Ground the gardener has observed to stand water after rain is a site problem to fix before planting
Ground the gardener has observed to stand water after rain is a site problem to fix before planting. Selecting plants around it does not solve it.
Promising A person has checked it against its sources. If you skip this, you lose real yield. The planner warns you.
How it works
Saturated soil has no air in it, so roots suffocate; and standing water lets Phytophthora release swimming zoospores, which need free water to reach a root or crown at all.
What to do about it
You told us this ground stands water after rain. Fix the site. Changing the planting list won't solve it. Plant on a mound or berm, or build the bed up. UC IPM puts the mound at 8 to 10 inches for annuals and up to two feet, with a gradual slope, for trees and perennials; WSU asks for at least 12 inches for raspberries. Fruit trees and brambles have the most to lose, and tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are named as susceptible too. Never bury the root crown or graft union when you mound. We are not naming a drainage rate or a tile spacing, because that is an engineering number and this is a garden app.
The evidence
Evidence: checked against 5 sources in the research-based literature.
The 5 sources
Almost all fruit and nut trees, as well as many ornamental trees and shrubs (including many California natives), can develop Phytophthora root or crown rot
Periods of 24 hours or more of saturated soil favor Phytophthora infections. Conversely, good soil drainage and more frequent but shorter irrigations reduce the risk of root and crown rot.
Plum rootstocks are less susceptible to Phytophthora infections than peach rootstocks, so plums grown on plum rootstock seldom have this disease
Phytophthora root rot can be a problem in the Pacific Northwest when raspberries are planted in areas with poor drainage
Zoospores are released from sporangia only when soil is completely saturated with water (standing water).
Read next
- Where to put a garden: sun, water, and drainageThe single biggest decision you make is where the garden goes, and you make it before you plant anything. Here's how much sun vegetables need, why standing water is a dealbreaker, and how the site shapes the plan.
- Choosing a field, an in-ground bed, a raised bed or a containerThe four ways to hold a garden, what each one costs and buys, and how to pick the one that fits your yard, your soil, and how much work you want.
How this rule has changed
Every change is dated, newest first. The full record, with each reason, is in the data download.
- Wording made clearer
- Advice on what to do added
- Details updated
- Added to the rules
More ways Milpa can help
When do I plant? · What grows well together? · Plan my garden · What can I plant now? · Something wrong in the garden? · Keep a garden diary · Heard a tip?
Cite this page
Milpa Gardens. “Ground the gardener has observed to stand water after rain is a site problem to fix before planting. Selecting plants around it does not solve it.” Evidence grade: Promising. https://milpa.garden/rules/ground-gardener-has-observed-stand-water-after/
A garden planner built on graded evidence. Every claim states its evidence grade and links its sources on the page. Cite it with the grade, and add the date you read it.
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How we grade evidence
- Well established
- The rule names its mechanism and is settled, by sources a person has read and checked or by plain arithmetic and geometry.
- Promising
- The mechanism is named and the literature backs it. A few questions are still open.
- A good hunch
- Plausible by its mechanism, but field studies are thin, so treat it as a lean.
- Contested
- The evidence points both ways, or no study has tested it, so the planner does not enforce it.
- Refuted
- The claim did not survive its sources. It is kept so the folklore can be answered.