What does well drained soil mean,?

Question

and how do I know if mine is well drained.I have a few palm trees that have a terrace built around them and the water sits on top for a few minutes.

how do i make it well drained?

Answer 1

you can test your soil by digging a hole 6 inches deep and 8 inches around.fill it with water.it should drain in about 4 hours.then fill it again,it should drain in about6 to 8 hours.if this happens your soil is draining properly.if not you can and sand it your palm tree area this will help water not stand

Answer 2

Well Drained Soil

Answer 3

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Well drained soil has a loose structure that allows for rapid movement of water and air through the soil particles. Clay soil, for instance, is not well drained and clumps tightly together not allowing air or water to move freely, while sand is as good as it gets (but does not hold moisture) Most plants like it in the middle of these two extremes.

Answer 4

Water does not sit at all on well drained soil

Answer 5

When you water, you shouldn't ever have standing water on the surface. Compost will pretty much fix any type of soil. you can also add peat moss to help with drainage and to keep the dirt from getting to compacted down over time. If you wet the soil alittle bit and then pick up a handful, it should just barely stay formed into a ball, but if you sqeeze it, it should break apart. if you can accomplish this, then your soil is prime for growing.

Answer 6

Soil that is not soggy looking or holding puddles and allows the water to flow slowly from it is well drained soil.

Answer 7

You can tell if you water it, the water drains off right away, doesn't pool at the surface for long but drains down to the roots.

Answer 8

after you grow a lot of stuff in some ground it is drained...

Answer 9

Drain rate in soil refers to its porosity to water. Water seeps through to the root zone filling the openings in the soil as it goes. So water moves downward through a sandy coarse soil much faster then through a fine-textured soil such as clay or silt. To determine your soil type you can do a percolation test, you can examine your soil by sight and touch, or you can send a soil sample for analysis.
You can do a visual soil survey by digging a small hole. First look at the hole and take some soil in hand. Check your soil's texture by picking up a handful and squeeze gently: If it feels sticky and stays in a tight mass, your soil is likely too high in clay. If it feels harsh or gritty and won't hold any shape or crumbles it is likely too high in sand. If it feels silky smooth or floury and won't hold any shape, it's likely too high in silt. If it molds into your hand yet crumbles apart when squeezed, it has the perfect texture. It is loam.
If it formed a sticky ball try to squeeze it upward to form a ribbon. Measure the length of the ribbon. Now wet the soil in your palm til muddy. Rub the soil against your palm with your other fingertips. Is it smooth, gritty or both?
1” gritty ribbon is sandy loam
1” smooth ribbon is silty loam
1” both is loam
1-2” gritty ribbon is sandy clay loam
1-2” smooth ribbon is silty clay loam
1-2” both is clay loam
GT 2” gritty ribbon is sandy clay
GT 2” smooth ribbon is silty clay
GT 2” both is clay
You can not change your soils texture from sand, silt or clay without digging out and replacing the excess mineral until it is roughly 1/3 each mineral but you can change its structure.
Soil structure is defined by the manner in which soil particles are assembled as aggregates. In clay soils, clay particles are typically arranged along a horizontal plane in a platelike structure. When these horizontal aggregations are stacked high and consolidated over time, they can be quite tight and sticky. Your aim in improving soil structure is to achieve a looser, more crumbly or granular structural aggregation. A soil with the latter structure has a friable consistency and good tilth.

Test time again. Grab a handful and take a whiff. Does it have an earthy smell? Is it a loose, crumbly soil with some earthworms present? Turn over a shovelful of soil to look for earthworms and smell for actinomycetes, which are microorganisms that help compost and stabilize decaying organic matter. Their activity leaves a fresh earthy smell in the soil and look like white cotton threads. their presence indicates organic matter. Black color indicates high organic matter; gray indicates medium organic matter. Red, tan or blue color indicates little organic matter and high clay. Blue color indicates that there is no oxygen in the clay. Therefore, no roots will grow in blue clay. Normally, the organic matter is mainly in the 4 - 6 inches of topsoil.
Whether it is clay or sand the main addition is compost. But the kind of compost differs. The key to amending clay soil is to amend a large area and use enough coarse sand and coarse organic matter. Avoid trying to change a small area. Plants will have a difficult time making the transition to the surrounding clay soil, effectively limiting their growth to the amended area.
Two of the best amendments for clay soil are coarse sand and coarse organic matter. Coarse sand is also sometimes called builders' sand. The particles are relatively large, especially when compared to the finer sands used for sandboxes and such. The fine sands may actually make your problem worse. There are lots of types of organic matter available for gardening but not all of them will help improve clay soil. It needs to be coarse. Avoid fine-textured material such as peat moss or the packaged manures. If possible, find a source for a coarse compost or manure composted with woodchips.
Ideally, you should use equal parts of coarse sand and coarse organic matter to amend the soil, but extra sand can be used if necessary. You will need to cover the area with a 3-4 inch layer of organic matter and a 3-4 inch layer of sand. Bagged products won't be practical. Look for a source of bulk material. The general rule of thumb is that one cubic yard will cover approximately 100 square feet with 3 inches of material.
Sandy soil is easier to amend then clay. The goal in amending sandy soil is to add sponge like organic matter in the form of peat, composted bark dust, manure and/or compost to help it to retain more water as well as provide nutrients.
Apply enough water to soak the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. This is usually equivalent to about 1 inch of rainfall or 60 gallons per 100 square feet, but this will vary with different soils. A sand would require 0.5 inch of water while a clay would need 1.75 inches to wet the soil to an 8-inch depth.
If the water is running off faster than the soil can absorb it, either move the sprinkler to a new location or turn it off and allow the water to soak into the soil. To determine the depth of water penetration, use a spade or sharp probe to push into the soil 2 to 4 hours after irrigation. The probe will move into the soil very easily where it is moist. The probe becomes harder to push when it hits dry soil.
test your sprinkler output and application uniformity, place several open-top containers of the same size under the sprinkler. After running the sprinkler for an hour, measure the amount of water in each container. The difference between containers provides an estimate of water distribution and application rate.