I am considering putting cow carpet (geotextile fabric) in my back yard — that or just making it a giant concrete slab — because it spends so much time underwater. I know it works well in cattle and horse situations, but I’m not sure if it would translate well to a totally saturated yard. I have unfortunately had to do some work in the yard on the fence and multiple times ended up flat on my face in mud because my feet would be stuck ankle deep and I was trying to walk. My dogs are inside/outside ones, so I don’t expect to have nice grass, but I would like to be able to use the yard instead of having standing water for weeks on end. It’s a lot like the wet, deep, nasty places that form by gates. Gravel on top of the fabric would make keeping the yard clean a breeze. The soil here is clay, not very porous. Is that a red flag against cow carpet? If you’ve ever used it on your farm, I’d appreciate any advice or opinion about using it. Thanks!
A better alternative might be “hoof grid” products. You’d need to strip the grass off completely, put down gravel and then put soil or dirt on top. It would certainly stabilize your yard. Geotextile cloth would need a similar installation method. It creates a barrier between your “footing” and the subsoil. However, if you put dirt and grass back on top of the geo cloth, you’ll simply create a shallower layer of mud…
Sounds like the grade of the yard may need to be addressed. Where does the water come from, why doesn’t it run off? Is the wet ground any danger to the foundation of the house? A french drain system might be better.
[QUOTE=csaper58;8089656]
Sounds like the grade of the yard may need to be addressed. Where does the water come from, why doesn’t it run off? Is the wet ground any danger to the foundation of the house? A french drain system might be better.[/QUOTE]
I agree - some drainage work to direct the water elsewhere should be step one. Then as CalvinC said, perhaps a grid product will work better than geotex and stone.
I know there are several public buildings in my area where they laid in gravel and a type of cinder block grid paver to create access ‘roads’ that can support the weight of a firetruck but that are grass covered otherwise. You don’t know the blocks are there until you are quite close to them.
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[QUOTE=csaper58;8089656]
Sounds like the grade of the yard may need to be addressed. Where does the water come from, why doesn’t it run off? Is the wet ground any danger to the foundation of the house? A french drain system might be better.[/QUOTE]
+1.
G.
I like the grid idea. And yes, there is a major drainage problem that I can do nothing about. It has to do with when the houses were built, basically. My slightly uphill neighbor drains all of the water from her roof down one downspout and into my yard. She refuses to put a pipe onto the end of it to drain it into her own yard, and the city says since she isn’t doing it 'on purpose," they can’t stop her. My own roof water drains mostly into someone else’s yard, too — it’s a really weird set-up. I do plan to get a landscape company out to give it a look and see if adding terraces might help. I was going to do french drains but can’t do that because I would be purposely draining water into someone’s yard.
I’ll check with a landscaper, see if we can do something about the grade, and suggest the grid if nothing else will work. Since there is essentially no grass in the yard now, it wouldn’t be too terrible to put in!
(The dryest part of the yard is closest to the house, thank heavens. But the back 2/3 is a giant mud pit, despite having a large rain garden to soak up water.)
Thanks for the suggestions!
Have you done your project yet? If so, would love to know the basics, costs, etc. I have GOT to do this by my 2 pasture entrances since, after 8 days of rain, it’s nothing but slop. Thanks!
[QUOTE=ChocoMare;8398590]
Have you done your project yet? If so, would love to know the basics, costs, etc. I have GOT to do this by my 2 pasture entrances since, after 8 days of rain, it’s nothing but slop. Thanks![/QUOTE]
For around gates and the like much of the cost is going to depend on the local cost of aggregate and contractors. You’re going to want to dig down a few inches, lay the material, and backfill with clean rock. It’s going to cost to have it dug, to purchase the cloth and stone, and to have to stone hauled and spread. If you come up with area dimensions you’ll want done I can calculate how many tons or square yards of material you will need.
I had Hoof Grid put down in front of my muddy gate and it changed my life. No mud. There’s a slope to their big turnout area so water heads and then stops in front of the gates. No mud. I also had it out in their 40 foot runs which used to be mud bogs. No more. It was worth every penny.
Talking with the Stable Grid people right now. Thanks!
[QUOTE=Donkaloosa;8089457]
I am considering putting cow carpet (geotextile fabric) in my back yard — that or just making it a giant concrete slab — because it spends so much time underwater. I know it works well in cattle and horse situations, but I’m not sure if it would translate well to a totally saturated yard. I have unfortunately had to do some work in the yard on the fence and multiple times ended up flat on my face in mud because my feet would be stuck ankle deep and I was trying to walk. My dogs are inside/outside ones, so I don’t expect to have nice grass, but I would like to be able to use the yard instead of having standing water for weeks on end. It’s a lot like the wet, deep, nasty places that form by gates. Gravel on top of the fabric would make keeping the yard clean a breeze. The soil here is clay, not very porous. Is that a red flag against cow carpet? If you’ve ever used it on your farm, I’d appreciate any advice or opinion about using it. Thanks![/QUOTE]
I would ensure that water is set up to drain efficiently, then scrape the mud in the high wear areas, roll out the geotextile fabric, and cover with 4" of stone dust.
