T. soakaway. I'm trying to come up with a. Digging with a sturdy spade is the best way, but using a rotavator works OK too. Sodicity degrades soil properties. #15. When I had an extension on my house, the rainwater had to be. fill with 5-10mm gravel. Based on some typical infiltration. 60 Minute Storm Duration Clay Sub-Soil Area To Be Drained (m 2) Size of Soakaway Below Invert (m3) 10 0. dustmaker said: building regulations state that a new soak a way has to be at least 5. It is worth mentioning that certain soil types like heavy clay will be unlikely to allow sufficient water drainage for a soakaway, while sand, chalk and limestone based soils are likely to be suitable. Be careful if you are using a rotavator, it's likely to bounce off the compacted clay until you get the hang of it. We've rounded up the top driveway drainage solutions for you to recreate in your landscaping scheme. Usually comes as a kit and The hole can be anywhere from 600mm to 1 metre deep and about 200mm in diameter. 29 Apr 2020. 2. How deep should a soakaway be in clay soil? A soakaway is basically a deep hole filled with rubble. (Using a tiller too often will actually impair soil drainage by breaking up soil aggregates. Digging in a french drain with perforated pipe along the side of the garden. It’s important to note that this method of drainage is not suitable in clay soils as these do not allow water to pass through them. Yes, adding gravel to clay soil can be beneficial in several ways. All options must be lined with a filter cloth with a mass per unit area of 140 grams/m² and a minimum thickness of 0. Percolation test procedure for surface water soakaways. Turkey grit is ground granite. When is a soakaway possible? A soakaway is possible when: The ground infiltration rate is greater than 1×10-6m/s. When wet conditions cause clay minerals to expand wastewater. Heavy clay soils, like black cotton soils and soils prone to surface sealing, hold moisture for long periods, meaning they become waterlogged easily. To increase clay soil drainage, one must prevent compaction of the soil. Clay soils can be difficult for roots to penetrate, and can be very hard for gardeners to cultivate. This is particularly the case where space is lacking and the soakaway size must be minimised. It should be noted that soakaways rarely work on heavy clay soils. You need to find out from the BCO if he is requiring you to connect to the surface water drain before going any further. * You live on a slope but don't want to let it run into the neighbours. 60 100 6. Coarse Sand. While we recommend your groundworker conducts a soil percolation test and creates a set of calculations, there is an alternative method that will give you a rough idea of the soakaway size you’ll need: If your soil type is not too heavy/clay, you can assume that one crate (1000mm L x 500mm W x 400mm H) will be sufficient for ten sq. 0151 515 1415; hello@spudulica. Beauty Advent calendars for 2023 incl M&S £348 for £45 (+£35 spend), £200+ of No7 for £43, £100 of Ciaté for £19. The pre-fabricated soakaway system offers an alternative to gravel when installing a French drain garden drainage system. water in and out but stopping soil. A traditional soakaway will have a ratio at the higher end of scale where it drains a road or several houses. Fill with decorative stones. 3: Using Worms and Castings to Improve Clay Soil. For example my grandfather’s garden and 5 acre orchard was next to a a clay quarry. Then refill the hole with clean aggregate (40mm or larger), allowing for at least 300mm of top soil. 11 60 3. Plus, a cut pool noodle can help to improve drainage in hydroponic systems. Dig the organic matter into the top 10 inches of the clay soil, working backwards trying not to compact the dug soil. Robust, durable and easy to handle. Soakaway not suitable for clay ground and will make matters worse. orThe garden work was basically removing everything (mature but massively over grown garden which hadn't been maintained for at least 15 years). Without proper garden drainage solutions, timber decking can be prone to rot, the likelihood of mold is increased, and the shape and finish of the structure can become distorted. The organic matter needs to be mixed into the top 6 to 12 inches of soil. A swale is like a ditch but it’s broad and shallow, and usually covered or lined with turfgrass or other vegetation. BS6297:1983 requires that septic tank soakaway trenches should only be constructed where there is at least 1 metre of soil between the soakaway and the water table at all times. 