What can I plant over my septic system?
/by Brian Huie on 7/3/2024
A septic system should only have landscaping with minimal roots.
When planning your landscaping over and around your septic system, you should avoid anything with large, woody root systems. This means trees and shrubs should be planted away from your drain field and septic tank. The roots from trees and shrubs can be quite invasive and strong. The roots can damage the septic tank or the the pipes in your septic drainage field.
Instead, opt for low growing plants with smaller root structures. Most commonly planted over septic systems is a grass lawn. The roots of the grass will not invade any of the parts of your septic system. However, it is important to maintain your lawn. Keeping the grass short will allow the drain field to dry naturally, preventing the area from trapping the moisture evaporating form the ground.
If lawn care is too high maintenance for you, or perhaps you are interested in something with flowers there are septic safe lawn alternatives you may consider. A native perennial garden can be a beautiful way to landscape your yard, and there are many such plants that will not harm your septic system. Some native species that are considered septic safe: bunch berry, lady fern, wild ginger, miner’s lettuce, sword fern, deer fern, kinnikkinnik. A cut flower garden may also be a nice option for you- many flowers have shallow root systems, and the foliage isn’t so dense that the area will remain too moist, but be sure to select plantings that won’t require lots of water to reduce the amount of water being added to the area- drought tolerant flowers are ideal. You may consider shallow rooted perennials and flowers for a cut flower garden such as lavender, armeria, Salvia, marigold, periwinkle, calluna vulgaris (heather), coreopsis, blanket flower, and bulbs such as tulips.
Other considerations to plan for if you are creating a new landscape around your septic area: avoid anything that can compact the soil over the drainage field. This means that a patio would not be a good fit for this area. Driveways and other items that a vehicle could access should also be setup away from the septic system to prevent to prevent crushing the pipes of your system. Gardens that require mulch are not suitable for the drain field area, because they retain moisture, rather than letting the moisture evaporate.
Having a septic system shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying the outdoors, it just takes a small amount of research into the effects your plans may have on the system’s functioning, and these tips will get you pointed in the right direction.
