|
trendal
J♠



Registered: 04/17/01
Posts: 20,815
Loc: Ontario, Canada
|
Water pooling on the lawn
#24236744 - 04/12/17 07:24 AM (6 years, 9 months ago) |
|
|
So every time it rains here we end up with a soup that used to be our lawn. It stays this way, big puddles, for at least a few days, followed by a few more days when the ground just feels saturated. I want to start gardening, but I am afraid all the water will keep some plants from growing. I dug a hole a couple weeks ago to install a digester and found the likely problem: we sit on a hard layer of clay, with about 2 feet of topsoil on top of it. The clay acts as a water barrier, so with no where to go the water just sits around until it can evaporate naturally.
Has anyone had this problem? What did you do?
I've come across the idea of a "dry well" - basically a small pipeline that drains water deep down into the soil. I've read that in situations like mine, the clay barrier is only a couple feet thick, with sand/gravel below it. So if I drill a hole in the clay it should provide a quick path for the water to take - instead of sitting around on the top.
Does anyone have experience with a dry well?
--------------------
Once, men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.
|
Patlal
You ask too many questions



Registered: 10/09/10
Posts: 44,795
Loc: Ottawa
Last seen: 3 hours, 44 minutes
|
Re: Water pooling on the lawn [Re: trendal]
#24236775 - 04/12/17 07:44 AM (6 years, 9 months ago) |
|
|
You need to dig a drain.
If you have large ciment tiles somewhere in your yard, I got a solution for you. remove tile, Take anauger and dril a 4 feet hole, fill it with gravel, Put the tile back in place. It worked for me.
--------------------
|
Agronomist
Stranger
Registered: 04/11/17
Posts: 1
Last seen: 6 years, 8 months
|
Re: Water pooling on the lawn [Re: Patlal]
#24236780 - 04/12/17 07:46 AM (6 years, 9 months ago) |
|
|
Well if you give me a bit more detail I could help you. What part of the country do you live in? Depending on location and the last time a glacier rolled through you could have quite a bit more than a couple feet of clay. The Midwest tends to be chaulked full of argilic deposits. Depending on the topography of your property you could look into placing a tile line, which is just plastic tube which is hollow with holes to drain into an area that's lower. This is used in farming in the Midwest ubiquitously for farming and you can find tons of literature or how to's. I am not terribly familiar with the idea of a dry well but chances are the is more clay than you think. I can give you more detail of you give me an idea of where you are. Check out a program called ISSE soil types, it may of changed names since I last used it, just Google it plus Purdue and you'll find it. Look up your address is the state has coverage and tell me the parent material and soil type.
Edited by Agronomist (04/12/17 07:47 AM)
|
koraks
Registered: 06/02/03
Posts: 26,670
|
Re: Water pooling on the lawn [Re: Patlal]
#24236786 - 04/12/17 07:50 AM (6 years, 9 months ago) |
|
|
We used to have a similar situation in a home I grew up in. We used to dig a deep hole once in a while (for example when we were planting a tree) and made sure to dig all the way through the clay barrier. It was 1-2ft thick and sat at a depth of about 2ft, so it was doable. The dry well you describe sounds like a similar approach, but I'd make sure to make a couple of them, not just one.
Lateral drainage is another option, but with the drawback that it doesn't help vegetation that benefits from the possibility to root deeply.
|
trendal
J♠



Registered: 04/17/01
Posts: 20,815
Loc: Ontario, Canada
|
Re: Water pooling on the lawn [Re: Patlal] 1
#24236787 - 04/12/17 07:50 AM (6 years, 9 months ago) |
|
|
There are no tiles on our land...just a few power cables and phone/cable lines to worry about.
I was thinking I would run a few french drains to various areas in my lawn that have puddles of water, and have them all dump in to the drywell.
--------------------
Once, men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.
|
trendal
J♠



Registered: 04/17/01
Posts: 20,815
Loc: Ontario, Canada
|
Re: Water pooling on the lawn [Re: Agronomist] 1
#24236798 - 04/12/17 07:55 AM (6 years, 9 months ago) |
|
|
I'm in SW Ontario 
We are right on the edge of a vast sand deposit. My mothers house (about 10km West of me) doesn't have this problem at all - really well drained sandy soil.
With the small hole that I dug it was really amazing to see how quickly the soil changed from a loam to a clay. Like the clay was almost flat. They probably flattened it all out before dumping some top soil on top, when they built my neighborhood in the mid-70's.
--------------------
Once, men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.
|
trendal
J♠



Registered: 04/17/01
Posts: 20,815
Loc: Ontario, Canada
|
Re: Water pooling on the lawn [Re: koraks]
#24236806 - 04/12/17 07:58 AM (6 years, 9 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
koraks said: We used to have a similar situation in a home I grew up in. We used to dig a deep hole once in a while (for example when we were planting a tree) and made sure to dig all the way through the clay barrier. It was 1-2ft thick and sat at a depth of about 2ft, so it was doable. The dry well you describe sounds like a similar approach, but I'd make sure to make a couple of them, not just one.
Lateral drainage is another option, but with the drawback that it doesn't help vegetation that benefits from the possibility to root deeply.
That's what I am hoping for! A couple feet of clay with sand underneath would be perfect!!
I don't really have a place to drain the water laterally...going to the front of the house isn't possible, and at the back we have a sidewalk so I am hesitant about dumping water on it - especially during the colder months.
--------------------
Once, men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.
|
Crazy_Horse
I’m Rick James, bitch!


