Flat wet field

KatyMac

I've got a field with no drop, so there is no obvious direction to open a drain. It has gone very wet in the last couple of years and I was wondering if it would work to dig a drain going nowhere in the middle. Would the water migrate to the opening and leave the rest of the field a bit dryer? Or would I just be putting something in the middle of a field to drive round? I would fence both sides to keep the cattle out that some stupid calf wouldn't drown itself.

_Brian

KatyMac wrote: »

I've got a field with no drop, so there is no obvious direction to open a drain. It has gone very wet in the last couple of years and I was wondering if it would work to dig a drain going nowhere in the middle. Would the water migrate to the opening and leave the rest of the field a bit dryer? Or would I just be putting something in the middle of a field to drive round? I would fence both sides to keep the cattle out that some stupid calf wouldn't drown itself.

Are there any drains around the perimeter.. I'd be thinking of dropping them down to lower the water table, maybe bring in some shores..

As for opening a drain going nowhere.. it would fill quickly and then no chance of water entering into it once full..

Its hard to get rid of water unless you have somewhere for it to go..

Walk to the lowest point in the field, look around and see which direction the natural fall in the land is... this is the direction you need to be thinking of bringing your drainage..

Half our land is very low lying, in the bottom of a valley with huge tracts of land draining in from both sides.. the fall down the valley is slight.. I got a good lad in on a digger, cleaned and dropped all field drains.. Over the following few years the land has dried out well and we've been doing bits of moleploughing which also helps..

freedominacup

The field may be flat and low lying but what is the nature of the surrounding land? As Brian said you need to get relief somewhere to get the water away. You might also be able to divert water coming into the ground as well. Ask around, there's bound to be a few groundworks contractors with a good reputation for dealing with this problem. The solutions are often not as obvious as they initially appear to be.

frazzledhome

Has this field always been wet?

Is it wet just on top ie surface water or is is wet down deeper?

Charliebull

you would be surprised if you put a level on the field as to the difference in levels across same

would there be water from the road getting into field and finding its way to that spot and lying there

had the same issue before and got it mole ploughed from the area away to a boundary and it worked a treat

contact xate in ballinacarrow, he is very good

KatyMac

_Brian wrote: »

Are there any drains around the perimeter.. I'd be thinking of dropping them down to lower the water table, maybe bring in some shores..

Its hard to get rid of water unless you have somewhere for it to go.. .

I was afraid ye'd say that!! It's between a hill and the road with dry drains along the ditches (I've lived my whole life here and never seen them wet except in one small spot).

KatyMac

frazzledhome wrote: »

Has this field always been wet?

Is it wet just on top ie surface water or is is wet down deeper?

It used not be as wet as it is now. Seems daft to say, but the middle looks like it has sunk!! And a nice crop of rushes have made their home in the middle. During the whole of this year you wouldn't have driven a tractor without being in danger of sinking badly and that goes for even the dry few days we had this year! - it wasn't always like that.

KatyMac

Charliebull wrote: »

you would be surprised if you put a level on the field as to the difference in levels across same

would there be water from the road getting into field and finding its way to that spot and lying there

had the same issue before and got it mole ploughed from the area away to a boundary and it worked a treat

contact xate in ballinacarrow, he is very good

Don't think there is water coming from the road, it did years ago go in the gate and make a soggy spot, but my father raised the level of the entrance and the water doesn't get in any more.
I'll get a level and take another look. I'm down heartened that ye thought my 'bright' idea was a no go, but in fairness I nearly knew that before asking the question.
thanks lads. Back to the drawing board!

Willfarman

Would it benefit from sub soiling?

Farmer

Would it have got a bit too much slurry?

Allegedly kills all the worms and mucks up the natural drainage

KatyMac

Willfarman wrote: »

Would it benefit from sub soiling?

Sorry Will but what is sub-soiling? Sorry for the stupid question.

Willfarman

Not a stupid question. It's requires a large 4 wd tractor pulling a track every couple of metres through the ground bursting up the subsoil. Relieving compaction and the hard pan beneath the topsoil you get with tillage operations. Your subsoil would need to be permeable to water for to be suitable?
but when I read that the ground wasn't wet prior to now it may be a simple solution.

KatyMac

Farmer wrote: »

Would it have got a bit too much slurry?

Allegedly kills all the worms and mucks up the natural drainage

No slurry in this house! FYM all the way.
I like Will's idea - it makes sense that maybe it's suffering from compaction. Would that sort of explain why it seems that it has sunk?

frazzledhome

Willfarman wrote: »

Not a stupid question. It's requires a large 4 wd tractor pulling a track every couple of metres through the ground bursting up the subsoil. Relieving compaction and the hard pan beneath the topsoil you get with tillage operations. Your subsoil would need to be permeable to water for to be suitable?
but when I read that the ground wasn't wet prior to now it may be a simple solution.

That's what I was thinking with my questions. Mole plough to the dry dykes

BarryD

Maybe the water table has risen in your area for some reason over recent years - but you'd think that'd affect a wider area. I'm no expert on soils but isn't there a process whereby iron leaches down and forms a kind of hard pan at subsoil level which is more impermeable. Could this be a factor? See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardpan and Google a bit to see if this matches your experience at all. Might explain why it's got worse over the years?

Charliebull

KatyMac wrote: »

Sorry Will but what is sub-soiling? Sorry for the stupid question.

Can pm name of lad who does it if you want, based outside ballymote

CloughCasey1

Willfarman wrote: »

Not a stupid question. It's requires a large 4 wd tractor pulling a track every couple of metres through the ground bursting up the subsoil. Relieving compaction and the hard pan beneath the topsoil you get with tillage operations. Your subsoil would need to be permeable to water for to be suitable?
but when I read that the ground wasn't wet prior to now it may be a simple solution.

Like this
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vBiu4SXJWu0

Milked out

KatyMac wrote: »

I was afraid ye'd say that!! It's between a hill and the road with dry drains along the ditches (I've lived my whole life here and never seen them wet except in one small spot).

Can you lower those drains and then dig a drain out to the wet spot with the fall to the dry drains. A good plant hire or groundwork crowd may help. dig a test hole anyway and see what your dealing with further down

Bullocks

We have a field very like what you're describing katy , a wet spot in the middle and dryish drains around 3 sides but i think its almost the same level as the corrib so water ain't going to flow out , more than likely it will come in if I deepened the drains lower than the middle bit .
I was digging for a gate post a couple of years ago on the side that the hill is on and came across a stone built uderground drain that was taking a massive flow of water off the hill and i presume heading through the wet low spot and off out to the lake . It wouldn't be worth the hassle/cost of trying to reroute it but I have it in my head at some stage in the future to try and get a licence to take in fill and rise up the middle dip by a few feet .

KatyMac

Thanks for all the replies. You've given me alot of ideas. Thanks. I'll let you know how things work out!

KatyMac

Charliebull wrote: »

Can pm name of lad who does it if you want, based outside ballymote

Can you do that please Charlie. I looked at the video that was posted and if that would work it would be brilliant and seems a fairly simple job, as long as you have the equipment, of course.