Moleing advice

N

Nitrams

Member

Location

Cornwall

• Aug 8, 2021

• #1

Have a 25 acre field that is heavy (to me) clay. Half the field lays very wet for upto 6 months of the year. There is about a foot of grey topsoil with a good foot or more of either white,yellow,grey clay underneath. Some areas where the clay is not so deep is purple shale. There are some old tile drains which carry water from fields above to stream below but no regular interval drains with stone in.
Can i acheive anything by moling about 18inches to 24inches deep in the clay layer?

 

organicguy

Member

Location

North East of the south west

• Aug 8, 2021

• #2

yes, you won't regret it.

 

N

Nitrams

Member

Location

Cornwall

• Aug 8, 2021

• #3

Should add the field has a natural gradient and a ditch down the side and along the bottom. Was thinking to run a mole every 6 meters from ditch up through wet areas to top of field.

 

Pan mixer

Member

Mixed Farmer

Location

Near Colchester

• Aug 8, 2021

• #4

Nitrams said:

Should add the field has a natural gradient and a ditch down the side and along the bottom. Was thinking to run a mole every 6 meters from ditch up through wet areas to top of field.

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Be better at 3 or 2.4 metres apart, tedious because you have to do the whole lot 1 way, good though, try a bit.

 

Kevtherev

Member

✓

Location

Welshpool Powys

• Aug 8, 2021

• #5

Yes do it and you will see a difference

 

yellow belly

Member

Location

south west lincolnshire

• Aug 11, 2021

• #6

Be careful if there are old drains that work
moleing that breaks them can cause wet places when the mole stops working and make the field drain worse

 

N

Nitrams

Member

Location

Cornwall

• Aug 11, 2021

• #7

How shallow can you safely go and the moles stay in tact from traffic above?

 

organicguy

Member

Location

North East of the south west

• Aug 11, 2021

• #8

If they are into clay they will last roughly 5 years. Anything more than 12 in should not make any difference as obviously you will not be going in the field when it is so wet as to damage your new moles!

 

N

Nitrams

Member

Location

Cornwall

• Aug 11, 2021

• #9

organicguy said:

If they are into clay they will last roughly 5 years. Anything more than 12 in should not make any difference as obviously you will not be going in the field when it is so wet as to damage your new moles!

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Of course not, especially if the moles work

 

Kevtherev

Member

✓

Location

Welshpool Powys

• Aug 11, 2021

• #10

 

serf

Member

Location

warwickshire

• Aug 11, 2021

• #11

Kevtherev said:

View attachment 979265

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If your unsure of drainage in a field or they are potentially blocked what distance do you think the mole would carry water without these gravel topped drains before blocking

 

Kevtherev

Member

✓

Location

Welshpool Powys

• Aug 11, 2021

• #12

serf said:

If your unsure of drainage in a field or they are potentially blocked what distance do you think the mole would carry water without these gravel topped drains before blocking

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Depends how much of a fall on the field but would carry water a long way in right conditions

 

serf

Member

Location

warwickshire

• Aug 11, 2021

• #13

Kevtherev said:

Depends how much of a fall on the field but would carry water a long way in right conditions

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Meant to say with a decent fall

 

organicguy

Member

Location

North East of the south west

• Aug 12, 2021

• #14

The steeper the fall the sooner the moles will break down.
Gravity and pressure will move the water infinite distance.

 

U

Universe

Member

Livestock Farmer

• Aug 12, 2021

• #15

Would you mole down the incline, or across it to the side ditch..?

 

Goweresque

Member

Location

North Wilts

• Aug 12, 2021

• #16

Universe said:

Would you mole down the incline, or across it to the side ditch..?

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I would have thought you need to mole as diagonally across the slope as possible while still keeping a decent fall in order to try and catch as much water thats moving straight down the slope as you can. If you moled straight down the slope you could easily go either side of a wet spot, and there would be no mole below it to catch it.

 

N

Nitrams

Member

Location

Cornwall

• Aug 12, 2021

• #17

Goweresque said:

I would have thought you need to mole as diagonally across the slope as possible while still keeping a decent fall in order to try and catch as much water thats moving straight down the slope as you can. If you moled straight down the slope you could easily go either side of a wet spot, and there would be no mole below it to catch it.

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If you did every 3 mtr that would be unlikely i would have thought

 

organicguy

Member

Location

North East of the south west

• Aug 12, 2021

• #18

Universe said:

Would you mole down the incline, or across it to the side ditch..?

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Happy to do either, with a fall or both, going shortest distance to a ditch.
You need to know if you have drains so you can cross the drains to a degree.

 

teslacoils

Member

Arable Farmer

Location

Lincolnshire

• Aug 12, 2021

• #19

Universe said:

Would you mole down the incline, or across it to the side ditch..?

Click to expand...

If you have field drains, it's usually 90 degrees to them, or along the field contours.

If no drains, IE the miles are doing the job of shifting the water, then I go low to high.

Customer always right. Except when they don't tell you about misc ww2 concrete - then they get the bill.