Meaning & use
well-drained soil
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountabletechnical
soil that allows water to flow through it easily, so it does not stay too wet
Grammar: Usually uncountable, but you can say 'a well-drained soil' when talking about a type of soil.
Patterns
- plant something in well-drained soil
- grow in well-drained soil
- well-drained soil is essential for something
Lavender grows best in well-drained soil and full sun.
If your garden has heavy clay, mix in sand to create well-drained soil.
These bulbs need well-drained soil, or they will rot in winter.
Common combinations
- plant in well-drained soil
- Plant the roses in well-drained soil for the best blooms.
- well-drained soil is essential
- For cactuses, well-drained soil is essential.
- a well-drained soil mix
- Use a well-drained soil mix for your potted herbs.
- moist but well-drained soil
- Most ferns like moist but well-drained soil.
Synonyms and how they differ
- free-draining soil
- Means the same thing and is common in British gardening books; 'well-drained' is more widely used in both British and American English.
- porous soil
- Focuses on the soil having many small spaces for air and water; it is more technical and less common in everyday gardening talk.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: well-drained soil or well-watered soil?
well-drained soil vs well-watered soil
'Well-watered' means the soil has been given plenty of water; 'well-drained' means water does not stay in it for long.
Practice
Which plant would be happiest in well-drained soil?
Choose one answer.
Well-drained soil lets water pass through quickly, so a cactus that dislikes wet roots thrives in it. The other plants need water to stay around their roots, which is the opposite of well-drained conditions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “well-drained soil”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.