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Waterlogging of plants means that your plants are literally drowning. All the spaces of air in the soil are filled with water so that no oxygen is able to reach the roots of the plant so root growth is halted. This can be caused by heavy rains, over-watering or poor drainage.

When this happens your plant leaves will most likely turn either yellow or brown and drop off. It starts at the bottom and moves toward the upper leaves…once those are reached you have a major problem.

In order to prevent waterlogging which can be due to too much water or poor drainage there are a few things you can do.

First off, do not over-water your plants. You may have a tendency to do this if you see yellow or brown leaves but check first to see if the soil is dry. Lay down mulch in the root area or if the problem is severe you may want to try planting in raised beds.

Before you plant you can test to see if the soil is going to have any drainage problems. Dig a 1 foot square hole that’s about 2 feet deep and fill it halfway with water. If after a day it hasn’t emptied then you know you will have a problem with waterlogging. You could install an underground drainage system if you are set on planting in an area that may have problems with draining properly.

Some plants after showing initial signs of waterlogged damage will recover so don’t rush to replace it. Unfortunately, many plants won’t recover and you’ll have to dig them up.

So the best way to avoid waterlogging is to plan your garden accordingly which means knowing your soil and how well it drains.

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