A Guide to
Drainage
A Guide to
Drainage
SOIL and WATER – BACK to BASICS
By Bruce Brockway, Secretary Land Drainage Contractors Association
We all know what we mean by ‘soil
and water’ but it only refers to two of
the three ingredients necessary for
plant growth – the third being ‘air’. If
you only have the first two you have
a drainage problem! The purpose of
drainage could be said to introduce
air into soil.
Soil Particles
Soil has mineral particles of different sizes. The
smallest are clay particles, next are silt, the largest
being sand. Whilst some soils can have only one
Plant roots need soil, water and air to be able to size of particle like pure sand, most soils will have
absorb nutrients from the soil. As a growing medium a mixture of particles. Soil texture is classified
soil should consist of roughly 50% particles, 25% according to the respective percentage of these
water, and 25% air. The water and air should be in particles. For example if a soil is 60% silt, 20%
the spaces between the particles.
sand, and 20% clay, the soil texture is described
as ‘silty loam’.
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