Think you have drainage issues? See mine....
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spreading sand just over the top will start to help, it'll work its way in and help the soil to drain a bit.
what you might need is a land drain, which is a flexible ribbed duct with holes in, that you dig round the sides, and bury in a trench of gravel.
it's effectively a buried drainage ditch, which you'd probably have to run out the the back of the garden somewhere, but that should keep things drier.
what you might need is a land drain, which is a flexible ribbed duct with holes in, that you dig round the sides, and bury in a trench of gravel.
it's effectively a buried drainage ditch, which you'd probably have to run out the the back of the garden somewhere, but that should keep things drier.
TheEnd said:
spreading sand just over the top will start to help, it'll work its way in and help the soil to drain a bit.
what you might need is a land drain, which is a flexible ribbed duct with holes in, that you dig round the sides, and bury in a trench of gravel.
it's effectively a buried drainage ditch, which you'd probably have to run out the the back of the garden somewhere, but that should keep things drier.
Google "french drain"what you might need is a land drain, which is a flexible ribbed duct with holes in, that you dig round the sides, and bury in a trench of gravel.
it's effectively a buried drainage ditch, which you'd probably have to run out the the back of the garden somewhere, but that should keep things drier.
everything you need to know
Hi mate,
The neighbours to your left seem to have a Willow in their back garden that is proberly helping them, Willows can consume huge amounts of water per day! we are talking 100's of liters! You don't want to plant them anywhere near the house but down there would proberly be OK.
Good luck
The neighbours to your left seem to have a Willow in their back garden that is proberly helping them, Willows can consume huge amounts of water per day! we are talking 100's of liters! You don't want to plant them anywhere near the house but down there would proberly be OK.
Good luck
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Herein lies the problem. Does the ditch appear to have a good flow? I'll warrant not. There will be a blockage somewhere along the ditch, possibly at a culvert. Really you need to find out who owns the ditch. They are responsible for its maintenance. It may very well need excavation work. When levels in the ditch have fallen have a good look for a drain outlet from your land and see if it is blocked. This should be your first course of action. With a full ditch, the water off your garden is going nowhere.Which way does the land slope? As someone has said if there is a ditch that is always full you are never going to get your garden to dry out. A french drain won't help as the water won't flow out of it if the ditch is full!
Are the neighbours with the better lawn slightly up from you? Is your garden acting as their drain? My lawn is in a bad condition but not as bad as yours, but thats because I have some grass left. I actually get stnding water on the lawn even though it slopes!
Rollong the ground wont help, all it will do is compact it further stopping water absorption even more.
You need to sort out the ditch first, then get some drains in your lawn and add sharp sand to the lawn, possibly rotorvate it in.
Are the neighbours with the better lawn slightly up from you? Is your garden acting as their drain? My lawn is in a bad condition but not as bad as yours, but thats because I have some grass left. I actually get stnding water on the lawn even though it slopes!
Rollong the ground wont help, all it will do is compact it further stopping water absorption even more.
You need to sort out the ditch first, then get some drains in your lawn and add sharp sand to the lawn, possibly rotorvate it in.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
The owner of the ditch is legally obliged to provide easement of drainage from your land through his. Just phone your local council, and tell them the nature of the problem. No need to name names, let them investigate and take any necessary course of action. Regular routine maintenance of the drainage network is after all of vital national importance, and regulatory bodies need reminding of that.That being the case you appear to have sufficient freeboard to make the installation of a new drain into the ditch viable. Don't skimp on the permeable backfill - if you could get access to the garden with a mini excavator it would be a bonus, otherwise the trench will have to be dug by hand. HTH.
French drain-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_drain
i've always known them as just a land drain, but same thing.
complete with a picture up top of one not working at all...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_drain
i've always known them as just a land drain, but same thing.
complete with a picture up top of one not working at all...
You don't live next door to Jon (advice on neighbour moving fence) do you? I'm just thinking if he's nicking Jon's garden on one side he might be dumping all his s
t out of the cess pit on your side !
