A corner of my lawn (about 2 m.sq. is badly drained (& shaded). It
ends at a 20cm. step down to a path. What can I do?

dairich wrote:
A corner of my lawn (about 2 m.sq. is badly drained (& shaded). It
ends at a 20cm. step down to a path. What can I do?

If the subsoil is permeble, get a bulb planter and remove deep 'cores'
and fill with sand.

Then put the top of the core back.


If the subsoil itself is staurated, then the whole area needs to be
drained and raised.

What can and has worked for me is to strip the surface turves, lay a
couple of inches of sand, and put them back.

Now the water will run through the sand..the question of course is where
it will end up...

If you want to properly drain a whole flat area, its really down to
ripping it all up, laing in perforated pipes and gravel and then
rebuilding the soil over the top...

We ghave really compromised by simply raising beds adnd paths, - thsoe
with criushed limestonme - and letting te grass grow back. The alwn is
sodden in witerm, but we dont have to walk on it any more!

Once summer comes, the tree roots suck the ******* dry.

"dairich" wrote in message
...
A corner of my lawn (about 2 m.sq. is badly drained (& shaded). It
ends at a 20cm. step down to a path. What can I do?

Is it a modern house (30 years old)?

We're* digging soakaways in advance of laying slabs on part of our garden
and found one corner was full of old DPC offcuts buried under about 9 inches
of top soil.

You may find the the builders have piled up some impervious rubbish and
covered it with no more than a modest layer of soil

If it's not that, try digging a ditch a couple of feet down and fill with 6
inches of crusher run rubble.




* well not me obviously, I'm out at work or wasting my time on newsgroups
rather than digging

The Natural Philosopher wrote:

If you want to properly drain a whole flat area, its really down to
ripping it all up, laing in perforated pipes and gravel and then
rebuilding the soil over the top...


They spent months doing this in our local park and only succeeded in
moving the soggy bits to an adjoining area

"dairich" wrote in message
...
A corner of my lawn (about 2 m.sq. is badly drained (& shaded). It
ends at a 20cm. step down to a path. What can I do?

I would plant the area with water loving plants, like bamboo or hydrangeas
or turn it into a marsh plant area. My next-door neighbour spent ages trying
to deal with a 'badly drained' bit of lawn before discovering it was the
outlet for a natural spring.

Colin Bignell

Stuart Noble wrote:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:

If you want to properly drain a whole flat area, its really down to
ripping it all up, laing in perforated pipes and gravel and then
rebuilding the soil over the top...


They spent months doing this in our local park and only succeeded in
moving the soggy bits to an adjoining area

Well that is water for you. It has to end up SOMEWHERE.

People have forgotten what ditches are FOR.

To take water from where its not wanted, to where it is.

nightjar cpb@ wrote:
"dairich" wrote in message
...
A corner of my lawn (about 2 m.sq. is badly drained (& shaded). It
ends at a 20cm. step down to a path. What can I do?

I would plant the area with water loving plants, like bamboo or hydrangeas
or turn it into a marsh plant area. My next-door neighbour spent ages trying
to deal with a 'badly drained' bit of lawn before discovering it was the
outlet for a natural spring.

Colin Bignell


The problem with that, Colin, is most of them do bugger all in winter.


Willow - especially weeping willow - will dry a 100 square meters of
ground..in summer..

Or did you mean 'make a bog garden out of it'

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
nightjar cpb@ wrote:
"dairich" wrote in message
...
A corner of my lawn (about 2 m.sq. is badly drained (& shaded). It
ends at a 20cm. step down to a path. What can I do?

I would plant the area with water loving plants, like bamboo or
hydrangeas or turn it into a marsh plant area. My next-door neighbour
spent ages trying to deal with a 'badly drained' bit of lawn before
discovering it was the outlet for a natural spring.

Colin Bignell
The problem with that, Colin, is most of them do bugger all in winter.

I don't normally expect my bamboo area to do much at any time, other than
stand there and whisper in the wind.

Willow - especially weeping willow - will dry a 100 square meters of
ground..in summer..

It will also, IME, add a few tens of thousands of pounds in ground work to
anything you want to build within about 10 metres of it.

