Subsoil Drainage for Lawns and Gardens
Where the subsoil is thick or clayey, it is essential for the well-being of the lawn that subsoil drainage be installed. Even in sandy soil, it is a good idea to use subsoil drainage, since it brings about the quick and even distribution of moisture throughout the lawn or garden area. The first problem in drainage is to find an area to receive the flow. If you are on low ground, on to which water from higher areas flows, this run-off area is extremely important. On high ground, an underground pipe leading out over a slope will be enough.
If you are building your own drainage run-off, perhaps the easiest is the dry well. The dry well is nothing more than a pit, 4 to 6 feet in depth and diameter, and filled with rubble and rock. Your dry well should be marked after it is covered, so that you know where it is if water starts to back up on your lawn. Subsoil drainage is best accomplished by the use of tile lines. The semi-circular lines of tile are laid in the topsoil, about 1-| to 2 feet deep, in lines from 2 to 4 feet apart. The tile lines should be covered with about A foot of cinder or crushed stone before the soil is re-laced
The minimum effective grade for tile lines is 3 inches for every 100 feet in length. When backfilling, be sure to put all the subsoil you have removed back in and tamp it down, if necessary. Any slight mound left after restoring topsoil will disappear after the first winter.
Measuring Your Grading
It is very difficult, even for a professional, to measure grades by eye. It is doubly difficult for the amateur. Therefore, if you have a grade to level, use as a guide a piece of twine that is pulled tight between two sticks imbedded in the ground. For leveling, once you have done the rough work, use a long board as a straight edge along the ground to insure your accuracy.
Grading for Terraces
In leveling an area for a terrace, there is no need to insert subsoil drainage. Save the topsoil. For almost all terraces, it is a good idea to tamp the soil, and even to pour a quantity of gravel cinder or crushed rock as a base. Terraces require a level area as a rule, but the grade sloping away from the house should be maintained.
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