Tile Bed Tips & Tricks
by Rob Davis -Septic Expert
- The tile bed is a very important component of your septic system. Following are a few tips on care, plantings and activities to avoid on your tile bed.
- Never fertilize your tile bed area or any other area of your waterfront property. Fertilizer is a nutrient source for your lake and contributes to rapid algae growth and decreased water quality.
- Plant ground covers early in the season and avoid the use of invasive or overly aggressive species. Grass mixes are fine, however, if you do not want to cut grass each weekend try the following ideas for tile bed ground cover:
- Native Wild Flower mixes suited for your type of soil and light conditions work quite well and look great too.
- Dutch White Clover is ideal as it does not require cutting unless you want, holds up well to foot traffic, will flower if left uncut, is drought tolerant and stays green all season.
- Allow Mother Nature to plant some of her own flora in your yard. Plants growing on my tile bed in Haliburton include wild violets, wild strawberries, oxide daisy, dandelion, a variety of native grasses and trilliums have recently popped up on the edge of the tile bed area.
- Keep trees and woody shrubs at least 5 meters from your tile bed as the roots can migrate into your tile lines and potentiality cause failure. Trees such as Poplar, Birch, Balsam & Sumac are very aggressive and love septic effluent. Some perennials and even raspberry bushes can cause some indigestion for your tile bed due to their roots.
- Never drive or park on the tile bed, nor operate heavy equipment such as ATVs, dirt bikes & snow machines. Avoid watering the tile bed area when it gets dry.
A little prevention can go a long way to making your tile bed last a lifetime or two.
