I think BobTheGardener is right, and your soil is basically ok. That pit is empty of water in the photo, so if you dug it and filled it this morning and it's empty by this afternoon, you haven't got a lot to worry about regarding drainage. Anyone with heavy soil (which you have, given the vertical sides of the hole) will occasionally see water on the surface if it's been compacted. Compaction squashes the air out and makes the little particles stick together, slowing down drainage through the pores. I'd try deep digging or rotavating the affected area and see if it appears to drain better before doing any radical artificial drainage.
Some things eg roses love a heavy soil. Many plants prefer to be in soil which holds moisture, so they are under less stress in dry weather.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
I didn't want to believe it was just down to the compaction of the previous owner's paving because our next door neighbour had an awful boggy lawn himself.
Mushroom compost has been mentioned a couple of times, but I thought that was better for acidic soils as it's quite alkaline. Am I wrong?
SandT, it doesn't look like clay to me, it's too dark. I think it needs double digging, put in a lot of pea gravel in the bottom with a lot of organic matter. The hole that you made fill it up with water and see how long it takes to drain.
The soil is pretty dark in colour; could there be a silt layer? Silt is fertile, but has very fine particles so it often doesn't drain well, therefore you'd need to add - yes - pea gravel and organic matter to help it. Mushroom compost is indeed alkaline. It would be fine where you want to grow vegetables but perhaps you need to do a soil pH test before deciding whether or not to apply it. Your local authority might sell compost; in some areas of the country it has a poor reputation because they haven't screened it & removed bits of plastic etc, but I think most places are producing better stuff these days. If you can get it locally, it will be cheaper, of course, than fancy composted bark or manure from the garden centre. Steer clear of peat too, for obvious (ecological) reasons...
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
that soil looks as if it just needs lots of organic matterdug in to attract the worms - they will aerate it and improve the drainage. Do that and it'll improve it no end. No need for drains.
Last edited: 30 January 2017 09:26:01
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Sorry Hogweed it has worked for me for thirty five years. We were new build and the usual compacted pan with brick clay under the area, they actually had brickworks in the area then. The eight inches of topsoil (we got more then now they get four inches) then the rolls of lawn we got better quality as it was the show house. Heavy rain and water lay so down I went, the neighbour asked if I was burrying my wife, in with hard core then gravel and put some good soil back. No other drains and no more standing water now no back lawn there were three now down to two. I only speak of what worked for me over many years in different gardens, it may not work for all and I do tell them that when asked for advice.
I had the same problem when I moved to my house, the previous tenants had black plasticed the entire garden and plum slated it, the soil underneath was clay - solidly compacted and grey in colour due to no oxygen getting to it! as a consequence when it rained I had water flowing off the whole surface, flooding my patio area.
rotavate with some sharp sand and good compost ( 1/3 sand 2/3 compost) that will help the ground drain well, plus it will help any lawn or beds you intend to put in.
Putting some well rotted manure on top of where your beds are going will help as well as it'll introduce some worms to your soils.
Ah phew, thanks. So any old (good quality) compost? Or should I order horse manure or mushroom compost from a farm? The affected area will just be a lawn, as well have raised beds for flowers in the borders.
PS - this is the result 1.5 hours after pouring a washing bowl of liquid into the hole.
For the beds if you can get better stuff like mushroom compost cheaply then do that,
for anything that's going to be under the lawn anything organic will do, just make sure its well rotted otherwise it'll keep rotting and you'll get an uneven lawn as it sinks!
looks like once your thru the compact top layers it drains well, my parents have put a pond in and they didn't even need a liner as the garden is solid brick clay, it never drains away!
Posts
I think BobTheGardener is right, and your soil is basically ok. That pit is empty of water in the photo, so if you dug it and filled it this morning and it's empty by this afternoon, you haven't got a lot to worry about regarding drainage. Anyone with heavy soil (which you have, given the vertical sides of the hole) will occasionally see water on the surface if it's been compacted. Compaction squashes the air out and makes the little particles stick together, slowing down drainage through the pores. I'd try deep digging or rotavating the affected area and see if it appears to drain better before doing any radical artificial drainage.
Some things eg roses love a heavy soil. Many plants prefer to be in soil which holds moisture, so they are under less stress in dry weather.
You are so kind for replying - thank you!
I didn't want to believe it was just down to the compaction of the previous owner's paving because our next door neighbour had an awful boggy lawn himself.
Mushroom compost has been mentioned a couple of times, but I thought that was better for acidic soils as it's quite alkaline. Am I wrong?
thank you
SandT, it doesn't look like clay to me, it's too dark. I think it needs double digging, put in a lot of pea gravel in the bottom with a lot of organic matter. The hole that you made fill it up with water and see how long it takes to drain.
The soil is pretty dark in colour; could there be a silt layer? Silt is fertile, but has very fine particles so it often doesn't drain well, therefore you'd need to add - yes - pea gravel and organic matter to help it. Mushroom compost is indeed alkaline. It would be fine where you want to grow vegetables but perhaps you need to do a soil pH test before deciding whether or not to apply it. Your local authority might sell compost; in some areas of the country it has a poor reputation because they haven't screened it & removed bits of plastic etc, but I think most places are producing better stuff these days. If you can get it locally, it will be cheaper, of course, than fancy composted bark or manure from the garden centre. Steer clear of peat too, for obvious (ecological) reasons...
If you do dig a sump, you will need to run drainage pipes laid on gravel, from around the garden into it. Just digging a sump by itself won't work.
that soil looks as if it just needs lots of organic matterdug in to attract the worms - they will aerate it and improve the drainage. Do that and it'll improve it no end. No need for drains.
Last edited: 30 January 2017 09:26:01
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Sorry Hogweed it has worked for me for thirty five years. We were new build and the usual compacted pan with brick clay under the area, they actually had brickworks in the area then. The eight inches of topsoil (we got more then now they get four inches) then the rolls of lawn we got better quality as it was the show house. Heavy rain and water lay so down I went, the neighbour asked if I was burrying my wife, in with hard core then gravel and put some good soil back. No other drains and no more standing water now no back lawn there were three now down to two. I only speak of what worked for me over many years in different gardens, it may not work for all and I do tell them that when asked for advice.
Frank
I had the same problem when I moved to my house, the previous tenants had black plasticed the entire garden and plum slated it, the soil underneath was clay - solidly compacted and grey in colour due to no oxygen getting to it! as a consequence when it rained I had water flowing off the whole surface, flooding my patio area.
rotavate with some sharp sand and good compost ( 1/3 sand 2/3 compost) that will help the ground drain well, plus it will help any lawn or beds you intend to put in.
Putting some well rotted manure on top of where your beds are going will help as well as it'll introduce some worms to your soils.
my soil is fab now and drains perfectly!
Ah phew, thanks. So any old (good quality) compost? Or should I order horse manure or mushroom compost from a farm? The affected area will just be a lawn, as well have raised beds for flowers in the borders.
PS - this is the result 1.5 hours after pouring a washing bowl of liquid into the hole.
Last edited: 30 January 2017 14:49:29
For the beds if you can get better stuff like mushroom compost cheaply then do that,
for anything that's going to be under the lawn anything organic will do, just make sure its well rotted otherwise it'll keep rotting and you'll get an uneven lawn as it sinks!
looks like once your thru the compact top layers it drains well, my parents have put a pond in and they didn't even need a liner as the garden is solid brick clay, it never drains away!