something I've unfortunately had to deal with myself. Not fun!
The good news is that there are some simple ways to prevent flooding and to deal with it if it does happen.
With preventative measures, such as restructuring your yard, adding a rain barrel, and cleaning your gutters, you can help keep your garden safe from flooding. If the unthinkable happens, you can quickly restore what’s left to its former glory - and save the rest of your season.
This article will cover how to prevent and protect your garden from flooding. It will also provide several tips on restoring your garden after flooding occurs.
Read on for everything you need to know about garden flooding in today's guest post from our friend Jessica!
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Can a Garden Survive a Flood?
There are certain circumstances in which a garden can survive a flood. The key is being patient after a flood happens and taking cautious action once the waters recede. Use these tips to save your garden following flooding:
Watch for signs of die-back
Only prune limbs, stems, and branches that are obviously dead or damaged
Lightly fertilize to replenish lost nutrients
Use fungicides and insecticides as needed
Wait at least 60 days before replanting in the area
You can learn more information about continuing your gardening following a flood by watching this video:
How to Prevent Garden Flooding
You might be surprised to learn some of the ways in which you can prevent your garden from flooding. While many of them may seem unrelated to your garden, they can cause significant trouble for you if not managed correctly.
Of course, it’s also important to realize that you will not be able to prevent all flooding. These are just examples of steps you can take to minimize the effects of heavy rainfall on your garden space.
Grow a Rain Garden
If you don’t have the funds available to set up an elaborate drainage system for your garden, consider growing a rain garden. Not only is this solution practical, but it also looks amazing. This solution allows for 30% more rainwater to be absorbed into the soil than a standard yard.
It’s a simple process to create the ideal space, and you’ll promote the growth of flood-tolerant perennial plants. To protect your home from damage, establish your rain garden at least 10 feet from the foundation and septic system.
The ideal spot is where your runoff from surfaces like your roof and downspouts flows to. Once the water is captured in the rain garden, it will absorb through the well-drained soil, which is often made of a combination of topsoil, sand, and compost.
Clean Gutters and Drains
Having clean gutters on your home may seem unrelated to your garden, but in reality, it’s a big deal for flooding. While no one enjoys the task of cleaning their gutters, when it gets skipped, there’s the potential for blockages to happen. This is important for gardens that are located near your house, of course.
Once a gutter is blocked, it no longer has the capacity to allow water to free flow through it. Instead, it backs up and overflows. Immediate damage is often seen on your home; however, the runoff from the overflow can become severe, leading to flooding your garden.
This situation can be compounded if your drains are also blocked because the water will be left in your garden with nowhere to go.
So, while you may not enjoy the task, you can see it’s essential to maintain clean gutters and hire a professional to clean the drains.
Improve Your Garden Soil
To improve your garden’s soil, start by adding organic matter to your garden. This can be homemade or store-bought materials, including manure, compost, sawdust, and leaves. Doing this helps to improve the overall structure of the soil.
You can also raise the level at which your plants are situated. By creating raised mounds, you can reduce the effects of waterlogging in the event of flooding. When planting, also add sand or grit, as this will improve drainage capabilities.
Plant More Trees
Trees have a two-pronged effect on preventing flooding. First, their extensive root systems will absorb water much more deeply inside the ground. The canopy their leaves create also works to slow the fall of rain, reducing how much makes it to the ground.
The effect of trees is profound–they minimize surface water runoff 80% better than asphalt. River birch, red maple, and black tupelo are all highly tolerant over oversaturated soils.
Use a Rain Barrel
If water runoff is a significant problem in your yard and garden, consider adding a rain barrel beneath your downspout. You’ll need to watch the water level to ensure it doesn’t become so full it overflows, defeating the purpose.
You’ll need to empty the water before the next rain, which can be done with a simple pump mechanism.
Regrade Your Lawn
If you’re tired of all the excess water and want a permanent solution, you can opt to regrade your lawn. This process requires a professional, as the slightest wrong move can send water toward your neighbors, causing damage that you’ll need to pay for.
A landscape designer or gardener will redesign your yard to direct water flow away from key areas, including your home and garden. They do this by manipulating the gradient of your lawn.
Choose The Best Mulch
When choosing your mulch, it’s best to select a heavy option like wood chips with a higher capacity to absorb water. Lighter options can’t soak up as much and are more likely to get washed away with a high volume of water.
If you use lighter mulch, it can make things worse by blocking drains as it gets shifted by the flooding waters. It’s important to keep all mulch at least 6 inches from your home, as the moisture content is bad for the foundation and other parts of the structure.
Amend and Aerate Your Soil
When considering your soil, loamy and sandy soils are better-draining options than clay. You can help break down dense soil by adding two to three inches of loose organic matter, such as compost or leaf mold.
Increase the Drainage Near Driveways
Your driveway can be a huge source of flooding water. While concrete is highly absorptive, the runoff can also be excessive. Hiring a professional landscaper to add drainage options near the driveway can help prevent flooding in your garden.
