Wombat
Active Member
Nancie I had similar troubles when we had our floods a while ago. I found this bit of info invaluable, hope it helps you out a bit
After severe flooding, fertiliser is needed to replace the feed value leeched away as the waters drained. But more important is the soil Ph value, the balance between acid (sour) soil and alkaline (sweet) soil. Flooding can make the soil very acid, which does not suit most common garden plants, therefore I recommend dressing the soil with a generous amount of garden lime. If you wish to check on how much damage has occurred, D. I. Y. Ph soil testing kits are widely available at garden outlets.
Another problem with flooding is the deposit of mineral salts from the standing water; these salts can cause serious problems for your plants. These salts can lock up certain trace elements in the soil. Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulphate) spread at the rate of 1 pound per 20 square yards will help mitigate this problem by releasing these trace elements.
Also magnesium is an important element in the production of chlorophyll, the green part of the plant. This application of Epsom salts will correct any leaf yellowing that can often occur after flooding.
A sowing of lettuce seeds will give a quick indication of the state of the soil. the lettuce seedlings being very sensitive to soil conditions. If the soil conditions continue to give trouble over the longer period it is worth having your soil tested by a professional body, some of the leading university agricultural departments carry out this service for a fee.
After flooding many shrubs and perennials, may look to be dead, but its always worth waiting a while before abandoning them. Damaged lawns are best left alone for a while, mowing on saturated soil will pull out the grass by the roots, the lawn will soon recover next spring.
Small trees and large shrubs will benefit from temporary staking to stop them rocking in the wind. The flooding will have loosened the roots, and until the roots re-establish themselves the plant is in a fragile state.
After severe flooding, fertiliser is needed to replace the feed value leeched away as the waters drained. But more important is the soil Ph value, the balance between acid (sour) soil and alkaline (sweet) soil. Flooding can make the soil very acid, which does not suit most common garden plants, therefore I recommend dressing the soil with a generous amount of garden lime. If you wish to check on how much damage has occurred, D. I. Y. Ph soil testing kits are widely available at garden outlets.
Another problem with flooding is the deposit of mineral salts from the standing water; these salts can cause serious problems for your plants. These salts can lock up certain trace elements in the soil. Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulphate) spread at the rate of 1 pound per 20 square yards will help mitigate this problem by releasing these trace elements.
Also magnesium is an important element in the production of chlorophyll, the green part of the plant. This application of Epsom salts will correct any leaf yellowing that can often occur after flooding.
A sowing of lettuce seeds will give a quick indication of the state of the soil. the lettuce seedlings being very sensitive to soil conditions. If the soil conditions continue to give trouble over the longer period it is worth having your soil tested by a professional body, some of the leading university agricultural departments carry out this service for a fee.
After flooding many shrubs and perennials, may look to be dead, but its always worth waiting a while before abandoning them. Damaged lawns are best left alone for a while, mowing on saturated soil will pull out the grass by the roots, the lawn will soon recover next spring.
Small trees and large shrubs will benefit from temporary staking to stop them rocking in the wind. The flooding will have loosened the roots, and until the roots re-establish themselves the plant is in a fragile state.
