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Flood damage to your landscape

LSU AgCenter

In addition to the flooding damage done to our homes, landscapes have also been impacted. Flooding primarily impacts landscape plants by saturating the soil.

Plant roots obtain the oxygen they need from the air spaces in the soil. When these spaces are filled with water for an extended period, the roots are deprived of the oxygen they need and they may drown.

Root damage through root rot and drowning is the greatest damage posed to landscape plants caused by flooding.

In ares where flood waters several feet deep occurred for one or more weeks, it's likely that turf, shrubs, and herbaceous plants will be damaged or killed by that experience.

Dan is an Associate Professor in Consumer Horticulture with the LSU AgCenter. He is the spokesperson for the LSU AgCenter’s "Get It Growing project," an effort encouraging home horticulture throughout Louisiana. Dan is also author of "Month-by-Month Gardening in Louisiana" and co-author of the "Louisiana Gardener’s Guide."