[Millwoodequestrian]

Hi, I am new to the group, I was wondering if anyone with experience could point me in the direction of company or individual who could advise on field drainage. We have 18 acres of a small Equestrian farm but the land is quite boggy, also the neighbours land seems to drain naturally into ours. I suppose I am looking for a expert who could asses the land for me (including the issue with the neighbours land as well) and give me advice on which field can be drained and which are not viable.

Many thanks Gordon of Cleish

[Sra]

Firstly I'm no expert!

Experts cost money and are probably going to recommend costly work if they are the contractor also.

I would start simple - look at what drainage already exists - it probably needs clearing/digging out. Do that and wait a few months then reevaluate the land.

Next add in any 'easy win' field drains/ditches that will drain the worst areas into your existing drainage. Look for natural springs or issues that might be easy to divert. Go out when the weather is really bad and has been for a while and look at how and where water is flowing. Look at land either side of yours does that give you any ideas?

Possibly chat with the neighbor and see if clearing drains on his land might reduce run off to yours.

So far you have only spent a little on hiring a mini digger and have probably done some long overdue maintenance which needed doing anyway.

If it is still bad in areas think about the land use - How much do you need as pasture? Can you plant trees (for example Willow which is dead easy to do) to reduce the water table in the spring/summer in adjacent land bringing it into viable summer use - thus resting your winter pasture on the drier bits?

Can you put a pond into a really wet bit and pen it, bring on ducks as a side line? Keep a few pigs to root out some reedy areas and then reseed?

Is it cheaper to rent a little extra grazing, or buy more feed in during wet years than the further work required to improve the rest of the land?

If after all that you still feel there is an issue that needs solving then shell out on expert advice

Just my take on it - better to work with what you have than try to transform something into something it is never going to be.

[juliem]

I spent a lot of money on trying to sort out a few areas near gates with dutch drains (plastic drainage pipes in gravel designed to get the water away quickly.....) Problem is you have got to be able to get the water quickly away off your land with access to a stream/ river and you also need the right type of soil that will allow the water to perculate through.The Mod have built a warehouse on 30 acres next to my fields and they have improved my drainage a little by spending millions of pounds building a huge holding lake...(Balencing pond) Even with this pond there are some of my fields (12 acres) that I have to leave free of livestock during the winter..because the basic soil structure does not lend itself to drain easily...
Check the level of your nearest river on the Enviromental Agency website...the graphs show how quickly the rivers in your area react to a bit of rain...
I live in a part of Shropshire which was reclaimed during the 18th Century by Dutch Drainage experts brought over by the Duke of Sutherland. Still a huge amount of maintainance that is done by the local drainage board

[Foobar]

You need also to consider what grass species you have - for badly draining soil you need a good mixture of short and long rooted species.  The long rooted species will help break up the soil and improve the structure.  A good herbal ley might be worth looking at, or similar.

[Rupert the bear]

One of our grass parks was boggy  for years , then we had it ploughed and re seeded , when the field was first opened it was quite apparent that 20 yrs of compaction had stopped the draining action , now the park is fine and dry and the drains run again.

[ricardodba]

Hi,

i have a 1acre field which has a lot of those green soft rushes. The land is quite boggy and only takes a bit of rain for it to squelsh underfoot. So, im about to hire a digger and will dig a trench around the perimeter of the field.

The soil is about 12"to 18" then its clay. The trench will run off into a stream/beck that runs along the bottom of the field. The field has a slope down towards the stream/beck.
How deep do i need to go with the trench?

Once the trench is dug i will put in french drain pipe and pea gravel...then not sure if should just leave it like that or turran over top of pea gravel and backfill with topsoil for grass to re-grow over it...what thoughts on this???


The land has had sheep grazing on it for years...with very little to no maintenance at all on it. I have started wiping the rushes with some B&Q weed killer based with glyrecorate...but think i need something stronger!

Thanks.

[farmershort]

If the field is clay beneath then your perimeter drain might not be doing much on its own. You might need of those subsoiler machines on the back of a tractor to lift and cut the clay under the soil. once something like that I done, the soil will be able to drain into the ditches.

[ricardodba]

the natural lay of the land around the field runs down towards my fleld and then the field runs down towards the beck.

I want to catch any water running down towards my field and direct it into the trenches so stopping it from getting onto my field. Does this trench need to be dug down into clay?...or will digging just the soil down to clay be enough?

The field itself, i will look to subsoil as the next stage.