Native plants will absorb the additional nutrients in the soil preventing them from readily entering the groundwater. You can get plant material either as a seed mix or selected plants and plugs. When choosing native plants for over drain fields, choose those suited for a dry prairie. Choosing plants that do not interfere with septic system operationsĬhoosing the right plants for a particular site is key to successful landscapes. You may be experiencing a septic system or drain field failure. Note: If your drain field area is wet, has standing water, or water collects there after a rain, it is strongly recommended that you stop here and call for a septic inspection. Adding additional water to the area risks over saturation. Never install an irrigation system over your drain field. It also reduces the pore space necessary for aerobic microbes that help to treat the waste water. This compacts the soil inhibiting its ability to adequately drain the water. This means that the plants you place there should be drought tolerant.Īvoid heavy walking or driving traffic over your drain field. This creates a situation where the surface soils in the drain field are drier than in other areas in the landscape. Properly designed, these fields are engineered to drain the external water from rain and snow melt away from the field rather that into it. A three to four foot mound of sand above ground level encasing a drain field.Soil absorption or drain field consisting of several trenches lined with perforated pipe on a gravel bed or a.From there, the waste water minus its solids either drains by gravity or is pumped into a Both systems have plumbing exiting the house to a septic tank for initial separation and partial treatment. The two most common septic systems in Michigan are sub-surface trench systems and mound systems. Before you start your landscaping project, make sure to have an understanding of the basic components of the septic system. Native plants, like any plant in your landscape, should be chosen and placed with consideration of its proximity to the septic system. That seems to contradict the "shallow root system" recommendation!” exclaimed a client. I think that root system can go as deep as 15-20 feet and has fibrous roots. “One grass recommendation for planting on the drain field was Big Bluestem. To the average homeowner this mix of information can be confusing. However, a lot of native plants (at least the drought tolerant grasses) have root systems that go very, very deep. Still others recommend using plants that are drought resistant so the mound does not have to be watered. Others suggest just lawn grass thus requiring water inputs to maintain a healthy lawn. One source will emphasize using only shallow rooted flowers and grasses over the drain field. Part of the confusion with using native plants over a drain field is that recommendations vary. Following a few do’s and don’ts will protect your onsite water treatment system and still provide you with the landscaping you want. Landscaping over the tank and drain field should be approached with care and to remain mindful that it is installed just below the ground surface. In a state with over 1.3 million septic systems, placement of the septic system for homeowners can be located in either front, side, or back of the home and take up much of the yard space. Most Michigan rural homeowners have an onsite waste water system ( septic system) that includes a septic tank and water drainage field to dispose of the treated water.
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