Or did you mean 'make a bog garden out of it'

That is another way to say 'turn it into a marsh plant area'.

Colin Bignell

nightjar cpb@ wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
nightjar cpb@ wrote:
"dairich" wrote in message
...
A corner of my lawn (about 2 m.sq. is badly drained (& shaded). It
ends at a 20cm. step down to a path. What can I do?
I would plant the area with water loving plants, like bamboo or
hydrangeas or turn it into a marsh plant area. My next-door neighbour
spent ages trying to deal with a 'badly drained' bit of lawn before
discovering it was the outlet for a natural spring.

Colin Bignell
The problem with that, Colin, is most of them do bugger all in winter.

I don't normally expect my bamboo area to do much at any time, other than
stand there and whisper in the wind.

Willow - especially weeping willow - will dry a 100 square meters of
ground..in summer..

It will also, IME, add a few tens of thousands of pounds in ground work to
anything you want to build within about 10 metres of it.


Er noi. It will add tens of thousands to anything that is *already built
with inedequate foundatins*, but once you have the digger in site, going
down an extra half meter is not expebnsive either in diggertime or concrete.


Or did you mean 'make a bog garden out of it'

That is another way to say 'turn it into a marsh plant area'.


The issue being get rid of the water or make it a feature.


Colin Bignell

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
nightjar cpb@ wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
nightjar cpb@ wrote:
"dairich" wrote in message
...
A corner of my lawn (about 2 m.sq. is badly drained (& shaded). It
ends at a 20cm. step down to a path. What can I do?
I would plant the area with water loving plants, like bamboo or
hydrangeas or turn it into a marsh plant area. My next-door neighbour
spent ages trying to deal with a 'badly drained' bit of lawn before
discovering it was the outlet for a natural spring.

Colin Bignell
The problem with that, Colin, is most of them do bugger all in winter.

I don't normally expect my bamboo area to do much at any time, other than
stand there and whisper in the wind.

Willow - especially weeping willow - will dry a 100 square meters of
ground..in summer..

It will also, IME, add a few tens of thousands of pounds in ground work
to anything you want to build within about 10 metres of it.


Er noi. It will add tens of thousands to anything that is *already built
with inedequate foundatins*, but once you have the digger in site, going
down an extra half meter is not expebnsive either in diggertime or
concrete.

Except that, on a new build, it was an extra 2.5 metres deep, mass concrete
instead of a concrete strip foundation, which required a concrete pumping
machine to deliver it from the mixer lorries on the road, instead of a small
mixer onsite, and £20k.

Colin Bignell

nightjar cpb@ wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
nightjar cpb@ wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
nightjar cpb@ wrote:
"dairich" wrote in message
...
A corner of my lawn (about 2 m.sq. is badly drained (& shaded). It
ends at a 20cm. step down to a path. What can I do?
I would plant the area with water loving plants, like bamboo or
hydrangeas or turn it into a marsh plant area. My next-door neighbour
spent ages trying to deal with a 'badly drained' bit of lawn before
discovering it was the outlet for a natural spring.

Colin Bignell
The problem with that, Colin, is most of them do bugger all in winter.
I don't normally expect my bamboo area to do much at any time, other than
stand there and whisper in the wind.

Willow - especially weeping willow - will dry a 100 square meters of
ground..in summer..
It will also, IME, add a few tens of thousands of pounds in ground work
to anything you want to build within about 10 metres of it.

Er noi. It will add tens of thousands to anything that is *already built
with inedequate foundatins*, but once you have the digger in site, going
down an extra half meter is not expebnsive either in diggertime or
concrete.

Except that, on a new build, it was an extra 2.5 metres deep, mass concrete
instead of a concrete strip foundation, which required a concrete pumping
machine to deliver it from the mixer lorries on the road, instead of a small
mixer onsite, and £20k.


I had to go down 2.m meters in one place,but that was ash, not willow..

The concrte pumping machines aren't taht expensive. Not thousands certainly.


