[TigilyC]

Hi there,

I've 1.6 acres of land, surrounded by trees. The land has road frontage along its longest edge, and the field slopes gently towards the road, all along the road front, along the longest edge of the field, runs a stream. At the other side of the trees, at the top of the field, is a ditch, and lush, green pastures, which are not water logged at all. My land is very wet, and covered in hillocks of dark reeds, especially in the winter. I did a soil test for septic tank drainage, and it failed as the water just sat in the holes. Apparently the land is very clay like in texture, and so holds the water.

There are patches towards the top corner, where the land is highest, where there are no reeds, but this is an exception. I'm wondering what to do to drain the land, and possibly flatten it, so at least I can have a field where I can grow grass to keep ponies on, possibly grow vegetables on, and more importantly, have good drainage for a septic tank, and to keep the water and damp away from my cottage, which I am in the process of renovating (it's going to be a long job!).

Options I have considered are deepening the stream/ditch at the bottom of the field, ploughing the field (although how and with what I don't know) planting willows, but have no idea where or how many etc, and doing something with the land. It's a big, dark green rushy swamp (well nearly) at the moment, and will only get worse as Autumn and winter draw in.

Ideas anyone?? Gratefully received.

Thank you

Tiggily
 

[Hermit]

If you need to get the land sorted then get some advice from a local farmer who knows the land type and could probably help you out .There are variuos methods depending on soil and then treatment afterwards such as liming.Willows dont absorb water just live in it better than other trees. They will hold the land together better with the roots but I have planted loads and the land is just as boggy as it was years ago.

[Norfolk Newby]

You can get a specialist contractor to put soil drains across the land. It won't be a cheap cure but the process will leave the land better drained for some years. How long depends on your use of it. Heavy machines will crush the drains and gradually destroy them.

Drains used to comprise clay pipes fitted loosely together so that water could escape downhill getting into the pipes at their joins. Now the same effect is achieved with a mole plough. This is a 3ft long blade with a cylindrical 'torpedo' on the lower end which is dragged through the soil to create a drainage hole and a slit through which the water can escape.

The mole plough needs a fairly powerful tractor to pull it so it cannot be used with a quad bike! However you can get smaller versions which can be used with a small tractor (25hp?) so if you have such a machine, you might want to get a small mole plough and do the work yourself.

Obviously, a large plough produces a deeper larger hole which will work for longer before the work needs to be repeated.

The plough can also be used to bury water pipes and electrical cables. The pipe/cable is attached to the back of the torpedo and it then dragged into the ground as the blade is pulled along.

The blade can also be used to cut tree roots to stop them spreading across your field. Trees like ash have lots of shallow roots which can spread 100 yards from the trunk.

One other thing to try. If you find the soil is a bit acid, you can spread and plough or harrow in some lime. This reduces the acidity (lime is alkaline). It also causes the soil to become less clay-like and have more of a crumbly structure. This should drain better than the untreated land. I would try a 50kg sack on a corner of the field to see if it has any effect and then go further if it looks beneficial.

NN

[OhLaLa]

We have the same problem and are looking for a mole plough for the back of our tractor, but in the meantime, for us, placing a ditch at the lowest end of the field seems to be the only option.

 

[TigilyC]

Hi, thanks a mill for that! I don't know if the land ever had drains on it. Except maybe the ditch/stream at the bottom of the field. I'm meeting a ground work contractor/neighbour later today, and will have a chat with him. Local knowledge and all that should be very useful. I'll mention your ideas, and the concerns you raised - thank you very much!

[Declan]

i know a little about this- I do the percolation tests and get clients their consent to discharge. I will pm you my mobile number- give me a call as a 5 minute call would put you right rather than a whole list of info that might not be relevant here.