Yard Retains Water

[SKYLINE]

Haha ok I will surely build a roof! Was gonna put up a thin piece of plywood and then buy that plastic roofing material to rain proof it. Still need to add some sort of dirt or sand to fill in those uneven parts.

 

[Cryss]

Woodchips. They soak up water and provide dry area to walk on, and eventually turn to compost soil making the ground higher. Judt ask a tree service to drop off a truckload. Try chipdrop.com .

 

[SKYLINE]

I don’t think I can handle a full chipdrop but I’ll check around my area for other options

 

[Cryss]

I don’t think I can handle a full chipdrop but I’ll check around my area for other options

If you have a garden use those chips, laid on top not mixed into the soil, about 4 inches or more deep. Will act as mulch, suppress weeds, and slowly feed the soil below as they deteriorate. Mulch around your trees. Cover a dirt driveway to prevent muddy pits. Lots of uses for woodchips. Maybe share leftovers with a neighbor who has chickens/garden/trees/whatever. Or go into a delivery of chips with the neighbor or neighbors. Or find a neighbor or friend that already has woodchips and are willing to share with you. Good luck!

 

[aart]

Glad I found this topic didn’t wanna start one

Best to start a new thread for your particular situation...
....just good forum etiquette not to usurp OP.

 

[MandaRae]

It's okay i don't mind. Parts of my yard look very similar after a lot of rain. It will be good to see how to prevent it!

 

[MissChick@dee]

See...I just don’t get the wood chips.
Put in water like that they become soaked wet heavy wood chips. I’ve never used them.
Straw even soaked is lighter and easier to remove. And waiting for the wood chips to dry out (on dirt) would take a long time whereas straw once removed let’s the earth dry out. I dunno Ima’ old and I’d rather go for something that easier on me.

 

[aart]

See...I just don’t get the wood chips.
Put in water like that they become soaked wet heavy wood chips. I’ve never used them.
Straw even soaked is lighter and easier to remove. And waiting for the wood chips to dry out (on dirt) would take a long time whereas straw once removed let’s the earth dry out. I dunno Ima’ old and I’d rather go for something that easier on me.

You don't remove wood chips, they are meant to be put in the run and stay there. The fact that they can absorb water is not necessarily a bad thing...less likely than lighter plant materials to mold and go anaerobic as they are large enough to allow pockets of air between them. No run material will work great in a place that holds standing water.

 

[Cryss]

See...I just don’t get the wood chips.
Put in water like that they become soaked wet heavy wood chips. I’ve never used them.
Straw even soaked is lighter and easier to remove. And waiting for the wood chips to dry out (on dirt) would take a long time whereas straw once removed let’s the earth dry out. I dunno Ima’ old and I’d rather go for something that easier on me.

The surface of woodchips dry and can be walked upon. They don't need to be removed. I had read about it awhile before I ever got chickens. After getting my little flock and setting up the coop and run i found out how quickly they destroy the grass. Then it rained. That's when I realised I now had large puddles dotted all around the run and the worst one was right where they stepped out in the morning. Oops, not a great placement of the coop and run for my poor chickens. I remembered how perfectly woodchips worked on the walking paths in my garden so I figured why not! 15 months later I can only tell you from my own experience that woodchips have kept the 300sqft run dry. I don't have to drag out soggy stuff. I watch rain run downhill outside of the run. Once a year in the fall I "harvest" the rich compost leaving any remaining woodchips behind, and then throw in fresh woodchips to handle water for the coming year. My garden gets fertilized, my run stays dry. Win win. Oh, and I'm "old school" myself, turning 68 next month. This is a lot less work than removing soggy straw. Wood isn't soggy and I don't remove it.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Okay...but it seems like they would stay wet to me especially if deep. Mold would be a concern for anyone. I only have 200 sq ft. To deal with. Which I can clean and replace completely in 30 minutes. My run is completely covered/sides too. It took me a couple years redoing drainage etc. I’m glad wood chips work for you guys. I just see a pic of inches of standing water in someone’s run and I cringe & have flashbacks! Lol.
I do allot of composting. I do NOT compost straw. It doesn’t breakdown fast enough and yes I remove any wet/soggy because it’s composition tends to get black specks of mold. Which I freak out about! Guess I could try woodchips and if they didn’t work then I’d have an opinion about them. It’s a definite thought. So thanks.