Help - what to do about drainage in clay soil?
We're getting lots of conflicting advice on what to do to improve the drainage in our clay soil. It's a 30 ft X 13ft (9m x 4m) garden in inner city London, surrounded by other terraced houses. We'd like to have a lawn in Spring, but water collects at the bottom near our retaining wall and doesn't drain away. It's not coming from a spring or anything like that.
Do we
- Try and install a French pipe drain, and if so, will just one do, or do we need to lay them in a T shape?
- Dig a trench and lay gravel and geotextile, i.e the same as above but without a pipe?
- Simply drill holes in the base of our retaining wall, in the hope that the water will run out into the drains?
- Mix organic matter into the soil, e.g. manure, and hope this improves the condition?
- Mix pea gravel into the soil and hope this improves the condition?
Take a look at the photos below. Our next door neighbour has a lawn that's full of sticky clumps and can't be walked on after Summer rain. I would really appreciate your help in formulating a plan.
Thank you!
Comments (7)
David Anthony
7 years agoI'm in the same boat was thinking about drainage in our garden but I've nowhere for the water to run off.
I tried adding compost and sharp sand last year and it made a little difference
Sophannah
7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
And me! This wet corner is the last part of the garden to be drained. It's hard going!!! This has been emptied 7 times now since Saturday, water just sits....it goes no where!!! I'm so scunnered, I'm past adding more drains, and have decided on a bog corner.
If I were you I would skip the adding of manure etc, I've been doing that for the best part of 7 years...but we have clay soil for a good few metres down. Anyway all of that as you can see makes no difference, the water still sits and saturates the manure meaning you sink down....but yours may not be as bad as mines!!
id go for the drains but as you said you need somewhere for it to drain too. A sump in clay soil is hopeless so if you direct it to a house drain, otherwise it'll only flood elsewhere.
its disheartening, and you'll need more than one drain. Wish I'd done the whole lot, but stupidly done it in bits.....sigh!! I feel your pain!!!
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Comments (3)It’s been 7 days since we’ve watered last and there’s still 8 inches of standing water measuring. ==>>> why are you watering.. if there is water in there.... it seems you are more fixated on your watering schedule.. rather than water when the tree needs it ... do not amend the soil ... ever ... i would get some mulch on the bare dry soil ... mostly because i suspect.. you look at it.. and think the soil is too dry and it makes you want to water ...... except you know its flooded down below ... so dont look at it.. lol .. and no landscape fabric ... read the link regarding clay soil.. and watering ... ken https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub...See MoreSophannah
7 years agoDavid Anthony
7 years agoDavid Anthony
7 years agoWell i dug down today on the part 9f the garden which gets waterlogged and i hit solid clay about a shovel and half depth
I also dug down where the drainpipe is hoping it goes deep enough to tap into
Sophannah
7 years ago
Sophannah