3 Improve drainage in heavy soil. As you can see from the pictures, it looks like clay and certainly acts like clay. Quote 2 involves lifting sections of a driveway and path, installing the soakaway to a deeper level to bypass the clay soil and finishing off by re-laying the sections of the driveway. If you end up building a soakaway over or in heavy clay or clay soils, you’ll actually end up with a pond due to the non-porous properties of heavy clay and clay soils. The soil in which the soakaway is placed must be granular with good drainage properties. Too much pressure put on the garden with all rain surface water going in it from all the rain and surface water. In contrast, clay soils and hard-packed or rocky soils are. Dig a series of parallel trenches every 3-6m across the garden, sloping towards the ditch or soakaway. All postwar housing is supposed to have the rainwater directed to soakaways to reduce load on the sewerage system. The size of the soakaway should be a minimum of 1m x 1m x 1m below the bottom of the incoming pipe. 2 options. When building on a clay site a number of issues can increase costs. Although soakaways are an effective sewage treatment component, they can experience problems. Nature of the soil and its effect on the soakaway drainage field performance It is impossible to soak effluent away into a clay or clay-based soil in a normal soakaway drainage field. It is based on the principle of a “reverse well”, which collects and drains the water rather than holding it. Chamomile can be stepped on reasonably once established — at least after 12 weeks — but will show signs of wear if trodden. Answered By: Cameron Gray Date:. Infiltration Test. This option is super popular for crafty hydroponic gardeners on a budget. See more of Septic Tank Soakaway Kit on Facebook. This is useful if the soils are clayey and do not drain very well. The above Infiltration Rate of Soils values will be suitable for an initial or feasibility design, but detailed design must always take place based on site testing. 2m deep it's still surrounded by clay and after yesterday's heavy rainfall this is what it now looks like:soakaway to be considered. Dig a series of parallel trenches every 3-6m across the garden, sloping towards the ditch or soakaway. In these circumstances a specialist software package is usually used, such as. Again though, not sure if these would likely just fill with water like a pond and leave puddles in the garden and how effect the water would feed into them. Heavy and consistent rains make the water table rise, resulting in waterlogging. While we recommend your ground-worker conducts a soil percolation test and creates a set of calculations, there is an alternative method that will give you a rough idea of the soakaway size you’ll need: If your soil type. The design of the crate structure is required to ensure a half empty time of 24 hours or less. Does a soakaway need emptying?The result is a reduced performance of the septic system, or even system failure, which can cause effluent to pool on the surface. 5m deep in a lower part of your garden and preferably at the bottom of a slope. Building a soakaway using crates isn’t much different from using stone infill. Fill the drains with wrapped gravel. The wastewater would pass straight through the shallow or limited topsoil, hit the clay, and either travel sideways or back up to ground level. The side drains join the main drain at a 45 degrees angle and are spaced at 10 ft intervals for clay soil and 25 ft intervals for loamy soil. Questions: Has anyone used the. 25 inches per hour is needed to create an effective rain garden. The SOAK1GR should be sited as close as possible to the boiler but clear of the building foundations and not in the vicinity of other services, such as gas, electricity or water connections. 174. Soakaway crates help to remove some of the burdens that surface water and run-off put on drainage systems by providing an alternative drainage solution. The soakaway should be encased by 100mm of free draining gravel on all sides. DON'T install a soakaway within 5 meters of your home or a road, it must be installed over 5 meters away. Ello, I've been trying to sort out the rainwater drainage at the back of our house. 2: Amend Your Clay Soil with Organic Matter. Where deep drains are necessary, the hole should conform to this shape at the bottom, but may be enlarged above the 300mm level to enable safe excavation to be carried out. This can cause wastewater to flood the surface of your property. We sell our products through wholesale. Seal bag of clay with twist tie or rubber band. Dig a series of parallel trenches every 3-6m across the garden, sloping towards the ditch or soakaway. Save time and money with one of the UKs leading soakaway and site investigation experts. It strengthens root anchorage. A soakaway is part of the Sustainable Drainage Design. Coffee husk ash (CHA) is a solid waste obtained by the processing of coffee beans on a farm or factory. A cone of influence of 450 from the discharge points in a soakaway surrounded by soil with similar vertical and horizontal permeability can be used to provide an initial assessment of the zone of impact of a soakaway. To increase the drainage in extremely waterlogged gardens, dig a trench wide enough for a drainage pipe running from the area that needs draining towards the soakaway. Or. The soils treated are Organic silt, Varved silts and clays, soft clay, Dredged material The design considerations which should be made are bearing capacity, Slope stability, Degree of consolidation. This is measured below the pipe invert so you' generally dig 