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Author Topic: New - Buying Smallholding - Is wet land a problem??  (Read 5776 times)

janeymx

  • Joined Jan 2010
New - Buying Smallholding - Is wet land a problem??
« on: January 31, 2010, 08:55:36 pm »
Hi all,

We are new to this forum and the 'Good Life'.... so firstly, hello all, and secondly, hope that we can benefit from your experience!

We're looking for a smallholding in Wales.  We have seen a property this weekend that ticks all our boxes - with the slight worry about the quality of the land.  It is 12 acres and there is a stream that runs at the far end.  The land appeared to be quite wet and the grass / reeds quite clumpy.  The current owners haven't had livestock on that field for a while, but do have some sheep in a different field and have two horses as well. As it had snowed up there it was a bit hard to see the quality.  There is forestry commission land surrounding the property and they have just replanted - so this may also take up some water from the soil - but we may also lose some light of the fields.....

If we were to buy the property, would it take a lot of work to get the land from wet and reedy to green and grassy??!   I think she said it is a clay base and could do with 'topping'.....how does that work??  I know that a lot of places will be wetter at this time of year - we just want to be sure that we can do something with the land (property been on the market a couple of years - are others knowing something we don't!!).  Would pigs / sheep etc like it?? Or get wet foot rot (if such a thing exists!)??? ???

Any advice gratefully received.


Declan

  • Joined Sep 2009
  • Rathfriland, Co.Down
Re: New - Buying Smallholding - Is wet land a problem??
« Reply #1 on: January 31, 2010, 09:06:32 pm »
It might just be that as it wasn't grazed or worked for a while it has been let go and not looked after. I often carry out percolation tests on ground that a landowner is looking to get a building plot on. Often on ground like this the top 400mm or so is compact and heavy with reasonable ground underneath. The top layer needs tilled every so often to break up the material and to breath a little life into it. Of course there is a cost to do this for the whole 12 acres but it all doesn't need doing at once.
It might need a little investiagtion but I doubt that there will be anything that cannot be overcoem with a little work.

Declan

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
  • Qui? Moi?
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Re: New - Buying Smallholding - Is wet land a problem??
« Reply #2 on: January 31, 2010, 09:14:05 pm »
Hi there, welcome to the forum.
I am in central Scotland and I too have clay soil and am also in an area with a high water table - so my land floods regularly.  I have a slight slope so the water run off is at the bottom and the top end is actually OK.  It is very mossy though.  Since I only have poultry it isn't a problem, and have no intentions of having larger animals (I have dogs and a cat)  But for vegetable and fruit use I've been told to add organic matter.  You might enquire if they have field drains in place, and if not that might be an alternative option.  You might also find that like mine only parts of the land are affected.  You might not get a straight answer if they have been selling the property for 2 years but perhaps near neighbours have a similar problem and you could perhaps ask them? Sorry I can't be of more help.
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

ballingall

  • Joined Sep 2008
  • Avonbridge, Falkirk
Re: New - Buying Smallholding - Is wet land a problem??
« Reply #3 on: January 31, 2010, 10:56:34 pm »
Hello and welcome!

Its a difficult one really. I never considered what the soil was like before I moved here, and I now wonder if I should have considered it more! We too have a clay soil, and when we moved here our field had loads of marsh grass in it. Our little field is at the top of a slope, and it does get wet in the winter, however it doesn't flood. However, we have no marsh grass anymore, as we have dairy goats, and they have eaten out all the marsh grass!

I did notice, that a lot of manure does help. The first year we were here we put a lot of manure from the goats on to the veg garden, and then didn't do anything with the veg garden until last year- but I noticed then the ground had improved a lot. I've now started using the manure to try and improve and mulch some of our other bits of ground!

I would do as Annie asks, and ask about field drains. The other thing to bear in mind, is its winter right now, its been a wet winter (at least up here) and you are probably seeing the ground at its worst just now. Planting some willow would also help as it loves moisture.


Beth

Roxy

  • Joined May 2009
  • Peak District
    • festivalcarriages.co.uk
Re: New - Buying Smallholding - Is wet land a problem??
« Reply #4 on: February 01, 2010, 12:27:56 am »
our house and some of the land is in a valley, right next to a big river, so obviously we get a lot of water running by heading for the river.  My top land is ok, on a slope, but I have two fields in particular which are always boggy, and grow marshy grass.  I am fortunate that my OH does land  drainage as part of his job, so knows what he is doing ......its just the matter of buying all the pipes etc. which can be costly.

Most of our drains are the old stone ones, and over time they do tend to get blocked, fall in, so water backs up.  We have  had new plastic drains in one field, and its improved matters a lot.  Perhaps its just a matter of drainage with the land you are looking at?  Sometimes you can get away with just having the drains repaired, or just put new sections in and join to the old, which can be cost saving.

If land is very wet, I find its impossible to use over the winter, which is very frustrating and means buying in extra winter hay if the animals are in longer because of it.

janeymx

  • Joined Jan 2010
Re: New - Buying Smallholding - Is wet land a problem??
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2010, 09:59:08 pm »
Many thanks everyone for the really helpful replies.  Is good to have an idea what we are getting into!  Will ask about the field drains and if we purchase the property, will let you all know how we get on!!!

Thanks again.

J

sabrina

  • Joined Nov 2008
Re: New - Buying Smallholding - Is wet land a problem??
« Reply #6 on: February 03, 2010, 05:26:38 pm »
Wet ground can cause problems in sheep as we as the horses, you could also have a midge problem if there are trees as well as very wet ground.

 

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