Very wet soil problem in backyard!
Oneiric
9 years ago
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Comments (9)
Oneiric
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Backyard project - Soil compaction for new sod
Comments (17)If it were me I wouldn't be digging it up either. But before I tired the Bobcat thing I'd talk to a knowledgeable excavator about the possibilities. I'd go with continued watering, hoping for some good natural rainfall to help out. I built a new 6' x 40' 12" raised island bed over the past winter. We filled it with 6 yards of premium soil, and tried to settle it without compaction as we did. I watered for several weeks and not much settling. Then we got our first good Gulf coast storm system (aka toad strangler). The result after that was a solid 1" settle. Be patient, it will settle. In the OP you mentioned irrigation and sod. I trust you haven't installed the irrigation yet, which is fortunate. An option you might want to consider for now, while you wait for nature to do the work, is to seed the area with an annual grass. Not sure what grows in your area, but there are several decent annual ryegrasses that could be used. Some local turfgrass experts should be able to guide you. Not only will that give you neat short-term coverage, which will please Ms. Punkaweedus, but the root growth action may help settle the soil. Then in the fall or next spring you can easily get rid of it and finish the project. BTW - Bobcat has many models, including some with ~ 36" width. This post was edited by TXEB on Fri, May 10, 13 at 19:03...See Morewhat trees for wet backyard?
Comments (14)hum i 'ave written my privious post very poorly. i would reccomend Loblolly bay, for it is a native broadleaf evergreen from the tea family that requiers sutch sites to grow(youd need to add some organic matter to the planting area, if it has none. it has 3 inch white flowers that are very fragrent, concentrated at branch tips and blooms for a long piriod of time. the flowers are like the camelias, to wich it is closely related. It would need adquite mulch to keep its roots cool and moist during your dry summer spells, and watered during drought. But your site requierments would suit the plant pretty well... probably. Also try water and/ or swamp tupelo, close releteves of the back gum. the swamp has large edible fruit and water tupleto ranks with the baldcyprees as our most flood tolerent trees. both are quite hardy. also try coorkwood if the above mentions species dont appeal to you......See MoreVERY steep hill in backyard...need suggestions pls
Comments (9)The shrubs growing on the slope look that they have been there quite a while and seem to be growing straight up. (Sometimes, if there is a bend like an old-fashioned walking stick handle in the stem near to the ground, that bend can indicate that the land is slumping.) About the tree roots showing: there's not a great deal of topsoil from what I could see so the roots have probably spread out to forage for food and water. A number of tree species have suface roots - some quite gnarled and obvious. Think swamp cypress for a start. Unless the trees are very tall and your local prevailing winds are fierce or unpredictable you aren't likely to get windthrow. On a slope such as yours I'd be looking for grooves cut by runoff from the top as the precursor to shallow gullying - and that didn't seem to be happening. Personally, I wouldn't spend on 'posh plants' for such a slope. I'd ask for 'pioneer-type' shrubs - preferably native to your area. If you have a native plants nursery near you - pick their brains. Grasses, creepers, low-nutrient environment shrubs and sub-shrubs. That soil is obviously not rich - it hasn't been colonised by much at all. If you need clues and there are cuttings at the sides of your roads check there for what will establish and thrive and stay seemly. (No one needs a slope covered in fire risk weeds!) When you visit with the plant place/s ask for SPECIFIC guidance on how to plant up a steep slope. If it has a high clay content - let them know because it will change what they will advise. If there is any better soil available on your lot, and you can spare some - mix it in with the slope soil when planting but don't bother putting in fine compost. All that happens is the plants grow out to the limits of the top grade environment and then either sulk or die. Think about buying your reveg plants in 'root trainer' tubes rather than big cans or baggies. They'll be younger and better equipped to strike out, rootwise. Hear you when you say you're budget-constrained. See if you can legally collect native seedlings of suitable plants, grow them on, then plant out. Sometimes a neighbour can be a good source. Under the bird feeder, in a garden, can be another - but expect a lot of berry-producing plants ;-) And, as the slope is a bit of a challenge - could you devise a ladder to get you upslope for planting? Or a scaffoldiong arrangement. Something with wide enough treads so you don't end up with anguished feet!...See MoreAdvice please: drainage problem in back yard
Comments (10)This is an extremely common problem in new developments and landscapes. Even if the soil has been saved and placed back you've lost all of the "layering" of the soil that once had insect holes, pore spaces, and microbes working over it. In some landscape situations the soil will eventually "mellow out" and water will flow through it more rapidly. Expect the "ditch" to expand and contract as the soil settles into place. It could end up being a problem or it might not. Time will tell. Two to three years and you will know for sure. Every heavy rainfall mowing will be a pain even after the pore space issue is resolved. If you were able to pinpoint the low spot where the water collected you could put in a catch basin and tile with pop-up connector (but you could only take it to the edge of your property unless given permission). Best course of action would be for a rain garden but I doubt the development will allow you to do so if your neighbors do not have one. In my experience french drains work for a while.....but in time sediment fills them or in very heavy rain events they can even fill with water (depending on size of french drain). We see "grading experts" making mistakes all the time. They (not all inclusive but quite a few) tend to look at the start elevation and the finish elevation and if there is a drop that's good enough without taking into account every single property and the ups and downs that may be on them. Would be a great area to plant wet-soil tolerant ornamental grasses and perennials (or shrubs) with a rock going through the bottom of the ditch with landscape fabric underneath it. Could have stepping stones or boulders going across it for the kids! Bruce...See Moresherm1082
9 years agoCHFIII
9 years agodchall_san_antonio
9 years agoOneiric
9 years agoOneiric
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9 years agoOneiric
9 years ago
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