1. If you have the space and some soil on the clay you could run an ACO channel anywhere out of the way. Break up the earth at the base of the pit with a garden fork. The drains work fine for deep drainage, but the drainage pipes are not taking away the surface water (above the clay). Smart Living Transform Your Home with These Cutting-Edge GadgetsFinally, cover up the surface with at least 100mm of soil or sub base then lay your turf or alternative surface back on top. We have a blog post on how to perform a percolation test here. In our first spring season, we noticed the garden was very waterlogged and pestered the builder who eventually installed a soakaway in the garden approx 1 metre from the back of the house. Stage 5 – Cover the crates. In a word, peat is springy. You should place an impervious layer on top of the. About. 3. The diagram below is not to scale. The pre-fabricated soakaway system offers an alternative to gravel when installing a French drain garden drainage system. 45 mm. However, using cement and lime has become one of the main concerns for engineers because they negatively affect the environment and economy,. It is useful in changing the soil structure in excessively heavy soils, which is impacted by heavy traffic, flooding, or over cropping. Put 2cm of soil in a large jar filled with water, screw on the lid and shake. Step 2 – Prepare the crates. Among these replacements is the use of coffee waste as soil stabilizers. Dig a series of parallel trenches every 3-6m across the garden, sloping towards the ditch or soakaway. The required volume of the soakaway and the volume of the storm surge attenuator are calculated in similar ways. Allow winter frosts to work on clay and break it down. ianmcd said: yes it should be a min of 500mm away and yes you can buy the soak away container but there is no regulation that I am aware of that says you have to use such a container, the lime chips just neautralise the acid in the condensate discharge. How do I install a soakaway in my garden? Follow these 6 simple steps to install soakaway crates – both quickly and correctly: Step 1 – Create space. I don't know what area you are in but a soakaway in the South East will cost nearer £350 + vat. Topography, soil characteristics and composition of the effluent should be examined. But must clay soils are quite deep. Note that land drainage is NOT the same as a soakaway, although they may both be used to dispose of surface and/or ground water. Step 1. Friday 4th March 2022. Log In. 25 for septic tanks. The volume of water being put into the soakaway: If a soakaway can't handle the water quickly enough then it will silt up at the bottom and eventually the sides will collapse. 4 x190l (1000x50x40mm each) crates wrapped in geo fabric (french drain pipe into here) back filled around and on top with 10-20mm gravel. mix concrete on the driveway. )Jul 4, 2021. To work out what size soakaway is required for your property, use the method below to. Installing French drains and a soakaway in clay soil can be an effective way to manage waterlogging, but there are certain considerations you should keep in mind. Some clay soils will achieve virtually zero infiltration and in these soils a soakaway will not be practical. Ground where water soaks away too quickly (e. you are now not allowed to run storm water in to fowel drains. If the garden is already waterloggedAbove-ground mound soakaway systems, or mound systems, were developed by WTE Ltd. Land drainage is principally used to alleviate waterlogging in fields and gardens, but it can also dessiccate certain ground types in prolonged dry spells, so think carefully before installing. A soakaway crate is used as part of a full drainage system in areas that experience high levels of surface water or run-off. Soak Away Testing. The test procedure is outlined here. This is the saturation line or upper level of groundwater within the soil or bedrock, which can rise during rainy seasons and fall during dry spells. Hi, we had a new combi fitted 10 months ago. Log In. I have a building which sits on top of clay ground so I couldn't soak away the grey water. This is the saturation line or upper level of groundwater within the soil or bedrock, which can rise during rainy seasons and fall during dry spells. Fill your soakaway. Location. We evaluated the effects of various alternative farming practices that can be adopted in otherwise conventional farming systems [32–34]. org If you are just interested in getting the water away from your clay soil and elsewhere, you can have it drain away from your property. 7 Sep 2013. 