Mole ploughing/ mole draining grazing fields enquiry

[PurBee]

Due to high rainfall and high % peat water retentive soil i want to mole drain some fields to aid drainage.
It currently takes 3 days without rain for surface puddling to drain away. (We’re lucky to have 3 days without rain also!)
Ive already dug massive drains around the perimeter of the fields.

Has anyone experience of having mole drained on grazing fields?

My mole-drainer arm is 3/4 inch / 2cm wide - so that is the width of diagonal ‘cuts’ that’ll be made in the soil.
Evidently the actual cuts will be a bit wider due to the nature of the action of mole-draining pulling through the soil.
Plough depth ranges from just 10inches topsoil to 1.5 feet.

I’m concerned the plough lines could be potential hoof sinking areas, on grazing fields - so am wondering of others experience of this technique.
Should i track over the lines with a digger to press them together to encourage root growth stability?
Should i hold-off grazing for a season and allow the plough lines to knit together naturally?
Should i not do it at all?
Should i not be concerned as the cuts are so thin? (I graze horses, not mini’s or shetlands)

Any tips appreciated!

 

[palo1]

We have used a mole plough in the past (not at current property) and it made a huge difference to a field that was becoming ever more of a bog. I can't quite remember how wide the mp-ed bits were but we grazed horses on the same field within 2 weeks without any problems though that may not be best practice in that the horses slightly tread in the drain channels. Even so, it worked really well. I wouldn't go over it with a digger but I would try to leave it for a couple of weeks or more if possible for the channels to 'set'. Mole ploughing isn't an especially long term drainage solution but it is cheap, easy and pretty effective! Go for it I didn't worry about it re: horse's sinking in; the 'lines' were fairly obvious and I suspect our horses worked out that they had to watch their feet fairly quickly. The depth of our mole plough wasn't much more than a foot I don't think!!

 

[PurBee]

We have used a mole plough in the past (not at current property) and it made a huge difference to a field that was becoming ever more of a bog. I can't quite remember how wide the mp-ed bits were but we grazed horses on the same field within 2 weeks without any problems though that may not be best practice in that the horses slightly tread in the drain channels. Even so, it worked really well. I wouldn't go over it with a digger but I would try to leave it for a couple of weeks or more if possible for the channels to 'set'. Mole ploughing isn't an especially long term drainage solution but it is cheap, easy and pretty effective! Go for it I didn't worry about it re: horse's sinking in; the 'lines' were fairly obvious and I suspect our horses worked out that they had to watch their feet fairly quickly. The depth of our mole plough wasn't much more than a foot I don't think!!

Thanks for that, palo! Me and OH were talking earlier that perhaps afterall we shouldnt do it, but youre perspective and experience of it has re-energised the idea!
I’ve read from others who’ve done it to wet hay fields that the improved drainage of normally soggy ground was worth the effort doing the job, despite being temporary, altho’ on average many say they repeat it every 3-5 years....so better than having to do it annually!

The large open dug drains around the perimeter of the fields really helped improve drainage when we dug those....but we could still do with faster drain-off after rain, due to high organic matter soil type.

The horses will notice the lines, as they notice every little change i make ?....so ill probably find they’ll strip graze by themselves between the lines!

 

[palo1]

Thanks for that, palo! Me and OH were talking earlier that perhaps afterall we shouldnt do it, but youre perspective and experience of it has re-energised the idea!
I’ve read from others who’ve done it to wet hay fields that the improved drainage of normally soggy ground was worth the effort doing the job, despite being temporary, altho’ on average many say they repeat it every 3-5 years....so better than having to do it annually!

The large open dug drains around the perimeter of the fields really helped improve drainage when we dug those....but we could still do with faster drain-off after rain, due to high organic matter soil type.

The horses will notice the lines, as they notice every little change i make ?....so ill probably find they’ll strip graze by themselves between the lines!

Your plan sounds good to me; if you can mole plough to the field margin drains that would make a big difference though you have to be slightly cautious about the amount of run-off water going through your ditches and where that will end up. Thankfully our system was able to feed into the existing roadside ditches which could cope with the water. Repeating every 3-5 years is about normal I think and can last well if you can catch the right weather to do the job. If you are doing the work yourself try to map out which is the best direction and angle to put your mole ploughed lines as it were - in order to catch the water most effectively. We had particularly wet patches on our field so rather than just do one direction we kind of did a herringbone pattern from the 'bog' to the outside margins of the field. It was quite an absorbing task for a while lol!! Good luck with the project.

 

[Quigleyandme]

I’ll be having my very boggy fields mole ploughed as soon as they are dry enough to do. This will be followed with tons and tons of lime/gypsum. The idea is to break up the clay or hard pan to aid drainage. At the moment, during the winter months, every hoof fall makes a permanent depression that subsequently fills up with rain and or surface water so it can only improve things.

 

[rabatsa]

Ideally it should be done when the surface is dry but the underneath soil is wet enough to hold the shape. Too dry and it just falls in on itself. Too wet and the mole smears the soil and seals so that drainage into the mole hole is poor.