Colin Bignell

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
nightjar cpb@ wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
nightjar cpb@ wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
nightjar cpb@ wrote:
"dairich" wrote in message
...
A corner of my lawn (about 2 m.sq. is badly drained (& shaded). It
ends at a 20cm. step down to a path. What can I do?
I would plant the area with water loving plants, like bamboo or
hydrangeas or turn it into a marsh plant area. My next-door neighbour
spent ages trying to deal with a 'badly drained' bit of lawn before
discovering it was the outlet for a natural spring.

Colin Bignell
The problem with that, Colin, is most of them do bugger all in winter.
I don't normally expect my bamboo area to do much at any time, other
than stand there and whisper in the wind.

Willow - especially weeping willow - will dry a 100 square meters of
ground..in summer..
It will also, IME, add a few tens of thousands of pounds in ground work
to anything you want to build within about 10 metres of it.

Er noi. It will add tens of thousands to anything that is *already built
with inedequate foundatins*, but once you have the digger in site, going
down an extra half meter is not expebnsive either in diggertime or
concrete.

Except that, on a new build, it was an extra 2.5 metres deep, mass
concrete instead of a concrete strip foundation, which required a
concrete pumping machine to deliver it from the mixer lorries on the
road, instead of a small mixer onsite, and £20k.


I had to go down 2.m meters in one place,but that was ash, not willow..

Either you were lucky, or are on different soil. The discovery of a willow
in next door's garden meant that my foundations changed from 0.5m to 3m
deep, which, apparently called for a specialist contractor.

The concrte pumping machines aren't taht expensive. Not thousands
certainly.

That was simply one of the things about the project that stuck in my mind. I
didn't bother to ask for a detailed breakdown of individual costs, as I
wasn't going ahead at that much extra over the original estimate.

Colin Bignell

nightjar cpb@ wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
nightjar cpb@ wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
nightjar cpb@ wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
nightjar cpb@ wrote:
"dairich" wrote in message
...
A corner of my lawn (about 2 m.sq. is badly drained (& shaded). It
ends at a 20cm. step down to a path. What can I do?
I would plant the area with water loving plants, like bamboo or
hydrangeas or turn it into a marsh plant area. My next-door neighbour
spent ages trying to deal with a 'badly drained' bit of lawn before
discovering it was the outlet for a natural spring.

Colin Bignell
The problem with that, Colin, is most of them do bugger all in winter.
I don't normally expect my bamboo area to do much at any time, other
than stand there and whisper in the wind.

Willow - especially weeping willow - will dry a 100 square meters of
ground..in summer..
It will also, IME, add a few tens of thousands of pounds in ground work
to anything you want to build within about 10 metres of it.

Er noi. It will add tens of thousands to anything that is *already built
with inedequate foundatins*, but once you have the digger in site, going
down an extra half meter is not expebnsive either in diggertime or
concrete.
Except that, on a new build, it was an extra 2.5 metres deep, mass
concrete instead of a concrete strip foundation, which required a
concrete pumping machine to deliver it from the mixer lorries on the
road, instead of a small mixer onsite, and £20k.

I had to go down 2.m meters in one place,but that was ash, not willow..

Either you were lucky, or are on different soil. The discovery of a willow
in next door's garden meant that my foundations changed from 0.5m to 3m
deep, which, apparently called for a specialist contractor.


Actually, that was PROBABLY ********. We had this a while ago, and very
few trees go much below 1.5m deep if that, and the majority are only
0.5m deep.

IO have seen extesnive damage from subsidence with a localised willow
and shallow (about 02m) strip foundations, but that is all.

Probably you, like me, were on clay soil, where locaklised drying of the
roots - or worse, cut roots resulting in long term re-hydration of the
soil and heave - meant the stability near the surface would extend a
fair way below.

Nevertheless I don't think any more than 2.5m is EVER called for, and
that is achievable with a medium digger.

Deeper than that piles are probably a better and more economic bet anyway.




The concrte pumping machines aren't taht expensive. Not thousands
certainly.

That was simply one of the things about the project that stuck in my mind. I
didn't bother to ask for a detailed breakdown of individual costs, as I
wasn't going ahead at that much extra over the original estimate.

Colin Bignell