10 Jan 2017. Alternately, gardeners can build berms in the landscape to lift plants out of poor-draining clay. 3. This can sometimes be the case for soakaways installed in silty or clay soils. The Infiltration Rate of Soils also tends to decrease over time. The down pipe (cast iron) appears to be blocked and the water is filling back up the down pipe and gushing out at the lowest joint which is about 4ft from the floor and subsequently soaking the walls of. Prev 1. Use a loose, organic-rich soil when building berms to enhance drainage. Because of the poor porosity, soakaways frequently fail within the first 5 years of operation because the air gaps in the soakaways become clogged with the high amounts of suspended particles in the effluent, which. Dig. Area (A) = V x P x 0. A soakaway is a simple way of dispersing surface water when a connection to a surface water system, such as a gutter down pipe, is unpractical or isn’t possible. Percolation test procedure for surface water soakaways. FAQ Blog – Soakaways. Rainwater harvesting systems will usually have an overflow to a soakaway or drain. When rainwater floods into the same area time and again, a little light geoengineering may be the solution. orAlternatives to Soakaway - Clay issue. It promotes the rapid growth of roots and plants in general. How a French Drain Works - in Clay Soil. A soakaway is a hole that’s dug in the ground and filled with coarse stone, rubble or plastic crates (also known as soakaway crates ). In many cases, sites with a high water table or a heavy clay content will also not be suitable. Cheaper but less effective methods include soakaway areas, soil aeration and changing the soil composition. Soakaway: A soakaway is an underground structure designed to disperse water into the surrounding soil. Like a trench drain, a swale is a surface water drainage device. Hard-packed clay and rocky soils are not suitable for its construction. Crates measures 800x500x540mm = 0. Rotavate that in and replace the top soil. That said & having read the main site & some of the forum posts, I have some questions about soakaway alternatives for our garden. On sloping ground soakaway trenches should be constructed at a constant depth along one or more contours. After (just recently) reading to manufactures instructions concerning the soakaway its states it need needs to be. Chapter 3 1994 8. To work, it must extend below the clay and be at least 1. Always cover the soakaway crates with a geotextile membrane to maintain the performance of the system. This is a more complex project, and. With nowhere for the water to go to it just fills up and sits there. A soakaway is best installed away from the house, but it may only last a few years. A very general rule of thumb is; 1 cubic metre (1 m3) for a 50m2 driveway and 2 cubic metres (2m3. 6: Grow Clay-Busting Plants. Best garden drainage systems in a nutshell. (c) Soil Investigation for Septic System Design & Installation Approval. clay or rock). Even if a connection to a down pipe is. Because your soil is clay a traditional rubble filled hole will not be an adequate soakaway. 5 metres from a boundary etc. 2. And there you have it, a fully installed soak away to take care of your garden drainage issues. Steps: To build a basic stand-alone soakaway, dig a pit in your soft turf no less than 1m2 and 1. 1. 25 Mar 2015. Rear garden floods, which then runs onto the patio area. Back Garden Soakaway + Clay. DON’T install a soakaway if you live in a polluted area prone to smog. 216m3 Volume Sump pump information on my Sumps and Pumps. The best garden drainage solutions usually consist of a french drain system leading into a pump station which redirects water into a surface drain. Essentially, the poorer the drainage, the bigger and deeper the hole needs to be. This was done over winter and it looked like a complete quagmire. It is pointless sinking a soakaway in clay unless there is a more porous layer underneath. Includes 3 side panels and 1 cover. 24 30 1. A soakaway is basically a deep hole filled with rubble. 8 Feb 2014. If it takes one to two hours for the. Soakaway crates take run-off water and allow it to slowly percolate. Soak pits are appropriate for rural and semi-urban settlements. French drains help to. Your soakaway should be at least one cubic metre, and be below the bottom of the feeder pipe. 216m3 Volume Sump pump information on my Sumps and Pumps page A soak pit, also known as a soakaway or leach pit, is a covered, porous-walled chamber that allows water to slowly soak into the ground. In addition to water dispersal, a soak pit mustSee more of Soakaway Worms on Facebook. I've found that garden compost is best, but conditioners such as seaweed, farmyard manure, or bagged manure products like Scott's. This can be an expensive and arduous effort but is generally fool proof and really the only option if you are trying to grow on pure clay. 1. The rate of this silting depends on several factor but principally the following. Fit a plastic underground drainage pipe from the drainage channel or rainwater pipe into your soakaway, and attach a gully trap at the top end of the pipe. Mix the perlite into the soil you already loosened. #15. One is to run your rainwater into a water. * Get connected to the surface water drains used by the neighbours. Minimum soakaway drainage field distances. wcavanagh. Staffordshire. I dug a channel out and have begun to dig a soakaway in the corner of the garden and am down about 1 metre so far, just gone past blue clay. This can cause the soil to shrink, especially if it is predominantly clay, which has consequences for structures built on it. V = the time in seconds for the water in the test hole to drop by 1mm. Pumice is a soil amendment made from igneous rock. A soakaway is something you can build yourself, but there are a couple of things to be aware of before you get underway. If a soakaway isn't viable due to ground conditions then surface water drain is the next consideration. Principles. 