Florida has long dry periods during fall, winter, and spring, followed by very wet summers. These climate factors can significantly impact stormwater management, leading to drainage issues on your property. Drainage issues can cause flooding, pooling, and even reduce the absorption of moisture into your soil. Managing the drainage on your property is essential for the health of your landscaping, but also to help reduce runoff and contaminants that flow into the bay.

The experts at GreenTech Tree & Landscaping can help manage the drainage on your property to protect the health of your lawn and the surrounding environment.

Landscape Drainage Design

Landscape drainage design starts by assessing the issues that are impacting the drainage on your property. Our drainage experts will investigate the cause of the issues and put together a comprehensive strategy to address those issues. There are a variety of drainage systems, techniques, and technologies we will deploy to address the underlying issues causing drainage problems. Once we understand the risks on your property we can employ these strategies effectively to manage stormwater runoff.

Landscape Drainage Solutions

There are a variety of drainage solutions that we utilize to maintain a healthy balance of moisture, while also reducing the risk of flooding and overwatering including:

1. French Drains: French drains are the most common landscape drainage infrastructure. They provide a subsurface drainage system that is typically around four feet deep, lined with gravel, and contain a perforated pipe. This drainage system is used to divert water away from structures like your home where excess moisture can cause significant damage.

2. Trench Drains: Trench drains are a simple trench, usually with a grate that help filter foreign objects and debris that can clog the drainage channel. Trench drains typically used on paved surfaces to redirect water runoff.

3. Elevation: Elevation techniques create small hills and valleys throughout your yard. This can help direct water flow to optimal places. They can also be deployed to direct water away from your structures like your home and business.

4. Bioswales: Biowales are a type of drainage system that blends nicely into the landscape. They are often confused for ditches because they are long, broad, and have shallow openings. Bioswales are covered with vegetation that likes excess water and can be a great place to plant water-loving trees like Florida’s Bald Cypress. Bioswales are a great solution for properties that are experiencing puddling that can damage your yard and be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

5. Rain Gardens: A rain garden is one of the most attractive water control features. Rain gardens are areas where the water runoff is directed. They are small indents in the ground that are planted with vegetation that loves excess water. These can be especially attractive for your property because they often attract butterflies.

These solutions can be deployed both on residential and commercial properties. Many of these systems can be integrated into the landscape design to not only offer this critical function but provide interest and beauty to your yard.

Retaining Stormwater For Irrigation

There are several ways to capture stormwater for use for irrigation. First is through proper soil amending to ensure that moisture is captured and utilized by your plants. The second is for larger properties that want to collect the stormwater for irrigation use. In these cases, we can deploy stormwater basins like detention and retention ponds that will collect the stormwater and are connected to an irrigation system. This is a great cost-saving and environmentally-friendly strategy for irrigation.

Proper Drainage Addresses Polluted Runoff

This is very important as Southwest Florida has many freshwater lakes, rivers, and waterways that host a variety of flora and fauna native to our region. We also rely on these water systems for drinking water and agricultural irrigation. Avoiding pollutants, fertilizers, and pesticides from going into our water is vital to our health. However, stormwater runoff makes up 30% of the pollution found in our waterways. Well-designed drainage systems control stormwater runoff and help reduce these toxins from entering our water systems. Many of our drainage systems have either natural or manmade filtration systems built in that can capture toxins before they enter our water systems.

Landscape drainage is vital for the health of your lawn and our community. At GreenTech Tree & Landscape, we offer a variety of affordable, attractive solutions that can make the most out of stormwater, while also reducing runoff. We’ll assess your property, design a great solution that is affordable and attractive, and install it with minimal disruption to your existing landscape.