Planting trees

[Jack.P]

Hi so didn't get round to taking any pics yet .been back on this job this week .i have now dug the area down deeper but I still need to go at least half a foot deeper but having trouble now as the soil has got like concrete now and  my elbow has enough of it .it seems to be compacted clay with 10-40mm stone and builders sand dumped in and underneath that seems to be a bed of flint .ive tried various shovels and forks and kango  but it takes a lot of effort only to move a small amount .not sure how I can get it any lower now ? 

[Jwoodgardenmaintenance]

Micro digger?

[doobin]

Sounds like you should have used a digger for the whole job. 

[Jwoodgardenmaintenance]

Wouldve been so much quicker and access isn't even hard because of micro diggers can move so much more material and not have a achey elbow there a brilliant bit of kit 

[Jack.P]

Yeah I've used a one ton before digging fish ponds .would have struggled to use it though on this job and hiring fee would of probably been wasted 

[Jwoodgardenmaintenance]

Is the ground really that compacted ? I've use them to rip up 4-5" concrete slabs and they've worked a treat rather you than me ? my other favourite way is a good old pick axe and think of someone you don't like you'll be suprise how much you can dig then 

[drinksloe]

Dunno about the pick axe, esp if ur down a bit deeper but a decent sharp pinch its amazing wot u can dig throu.

 

Just done a hand ball hill fencing job digging strainers in by hand and there was a few in 1 section where u were digging throu 2ft of flinty bedrock to get the posts in. Was some swearing going on at times and had to get pinch redrawn

 

Doubt would of been vaible on this job but a rock spike on a post knocker is some tool (assuming no underground services) for a job like this a local fencing company could of came out spiked it in 30mins. U do get some chappers on some quite small tracked machines now too, travellingto the job would take longer than doing it.

 

When i done vineyard fencing out in OZ they had rock drills/air compressors atttached to some of the tractors for drilling the post holes. No idea if tiny companies exist in UK that do small holes.

Might be expensive but i imagine u will just be charging the clients if they agree to it

[Jwoodgardenmaintenance]

@JackP how far down are you now and is the whole job clay soil because if you had some good loose gravely free draining ground marshals do a drainage system for driveways ect without the need for planning permission and it goes in good draining soil just set your land drainage in the trench put a good 12" of pea gravel around it and then fill the trench up with good topsoil an the drainage goes into like a crate wrapped up underground and collects the shite and good water gets back into the ground don't think I've explained it properly but if you look on marshals website it gives a better description 

[Jack.P]

hi yes it's all clay everywhere.currently the area dug out is roughly 2ft x 2ft x 10m. I think your on about conventional soakaway which I'm sort of doing anyway but the trees to be planted are in 50l pots so the whole thing has got to be deeper for drainage layer.

[Jwoodgardenmaintenance]

That's me all out of suggestions then  my first thought is always will a digger work and if the answer is no my next thought is way about bruit force? That's my logic and it seems to work ??