1. 30 Jul 2005. When is a soakaway possible? A soakaway is possible when: The ground infiltration rate is greater than 1×10-6m/s. This is best done using shingle or sand, which needs at least 6 inches to be placed around the sides as well as on the top of your crates, before (for gardens) at least another six inches of any soil which was removed to make space for the crates is added back on top and. 2 to 9. Jan 20, 2015. Fill with water to depth of 300mm. We've rounded up the top driveway drainage solutions for you to recreate in your landscaping scheme. Ello, I've been trying to sort out the rainwater drainage at the back of our house. The location of the soakaway is determined based on soil conditions, distance from water sources, and the size of the property. How to Make a Rainwater Soakaway. Gypsum is calcium sulphate and is touted as very beneficial for breaking up compact clay soils. filled the hole at 1820, and by 2217 it had possibly (possibly) moved 2cm, but I suspect. It's also soft rather than scratchy underfoot, unlike edible thyme varieties. The first thing to consider when choosing a suitable site for a soakaway is the water table. 0 views, 0 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Soakaway Worms: septic tank soakaway clay soilDig a hole into the soil approximately 60cm (2 feet) deep; Fill the hole with water and leave it for four hours; If the water is still there after four hours, then it’s a good sign that you need drainage. . Staffordshire. In Australia, a soakwell is a large underground plastic or concrete tank that connects to your roof drainage system. Author. However, the consolidation of the soils is time dependent, delaying construction projects making it a non-feasible alternative. Crushed oyster shells work as well. Creeping thyme grows only a few inches tall and is hardwearing, making it a great option for high-traffic areas. The addition of organic matter is preferred to adding. The fitter assured us that it was all done correctly and that it has been fitted into a soakaway. how to build a soakaway - how to build a soakawayvideo will show you just how easy it is to build a soak. A lot of sites say that adding sand to clay soils means the clay aggregates around the sand and sets like concrete. In order for anything to soakaway in the ground, the ground needs to be able to drain. #1 I'm looking at re laying my driveway, which is currently constructed of non porous materials and which runs into local drainage. 5m away from the house, and at 1 square cubic meter per 15 square meters of roof area the water falls from. 10-20mm gravel at the bottom. #1. Plastic chamber leach fields are great alternative septic systems for small lots and properties with high or variable groundwater tables. Bore a hole 150mm in diameter with an auger, to a depth of one metre. Thread starter Temmy; Start date 20 Aug 2021; Temmy. Soil containing a high amount of clay is not a good choice for drainage and you may have to dig deeper to get past the clay layer. If the water clears within half an hour, you have adequate amounts of gypsum. it may mean deeper than standard foundations particularly if you have clay soil. White clover spreads horizontally and grows 4-8 inches tall. In this guide, we will look at what a soakaway is and how it relates to a septic tank. There's a slightly smaller soakaway out the back which we have joined into for the rear, all rear rainfall also goes via a 1250l water butt. Be sure the soil is a bit airy, too. Consequently,can you have a soakaway in clay soil?The excavation for the soakaway is usually done by mechanical diggers. Perlite is an excellent amendment for clay soil when you want to increase the drainage and aeration of the soil. Let Geoinvestigate’s experts quote for your next SuDS soakaway, soakage, percolation, permeability or soil infiltration test. This is done to guarantee that the ground (soil) is suitable for a soak away, as well as that the soak away is correctly built for the situation at hand. A soakaway system is an online system whereby all storm water flows into the crate structure and infiltrates into the surrounding ground as and when saturation allows, until the crate structure is completely empty. The design of the crate structure is required to ensure a half empty time of 24 hours or less. Messy and expensive excavation, deeper foundations and biggest problem of all; rainwater will not soak away. You should place an impervious layer on top of the. 5m and 7. These fibers are an excellent material since they help orchids grow strong roots that can hold the plant together. No need to compact the bottom. allow the garden. Put bag of clay in bucket. Because your soil is clay a traditional rubble filled hole will not be an adequate soakaway. With nowhere for the water to go to it just fills up and sits there. #5. 