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Waterlogged Soil

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  • g333g333 Posts: 125
    I’m well away from the laurel roots they are so far back...hopefully. Where I start have a deeper hole but I’ll back fill to raise it 
  • g333g333 Posts: 125
    One answer I am still hoping to get is  on the water not draining at that depth, if I back fill with what I suggested will the water actually ever back up.  The full border would be 10m in length and 2ft deep... I dont want to have to install drains or a soakaway if clearing the clay at this depth and length and backfilling will be enough to do the job?
  • InglezinhoInglezinho Posts: 568
    edited March 2021
    Posy is right. You must find where the water is coming from, without this any "solutions" are worthless. Drop some strong purple dye in the water which you first suspect. If none appears, wait a week then try NO.2. When you think you have identified the source, come back to us. IF you fail to find any definite source, the waterlogging is probably caused by the garden being in a natural depression. Dig a number of small but deep holes  in the lowest part and fill with sand and/or grit. If the holes fill with water before you can do this consult an agricultural engineer.

    Outside the box: Channel the water to form a large pond and grow aquatic and bog plants. Make sure the water does not reach your house...!

    GOOD LUCK!
    Everyone likes butterflies. Nobody likes caterpillars.
  • g333g333 Posts: 125
    Hi

    The water is coming from rainwater it is not coming up. There is also most likely rain water coming from land further up as I am towards the bottom of my street on a hill I am probably around where the street starts to level off but still a few houses away from the bottom that are lower level.

    My neighbours don’t seem to have the same issue.

    The other reason I know it’s not coming up as once I removed the water that was sitting and the sludge layer the clay was dry from there digging down. 

    The digger on the ground when wet has not helped the removal of the conifers will not have helped.

    The problem is draining away due to compacted clay is what I think from what I have discovered when digging.

    My options I see is...

    Option 1 dig out the full border 60cm deep x 50cm width x 10m long. Back fill with grit, hardcore, manure, top soil and bark.

    Option 2 dig a Chanel for a drain to the soakaway that I identified in my earlier post. This area is dry and slightly higher level is not an area that I use with the laurels there and has woods out the back.  This area does not have an issue with draining.

    I think both would work as it will be improved backfilled ground  and a drain pipe if going with option 2. 

    As someone earlier pointed out they can’t see the water backing up 2.5ft with option 1.

    the top 1/4 of the garden seems
    to drain, you see from the initial photos the fence line over 4 photos where the surface water was not standing.

    Just looking for some advice which option will be best?

    Thanks 
  • g333g333 Posts: 125
    The good news is I’ve dug the 10m trench down to 0.5m. Dug half the soakaway 1m deep, filled with some water and it is draining!

    The difference and ground and soil is crazy, but main thing is it’s draining so soakaway it is!
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Well done. Hard work but rewarding.
  • g333g333 Posts: 125
    Yes just glad to see some light at the end...fingers crossed.

    created another post for advice on best construction of a soakaway, anyone who has helped on here the advice would be much appreciated over on that post. 

    Seems to be a few different ways 
  • g333g333 Posts: 125
    I want to try and keep as much water out as possible along the trench and soakaway that has been dug until I can finish it.

    Any suggestions?  I thought about the boards you see landscaper etc use for diggers no idea what they are called tho? Any ideas on that or another idea?
  • g333g333 Posts: 125
    Question on the trench, I know the pipe gets wrapped in a Geo fabric, and the trench is backfilled with gravel etc, but is the trench lined in geo fabric also prior to the first layer of gravel?

    I have seen some where this is done and some not
  • g333g333 Posts: 125
    Error on my last post the trench is lined with Geo Fabric and then backfilled with the stones and pipe then it is all wrapped up as one package. 

    I thought it was the pipe only that was wrapped. Thankful not started yet :-)
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