April 23, 2008
My soil has a high water content and is allaline -- what can I do it make it better?
my soil has a high water content and is alkaline Swamp grass grows everywhere. How can I make this better soil and how do I eliminate the alkalinity and swamp grass?
Veronica
Expert
Raised beds are probably the best solution for your high water table. You can make raised beds out of pressure-treated wood, stacked stone, and more. Beds should be 6-9 inches high for annuals, about a foot high for perennials, and a couple of feet high for shrubs and small trees.
(Select larger trees or shrubs for their ability to thrive in wet conditions and alkaline soil, since their roots go so deep. You can Google plant lists of such trees and shrubs.)Each year, work garden sulfur into your raised beds to counteract its natural alkalinity. Sulfur's effect is temporary -- you can never completely eliminate alkalinity.I'm not sure what the "swamp grass" might be, but it might be yellow nutsedge. The waxy leaves make it difficult to control with Roundup. You can try pulling it out and then smothering it by covering the area with a layer of newspaper topped with mulch.Two herbicides labeled for nutsedge control are Basagran and Manage, but professionals must apply them.Join this conversation.
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