2. Fill the hole with water and come back and check it the next morning. Don't spill your soil. Beg some plastic milk or beer bottle crates, wire them together to form a cube, wrap it in horticultural ground cover fabric and bury it in a pit, running a rainwater pipe from the middle of the crates to the outlet of the drainage channel. Rebekah PooleOk well. A soakaway may well be pointless in heavy clay and therefore your only other option would be to run the water off the surface and round a corner to a bed or lawn etc, depending on the surface area being drained this may not be suitable but for a small drive it would probably be ok. Kent. If the soakaway has been constructed in non-permeable soils such as sandy clay, silt clay and clay then the effluent from the septic tank cannot filter away through the soakaway then flooding of the septic tank will occur causing it to overflow, causing a health hazard. 2. Fill around the sides and top of crate soakaways with a good, compact layer of sand or gravel, before backfilling with soil. We considered zero tillage (no-till) as compared to conventional tillage, cover cropping or green manure practices that keep soils covered compared to leaving them bare (cover crops),. The first thing to consider when choosing a suitable site for a soakaway is the water table. Also not every garden has the facility for a soakaway, some are paved over, concreted or whatever. In clay soil, the effectiveness of a. Leave alone approx 12 hrs. As long as the. It is lightweight and easy to work with, and it has a high water-holding capacity. Step 6 – Replace any ground that was removed. 8 meters deep to work. If so, consider installing a drainage system, as long as you have somewhere for the water to go (a ditch, drain or soakaway, for example) Often there’s no easy way to shed excess water. View Product. Whether you’re using crates or stones for your soakaway pit, be careful not to spill soil inside your geotextile lining as it won’t work effectively. Soakaway Pit Design. you can go as close as is practical to the hedge. 06 (i. You should recieve some clips or ties with the crates. An online system. Refill the hole and time how long the water takes to seep away from the 75% point to the 25% point (this is 150mm). septic tank soakaway clay soil - septic tank soakaway clay soilyour septic tank and soakaway in clay soil?Are you. Underlying soils – This has a limited impact on man-made surfaces such as pavements, but has a very large effect on natural or agricultural surfaces. See more of Septic Tank Soakaway Kit on Facebook. Gravel helps to loosen the clay soil, which increases air and water infiltration. Garden or driveway soakaways are usually much smaller than. The soil was available in powder form with particles smaller than 75 µm. The soakaway must be a minimum of; 5m away from your building 5m away from a road 2. I use it as the inorganic component for most of my bonsai except really large ones. Reapply any turf that you dug up before and the work will be complete. It should be noted that soakaways rarely work on heavy clay soils. started a discharge from a septic tank or small sewage treatment plant. It strengthens root anchorage. To work, it must extend below the clay and be at least 1. Water in camps of Displaced people 1994. It was fitted with a condensate soakaway as no drainpipe/drain nearby. I've done some research since posting the above, and its clear that particularly with heavy clay soil, I need to dig a trial pit to make sure the ground is porous enough and the water table low enough to make a soakaway practical. Kaolinite clay soil, with a chemical formula of Al2Si2O5 (OH)4, has a low shrink-swell ability and is. This closes the pores and fissures at the excavation interface leading to. g. Soil porosity refers to the fraction of the total soil volume that is taken up by the pore space (Nimmo, 2004). Rainwater harvesting systems will usually have an overflow to a soakaway or drain. Dig a series of parallel trenches every 3-6m across the garden, sloping towards the ditch or soakaway. Installing a soakaway provides a means by which rainwater from a building can be collected and dispersed into the soil in a suitable location. So the two are totally different and adding sand to clay doesn’t mean it will set like. The first method is to dig up the soakaway, remove all the pipes and crates and re-install a new system. The slope of the apron (1%) should fall to a drainage channel leading to a soakaway pit, an irrigated garden or a cattle drinking trough (see corresponding briefs). you can go as close as is practical to the hedge. Using a pothole digger or soil auger dig a hole four feet deep. . #10. The condensate pipe should discharge into a purpose made recepticle and the bottom of. 1: Aerate Clay Soil for Better Plant Growth. some sandy soils), or soaks away too slowly (e. The crates feature voids, allowing large volumes of water sufficient surface area to seep back into the ground.