If the problem is persistent and severe, you may want to consider removing your concrete driveway in honor of a well-draining gravel option. While it’s less supportive and durable, this option will help keep your garden from flooding.
Tips for Protecting Your Garden from a Flood
Even if you’ve followed all the tips for preventing flooding, sometimes it’s still inevitable that your garden is overtaken by water. In these situations, it’s best to be prepared with preventative measures to minimize the damage as much as possible.
By following these tips, you can eliminate many of the problems associated with the water damage that follows flooding.
Plant Your Garden Well
When you plant well, you break up the soil in the garden, which improves its structure and drainage. Instead of staying on the surface, water is more likely to get absorbed into the ground, protecting your garden from flooding.
If you’re interested in plants that help absorb water or simply require more water, consider some of the following:
Granny’s bonnet
Primrose
Crinum lilies
Giant rhubarb
Spiralis
Ferns
Daylily
Leonard’s variety
Cranberries
Plant in Raised Garden Beds
Using raised garden beds will keep your plants out of any potential flood waters. It will protect your plants from waterlogging because of the increased drainage and surrounding materials. When you construct your beds from reliable materials, they will last for years.
You can choose many different materials for your raised beds, depending on your preferences and how often your area is prone to flooding. It’s best to choose a material that’s as water-resistant as possible.
Consider Planting a Green Roof
If you have the space, a surface that can support the weight, and the ability to create the garden, consider constructing your garden on top of a roof. This will alleviate all your flooding problems. However, some risk is involved, as you will be working at a height.
How Do You "Unflood" a Garden?
Sometimes, no matter what you do, flooding happens. Depending on where you live, the flooding could be excessive, covering miles of land, or it could be mild, overtaking only your garden. Regardless, you’ll need to take action once the waters recede.
In many cases, you can save your garden if you’re able to act quickly enough. Here are some tips on how to unflood your garden.
Clear All Dead Plants and Trees
The first step is to remove anything that is clearly dead. While you may be in a state of disgust over your beautiful garden being in a state of devastation, you won’t want to go overboard at this point.
Not everything that looks damaged is dead, so carefully investigate for any possible signs of life.
Remove what you identify as completely dead, including trees and plants. Then, begin working on gathering as much debris as possible. The goal is to remove anything that can prevent new growth from occurring.
In addition, taking these steps now will also make it easier for you to replant once your garden has healed from the experience.
Discard Fruits and Vegetables That Were Submerged
While this point is not necessarily about restoring your garden, it’s essential to make. Any fruits and vegetables that were submerged in flood water or even just touched by it need to be discarded.
There is a very strong chance they have come into contact with dangerous bacteria and are no longer safe for consumption. It is crucial to not take the risk of eating them, as you have no idea what you’ll be exposed to.
Don’t Walk on the Wet Soil
It is critical to ensure the ground is as dry as possible before you start walking on it. Stepping on wet soil will result in compacting it, which will make drainage even harder. In addition, you risk damaging the roots of any surviving plants.
Before you get too far into reviving your garden, you’ll need to wait for the ground to dry enough to safely walk on it.
Let the Soil Drain Naturally
Rapidly removing water from the soil can result in compaction. If the situation is bad enough, you may need to channel some of the water away from the garden, but in general, the best practice is to let the garden soil dry out on its own.
Gently Fertilize and Evaluate the pH
Flooding removes the nutrients from the soil, so you’ll need to slowly repair the soil by adding compost, mulch, and manure. Synthetic fertilizers are not recommended because most floodwaters are acidic, which will affect the pH of your soil.
As the soil dries, it’s important to check its pH level and adjust it away from acidic levels by using lime. Remember, don’t be in a hurry to work with soggy soil, as this will do much more damage than good.
Rinse Your Plants
You’ll also need to gently clean your plants. If you find the remaining plants are covered in mud, you’ll need to gently hose them off. For more delicate plants, use a spray bottle and a gentle cloth.
If the mud dries on them, it can restrict their growth, preventing you from restoring your garden.
Don’t Rush To Replant
Once you add the organic fertilizer material to your garden, you’ll need to give it time to work. It’s not a miraculous event that happens with a snap of the fingers. You may need to wait up to 60 days to replant your garden for the best results.
Final Thoughts
Garden flooding can be a devastating experience that no one wants to go through. While there are several prevention methods, if the flood is big enough, there’s no stopping it. However, if your yard frequently fills up, taking preventative measures is essential.
Consider solutions like building raised garden beds to keep your garden out of rising waters permanently. This is one of the best ways to protect your plants from flooding, especially if your yard floods every time it rains.
If your garden floods, the key is to act quickly to salvage what’s left. Let the water drain naturally to prevent compaction and gently bring the soil back to the right balance. Don’t rush to work the soil or replant in the area until it’s completely healed.
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