Registered: 08/15/16
Posts: 13,283
Loc: Hampsterdam
|
Re: Water pooling on the lawn [Re: trendal]
#24236807 - 04/12/17 07:58 AM (6 years, 9 months ago) |
|
|
Plant rice
--------------------
|
trendal
J♠



Registered: 04/17/01
Posts: 20,815
Loc: Ontario, Canada
|
Re: Water pooling on the lawn [Re: Crazy_Horse]
#24236814 - 04/12/17 08:00 AM (6 years, 9 months ago) |
|
|
Doesn't fit into our bee-loving meadow idea for a garden
--------------------
Once, men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.
|
Soluminia
The mind is god



Registered: 03/18/11
Posts: 3,978
Loc: CO
Last seen: 11 months, 14 days
|
Re: Water pooling on the lawn [Re: trendal]
#24236962 - 04/12/17 08:56 AM (6 years, 9 months ago) |
|
|
My dad would just get a water pump and pump all the puddles into a ditch
--------------------
|
trendal
J♠



Registered: 04/17/01
Posts: 20,815
Loc: Ontario, Canada
|
Re: Water pooling on the lawn [Re: Soluminia]
#24236976 - 04/12/17 09:01 AM (6 years, 9 months ago) |
|
|
That would get extremely repetitive
--------------------
Once, men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.
|
Patlal
You ask too many questions



Registered: 10/09/10
Posts: 44,795
Loc: Ottawa
Last seen: 3 hours, 44 minutes
|
Re: Water pooling on the lawn [Re: trendal] 1
#24237015 - 04/12/17 09:19 AM (6 years, 9 months ago) |
|
|
Whatever you do OP you need to be drunk and do a half ass joob.
--------------------
|
SuperFly
Still in the Space Race



Registered: 05/19/13
Posts: 1,032
Loc: Dark side off the moon
|
Re: Water pooling on the lawn [Re: Patlal]
#24237033 - 04/12/17 09:25 AM (6 years, 9 months ago) |
|
|
Or..........
You can embrace the magical water retaing spot and make a Koi pond 
And then you can invite us all over to have a trip party in your "zen garden"
I will bring the meat for the bbq don't worry. Patlal will bring the alcohol
|
CookieCrumbs
Fucked off to the pub


Registered: 12/10/11
Posts: 14,146
|
Re: Water pooling on the lawn [Re: Patlal]
#24237039 - 04/12/17 09:27 AM (6 years, 9 months ago) |
|
|
Pretty sure everything in. The house im buying has been done like that. Found a few bottles of liquor in the crawl space. And beer bottles all over the yard.
I love it.
--------------------
Free time is the only time
|
Seriously_trippin
Cosmic Guru Ganesh



Registered: 07/12/13
Posts: 14,470
Last seen: 10 hours, 50 minutes
|
|
A sand pale?
-------------------- R.I.P Zombi3, Blue Helix Modest Mouse Zappa Slothie That Kid With The face ShLong Le Canard split_by_nine & Big Worm Forever Etched in the sands of time in the shroomery and ever so beloved and deeply missed by many
|
cannabinated



Registered: 01/03/13
Posts: 14,743
Loc: Outside
|
|
Cover with woodchips, spawn psilocybe azurescens.
|
cannabinated



Registered: 01/03/13
Posts: 14,743
Loc: Outside
|
Re: Water pooling on the lawn [Re: trendal]
#24237640 - 04/12/17 02:09 PM (6 years, 9 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
trendal said: Doesn't fit into our bee-loving meadow idea for a garden 
Sounds like you like you would appreciate a permaculture based solution. Depending on where all the water is coming and going you can dig trenches and berms that will redirect the water and deliver nutrients to the soil. Drains aid in erosion.
Edited by cannabinated (04/12/17 02:34 PM)
|
Ahab McBathsalts
OTD Windmill Administrator




Registered: 11/25/02
Posts: 35,107
Loc: Wind Turbine, AB
|
|
French drains is the answer. Or put trenches every couple feet in a grid pattern, replace a couple feet of clay with crush rock and put a sump in a low point. Cover the whole mess with top soil.
Call before you dig.
Crush has more room for water than sand and might not compact as much.
-------------------- "Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. Everybody's going to die."
|
DTCharlieB
yum yum fish.


Registered: 08/31/07
Posts: 1,027
Loc: Yak attack
Last seen: 5 years, 8 months
|
|
Quote:
Ahab McBathsalts said: French drains is the answer. Or put trenches every couple feet in a grid pattern, replace a couple feet of clay with crush rock and put a sump in a low point. Cover the whole mess with top soil.
Call before you dig.
Crush has more room for water than sand and might not compact as much.
Yep. French drain would be your answer. How big is the yard. French drains can be a pain to physically. Also if you have a small area where you want your garden slope the area so it drains off down a hill or somewhere where it will flow away from the area. Still probably best to throw a French guy under there.
-------------------- I like lasagna.
|
trendal
J♠



Registered: 04/17/01
Posts: 20,815
Loc: Ontario, Canada
|
Re: Water pooling on the lawn [Re: DTCharlieB]
#24238078 - 04/12/17 04:36 PM (6 years, 9 months ago) |
|
|
Our yard is fairly big - about 45'x100' - though the area that I need to drain is only about half this size.
--------------------
Once, men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.
|
|