clay

[robo]

hi all , on our allotment we have top soil about a spade deep then solid clay when we get rain like we are having lately its more like a pond than a plot, our local council have put drainage in to most of the plots but not ours ive been searching the web for ideas and came up with a well auger the idea with it is you can drill down into the earth to make a well or you can use the same to drain land they come in various lengths and diameters the one ive sent for is 160 mm wide and can go down as far as 4 meters although I can extend this if I want by buying more extension pieces has anyone seen these in action or even used one

[Monika]

I don't know about the tool mentioned, but could you not put in your own land drains? Even a few carefully laid drains could guide your water away into, hopefully, a lower lying spot for a pond. Clay soil is full of nutrients and double or even treble digging (we did that in a previous garden!) would break up your clay pan and improve your drainage. Any drilling with an auger might get your water through the clay but it would presumably then build up below it, would it not?

[peter]

I have and use a post hole auger.
6" threaded spike/cone with a flat plate above cut into with two down sloped blades facing a hinged flap on the back of the other 3/8ths circumference blade. Sloping blade digs a spiral slice and flap stops it falling through gap when toll drawn out of ground. Around 3' long.

Due to absence of any spiral on the shaft a maximum of eight turns between withdrawals or the cut soil is compacted into a plug above the blade and you have to dig it out. Even within that limit I frequently have to use some breeze blocks and a stout lever on the T-top the wooden hanle slots inro.

[FelixLeiter]

I've used an auger, but only as a tool for investigating how water drains through a soil profile by using it to make holes for percolation tests. I've also used one for making holes for fence posts. I'm not sure from where you've got your information that making holes with an auger will drain a site. I can only see it creating a series of wells which will, over time, fill in. You can't beat a good old-fashioned herringbone drain, easy to install and it lasts.

[robo]

thanks for the replies, the problem is there is nowhere to run a drain too, the clay is over 10 feet deep even the drains the council have put in lower down the allotments are not working, my idea is to bore through the clay fill the hole with aggregate the run drains across my plot to it

[Motherwoman]

The other option is to go upwards. I used to own a garden on solid clay, real yellow brick stuff! I just kept adding whatever I could to it by laying it on the surface and only digging when the soil was mid-way between soggy and rock hard. By the time I left there was about a foot of workable soil on the top which drained and grew very good crops. The down side was I grew very little in the way of winter veg as it still got very wet in winter. But it's all a compromise whatever soil you have.

I think you could end up with a sump filled with water and attracting in more from all the other plots around you!

MW

[robo]

Today is the first chance ive had to spend a bit of time down at my plot ive been very busy at home fitting a new conservatory roof, I have drilled down just over 2.5 meters then I ran out of daylight and energy I think I am through the worst of the clay as I am now getting a sandy/clay mixture I am leaving it overnight to see if it drains as my plot is still under water and its raining again, the drilling is not to bad its getting the auger out thats pure hard work I am using a 4 meter scaffold plank as a lever it is tiring

[Motherwoman]

You poor chap, that's not a plot it's a pond...

[peter]

Just finished some slightly desperate lawn drainage.

Dog has puddlèd, in the pond making sense, the whole lawn. Two bags of sharp sand into spade slits, followed by a thorough fork spiking.

Here's hoping.

[Shallot Man]

Robo. Does your local sewerage plant sell their wast. When I moved into my present house some 50 yr s ago. You cold buy this by the load. The ash in it was ideal for breaking up the soil. Or you could use fine gravel. delivered by the large bag.

[robo]

Cheers for the replys, if drilling down through the clay turns out to be a waste of time then I will be looking for another solution but the auger is on hold at present as the plot is under water and it just makes a hard job impossible, that apart we have just decided to build a comuniall barn on the allotment something we can use for our fund raising bashes and as I am a retired joiner ive been volunteered to do all the timber work

[robo]

just to keep you all updated, I bored down to just over 3 meters left it for a week to see if it was draining it wasn't ,so I made it into a 3 feet square sump down to 10 inch below the clay lined it all with bricks fitted a bilge pump and a float switch ( from a marine shop) a car battery and a small solar panel then 30 feet of hose pipe out of the back fence to where a brook was once before it was backfilled it is now draining, it may seem extreme but I had to do something to turn the pond into a plot

[oldherbaceous]

Afternoon Robo, i think you deserve a pat on the back for determination.
Sounds as if the brook being filled in at some time hasn't helped, as often there are land drains running into them.

[Westi]

Blimey Robo - Well done. You sound a pretty handy type of chap to have around. They won't be letting you leave your allotment any time soon!

Westi

[robo]

Funny you should mention that , we are hoping to erect the comuniall barn or should we call it a timber gazebo tomorrow its been quite an interesting project up to now the finnished size is going to be around 23 feet x 16 feet enough room for a few tables for our fund raising days and a few drinks after