Thirsty plants

[Zen Peddler]

There are areas on my block towards the back that are wet, always damp, heavily shaded and at the moment riduled with land-yabby holes and not much else. I want to dry some of these areas out and I am wondering whether anyone here might have a suggestion for a plant - any plant really - that would help to suck up this excess moisture and dry this area out a little?

Drainage is a definate issue and some of these areas arent really fixable where they are due to there being no 'out' for a drainage pipe.

[poisonshroom]

Some of the gingers and bird of paradise type plants might do the trick (or just make an artificial swamp/bog habitat that could be a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes).

You may want to get some soil or gravel on top to prevent the mosquitoes and allow for some more solid ground for better access and to make planting anything a bit easier. Gotu kola and Bacopa spp would make a good ground cover and possibly soak up some water.

How big is the area and how shaded is it?

[kadakuda]

kratom, problem solved.

shit i just glanced and now jsut noticed you want to dry it out. plants wont do it to be honest. tehy will suck up moisture and send it out through their leaves, but in all honesty they are not nearly as effective of sending water into the atmosphere as direct sunshine. and plants will shade the ground...generally better to plant plants to retain moisture than evaporate it, at least in my opinion in my experience. if you want to make areas dry you need to find drainage solutions or raise the land, i have yet to come up with a really effective method that doesnt use one of those 2 methods. I have similar issue on my farm during rainy season, it had a lot of dirt removed when trees were extracted years ago and now sits lower than all surrounding areas...raised areas and wet loving plants in the lower areasis all i can do.

Edited November 1, 2011 by kadakuda

[planthelper]

zen peddler, you haven't filled out your climate or location field,

and the forum's policy is to rather not, reply to those people, if it's about cultivation.

do you want us to guess, your climat, and than come up with helpfull information.

MEMBERS, PLEASE FILL OUT YOUR CLIMAT/LOCATION FIELD!!

http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=26356&st=0&p=283940&hl=+climat%20+location&fromsearch=1entry283940

[Zen Peddler]

Sorry I thought I updated that but im hopeless with that kind of stuff. I'm in the ranges outside Melbourne in mountain grey gum forest, at about 300 metres, south sloping block, clay 'crab-hole creek' land yabby country. I cant remove the many large trees or my block will erode away. Slope is low to steep at the back, erosion potential is amazing. We have tunnel erosions turning up in all sorts of spots.

[kadakuda]

if it slopes, how does water accumulate?

[planthelper]

Sorry I thought I updated that but im hopeless with that kind of stuff.

i have issues aswell around those technical things, anyway it's very easy to chang the location/clima field.

how to change your climatic or location field:

click, your member name,

click my settings,

click profile,

make changes and,

click save changes

[Zen Peddler]

if it slopes, how does water accumulate?

 

its clay and its full of land yabbies that dig holes that capture the water rather than allowing it to flow over the top. its like fucking mush in some spots.

[kadakuda]

lol, ok im sorry but that term made me laugh. At the risk of sounding like a twat, what the hell is a "land yabby"?

[Zen Peddler]

These annoying little critters:

http://museumvictoria.com.au/discoverycentre/infosheets/land-crayfish---who-s-digging-in-my-lawn/

[kadakuda]

well, probably not what you are looking for, but i for one find those little critters to be beyond wickedly cool! Too bad you are in OZ or you could make some $ at the pet industry to Europeans and north Americans lol.