If you have a bit of a waterlogged area then the worst thing you can do is trample in it and be rolling it. Think when you tamp concrete all the water rises to the surface. Leave it well alone for the moment. As well as drainage trees and general vegetation are your friends. As has been said they suck up water, mix it with car fumes and turn it into oxygen.
A multi-pronged attack will get you sorted. As for digging drains I very much doubt you'll get a digger in the garden, not unless your missus is super understanding. You'll get a 3/4 tonne machine through a doorway with the tacks pulled in but for christ's sake make sure the builders wipe their feet before walking over your carpet
Oh and make sure if you've got a wooden cavity floor that it's in good shape. You'll have a hell of a job getting the crane in to lift the digger out of your cellar space 
See if there is a good independent garden centre locally and talk to them. They will know the land structure in your area and also be able to advise on planting. If you buy from them most won't charge for the advice or a quick site visit and their knowledge is worth it's weight in gold.
Good luck sorting it out.
Henry
t out of the cess pit on your side !If you have a bit of a waterlogged area then the worst thing you can do is trample in it and be rolling it. Think when you tamp concrete all the water rises to the surface. Leave it well alone for the moment. As well as drainage trees and general vegetation are your friends. As has been said they suck up water, mix it with car fumes and turn it into oxygen.
A multi-pronged attack will get you sorted. As for digging drains I very much doubt you'll get a digger in the garden, not unless your missus is super understanding. You'll get a 3/4 tonne machine through a doorway with the tacks pulled in but for christ's sake make sure the builders wipe their feet before walking over your carpet
Oh and make sure if you've got a wooden cavity floor that it's in good shape. You'll have a hell of a job getting the crane in to lift the digger out of your cellar space See if there is a good independent garden centre locally and talk to them. They will know the land structure in your area and also be able to advise on planting. If you buy from them most won't charge for the advice or a quick site visit and their knowledge is worth it's weight in gold.
Good luck sorting it out.
Henry
So from the additional pictures, it appears that:
Forking like this goes deeper than a spiker, and you need that. It not only assists draining of surface water further, but allows air to get deeper below the compacted surface (for bacteria and worms to do their thing).
The fork should slide in fairly easily. If you need to jump on the fork, it's seriously compacted - wiggle a bit more, and repeat fortnightly tll the Spring).
This job is easy, and should be done immediately.
The next step I would consider is putting a temporary path in. As it's a narrow path, traffic will continue to damage it. Consider sacrificing a strip (for now, or perhaps more permanently) to save the rest. For now, a plank would do fine.
Next (although perhaps concurrently) I would look to improve drainage. As mentioned, about three bags of sand would do that area comfortably. I would probably apply a little, weekly. But you might consider going for broke and put the lot on now - no grass will survive, and you will need to reseed completely in Spring.
Better yet, mix the sand 50:50 with well rotted compost - the proper rotted veg stuff, not multi-purpose - properly graded through a garden seive. This will improve the soil in drainage, structure and a wide range of nutrients.
Longer term, consider the other solutions already discussed.
- Grass is viable, if a bit fragile, but...
- A very wet Winter and a period of heavy activity has dug it up badly.
- As it's a narrow through route, recovery might be slow.
Forking like this goes deeper than a spiker, and you need that. It not only assists draining of surface water further, but allows air to get deeper below the compacted surface (for bacteria and worms to do their thing).
The fork should slide in fairly easily. If you need to jump on the fork, it's seriously compacted - wiggle a bit more, and repeat fortnightly tll the Spring).
This job is easy, and should be done immediately.
The next step I would consider is putting a temporary path in. As it's a narrow path, traffic will continue to damage it. Consider sacrificing a strip (for now, or perhaps more permanently) to save the rest. For now, a plank would do fine.
Next (although perhaps concurrently) I would look to improve drainage. As mentioned, about three bags of sand would do that area comfortably. I would probably apply a little, weekly. But you might consider going for broke and put the lot on now - no grass will survive, and you will need to reseed completely in Spring.
Better yet, mix the sand 50:50 with well rotted compost - the proper rotted veg stuff, not multi-purpose - properly graded through a garden seive. This will improve the soil in drainage, structure and a wide range of nutrients.
Longer term, consider the other solutions already discussed.
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