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Clay soil drainage

Sam76Sam76 Posts: 151
in Problem solving
will adding stones to the surface & trampling them in improve the drainage in my clay soil garden or would i need to dig a trench and put the stones in like the photo? Thanks

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Neither. 
    A trench will create a sump, so if you don't do it well enough, you'll make it worse. 
    Whether for lawn or a planting area, clay needs a different approach. In a border, you'd add lots of organic matter. In a lawn, you'd spike it and add grit, unless there's a serious drainage problem, when you may need proper, full on drains. If there's a high water table, nothing will help that though. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • SydRoySydRoy Posts: 167
    A series of French drains may help if you have quite bad drainage. They're more efficient with a slotted pipe surrounded by gravel. They also need somewhere to drain to -  or it will just fill with water. You could try raising any border or lawn. My garden is poorly drained so I've used sleepers to create raised borders and beds. I gave up with grass a long time ago. A boggy lawn will always remain so without serious (and often expensive) earthworks.
    The other solution is if you have a wet garden, work with it rather trying to fix it.  
  • Sam76Sam76 Posts: 151
    Thanks
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