lawn drainage

 
i have a fenced square relatively flat lawn that is south facing, it
gets the sun most of the day, however i have found that the lawn doesnt
drain very well at all and even in the summer is quite damp and the back
40 % of the lawn is thick with moss. i have dug a few inches down and it
does appear to be some clay present.

i have been advised to do several things including:
a 2ft by 2ft soakaway at the lowest point { not really an option as i
have other gardens surrounding me and i fear affecting them as a result
of this},

a herringbone drainage system to an existing drain :
either using a: garden liner based 4inch trenches filled with fine
chipings
or b: circular porous drainage pipes in the above mentioned 4inch
trenches { a costly possibillity},

and { the easiest option and possibly cheapest in my case } to rotivate
in a couple of tonnes of sand, level the lawn and start again with seed
or turf.

im really stumped as what best to do as  i want to do it "right" first
time and not have to be looking on here for answers this time next year
again!

any advice would be great! cheers!




--
THETWYS

 wrote:

Not only do not have the answer to which option is the best for your
problem which sound like mine, i have another reasonable appearing
suggestion given to me; lay down 1/4 inch of crushed rock (not gravel,
which is rounded, you need the sharp edges, they tell me) and another
1/4 inch of good compost on top of that and reseed.

 
z;793047 Wrote:

.................................................................................................
hi mate thanks for your reply! that is indeed a new idea!  have you
done it yourself? does it work? im seriously open to suggestions! i ve
had other advice from other forums and this is a new possibility! any
rough info on the cost would be great! thanks for your time in
replying!~ the twys!




--
THETWYS

 wrote:

haven't tried it but am seriously thinking of it. might just do a
limited test in one corner.

 
Sorry but a 1/4 inches of any gravel will do nothing, in fact try to find
any gravel that is less than 1/4 inches in diameter that can be spread other
than stone dust also known in some areas as screenings. And a 1/4 of compost
over top won't add any help. The OP's thought of adding a couple of tons of
sand won't do much either, depending on the soil area you will need enough
sand to mix 50/50 with the heavy clay soil to start loosening it, and this
may take many tons of sand.

I used to live in an area where the soil was very heavy clay based, in fact
the area was a mecca for clay brick making plants, and I have only found
that adding lots of organic material will loosen the clay, and I have read
that adding gypsum will work too. I agree you should test small areas to see
what works on your particular type of clay.