Poor drainage in garden and it's on a slope - need cost effective advice

Ms Tootsie

Ok so the story is we just bought a new house and thanks to the fabulous Irish summer we have been having a serious problem in our back garden has come to light. It floods.

The garden is on a slight slope but the flooding is not restricted to the bottom of the slope (which also just happens to be at our patio doors with a very small path running in between the two). If you walk anywhere is the garden you can hear the squidge squidge under your feet and water is not collecting in large pools towards the bottom of the slope. The quality of the grass is also extreamly poor.

To add to the problem we have a dog who is out in the back garden when we are at work. He is a very active little guy and loves running around in the garden. With it being so soggy mud patches have started to form. So the dog gets covered in mud and when he comes back into the house it is like a mud slide from the patio door in the living room right through our house. We have had to resort to picking him up, carrying him in and bathing him every single evening.

We got a quote to fix the problem - by adding 8-10 drain runs and patching in the grass but at over 1,000 euro this is simply to expensive for us at the moment as we are saving for a wedding.

Does anyone have any solutions as to how we can solve or even ease this problem. Once the wedding is over we will be saving to pay for something more long term but in the time being I dont think I can go through winter with this problem, as the house is getting destroyed anytime I, my partner or our dog comes in from the garden.

Thanks so much!!!

ponddigger

hi any photos,jack

hairynipple

I feel you're pain! I have two dogs who are fond of digging! How much clay do you have?

I dont even have a foot of clay in my back garden. If i stick a fork into the ground i hit bits of blocks and rubble.

My plan is to dig up existing garden take out as much rubble and blocks as i can, put a few layers of gravel and loads of good quality topsoil. Am i mad?

I have nowhere to drain the water to as im inbetween houses in an estate.

Ms Tootsie

How can I tell if I have clay? Would that be the cause or a possible solution to the drainage problem?

I will try and get some pictures this evening.

It's driving me mad!!

ponddigger

hi this thread might be some use to you. jack http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054939061

redser7

It's by no means a permenant solution, but you can help the drainage by aerating the soil with a hollow tine aerator. It will take out plugs of soil. Will also help relieve compaction.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosmere-Hollow-Tine-Aerator/dp/B000QZ5IMY

Sweep sharp sand into the holes.

LIdl have autumn lawn seed this Thursday. Just chuck plenty on and try keep the dog off if possible by running string and bamboo around the areas you seed until it is growing.