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Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Once the vines are buried, how long can the vines stay wet safely before rot problems begin? We have had a good rain roughly every other day for quite a while. The dirt covering the vines is wet and I really want to avoid rot problems.

6/23/2008 5:24:04 PM

Somers, CT

My patch is under water right now. We got almost a foot of rain today.

6/23/2008 5:52:23 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Jordan, Unless your soil has disease pressure this is simply not a problem. The best thing to do is ensure your soil is adequately drained. I use drainage channels about 1 foot wide between and around the edges of each plant. They allow the surface to drain storm run off easily.

Soil type is a critical factor as well. The more clay and organic matter you have the higher the water retention will be. The best soils to have for water drainage concerns would be something that is equally balance in both micro and macro porosity. Macro pours in soil allow for fast quick and sudden drainage were as micro pours tend to hold onto water and store it in the soil. Therefore a certain portion of sand is always a good thing to allow for some subsurface drainage.

You can also carefully aerate the soil using a pitch fork if you are concerned about anaerobic conditions.

6/23/2008 8:00:52 PM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

I think I have adequate drainage. After a really heavy rain I might get some puddles but they will be gone within an hour or so.

6/23/2008 9:25:12 PM