Help With Driveway Drainage

[paulsharvey]

it’s going to be challenging to get grass to grow on that soil … it would be worth to Hydroseed

There Jute fiber seed mat/net stuff is used on slopes and ditches on Appalachian road work. I tried to Google the product, and only found ones at TSC that didn't have seed; and planting media for Marijuana farms... we don't use it in FLa, we sod steep slopes. The product I'm talking about looks like it's made from jute baling twine, and has seed embedded in it.

On road work; we would want a 2ft strip of sod at the "shoulder" transition from the drive to the front slope of the ditch. If the drive is relatively impervious, that's gonna be one of the primary places that water will wash.

Just keep an eye on it; and if you see an erosion problem, address it, they only get bigger.

 

[Rockbadchild]

There Jute fiber seed mat/net stuff is used on slopes and ditches on Appalachian road work. I tried to Google the product, and only found ones at TSC that didn't have seed; and planting media for Marijuana farms... we don't use it in FLa, we sod steep slopes. The product I'm talking about looks like it's made from jute baling twine, and has seed embedded in it.

On road work; we would want a 2ft strip of sod at the "shoulder" transition from the drive to the front slope of the ditch. If the drive is relatively impervious, that's gonna be one of the primary places that water will wash.

Just keep an eye on it; and if you see an erosion problem, address it, they only get bigger.

yes i thought about that too, it works .. i didn’t know how it’s called ether … it dose take longer then Hydroseed … the thing with hydroseed is it’s mix with fertilizer and it’s sticky so it’s stay in place and will grow on anything … probably way more expensive.

 

[UOFan]

I apologize again for not communicating well. I meant to ask how much the grade of the ditch falls over its length from one end to the other--like from A to B.

View attachment 799385

Ah, got it. Let me measure that this afternoon, easy.

it’s going to be challenging to get grass to grow on that soil … it would be worth to Hydroseed

I've looked into that option for other spots on my property. There is a company within 20 miles that I could call. I'd estimate it'd be about 1000 sqft, which according to google would be about $500-$1000 depending on local costs etc.

 

[UOFan]

There Jute fiber seed mat/net stuff is used on slopes and ditches on Appalachian road work. I tried to Google the product, and only found ones at TSC that didn't have seed; and planting media for Marijuana farms... we don't use it in FLa, we sod steep slopes. The product I'm talking about looks like it's made from jute baling twine, and has seed embedded in it.

On road work; we would want a 2ft strip of sod at the "shoulder" transition from the drive to the front slope of the ditch. If the drive is relatively impervious, that's gonna be one of the primary places that water will wash.

Just keep an eye on it; and if you see an erosion problem, address it, they only get bigger.

I am going to check with my local landscape supplier today and figure out what the have around here. Good suggestion about putting grass in the ditch. The driveway will be relatively impervious, and i expect water to shed off the drivway into the ditch.

I'd like to just get ahead of any potential erosion problems/water problems now while I have the free time to work. Based off input, i've come up with some options:

Option 1: Sod IN the ditch, grass and erosion control mat on the sloped berm, and potentially some sort of edging to separate the driveway gravel from the ditch

Option two would be to fill the ditch with rocks instead of Sod, and I wouldnt need any edging between the driveway and the ditch.

I may cut a ditch block about halfway up the slope with the tractor too.

What do you guys think of the above?

Edit: No-go on the edging, thinking about it 1 minute after posting, that would block the flow of runoff. It's early....

 

[Rockbadchild]

I like the sod option, vegetation is a great erosion control plus it would give a very clean look.

 

[EddieWalker]

Before I did anything, I would start up my lawn mower and see how close to the ditch I could mow with it. Once you know where you can safely mow, then you can either remove more material, add gravel, or do something else.

 

[2manyrocks]

I would want to make the transition more gradual on the side labeled landscape block edging so you can mow the ditch easily. If you put one side of your mower wheels into the bottom of that ditch as it is, I'd say the mower blade will scalp the ground.

 

[Rockbadchild]

or mow it with a wiper snipper

 

[2manyrocks]

A few hours spent now on making the grade mowable could avoid more hours of weed eating later.

 

[UOFan]

After a couple discussions with my local landscape supplier and a Neighboor, I decided to go with surge rock for the ditch, and grass on the berm. Sod was too expensive for me, and the chance of failure was higher than I wanted for the price (I have zero experience laying sod and my soil is garbage).

I have 10 tons of surge coming tomorrow, the ditch is dug and sloped. I’ll post a picture once I get it filled with rock. Project is moving along!