At Home In The Woods

   / At Home In The Woods #5,671  
I just cut a bunch of volunteers out of one of my fields and on the advice of a tree cutting Co. hit the stumps with roundup while the cut was fresh. If that doesn't work I will go back with my subsoiler and try to get the roots out. Of course the subsoiler is not a option for a septic drain field.
 
   / At Home In The Woods
  • Thread Starter
#5,672  
I just cut off the saplings. I didn't pull them up by the roots. I obviously should not have let the saplings get that tall but time slips up on you.

I found a discussion online about a septic drainfield in the woods here. One guy made the following interesting comments. I wonder if I should get some copper sulphate.

In NC, we do not disturb the trees or the land...that would destroy the ability of the land to treat the waste. We snake the drainlines between the trees. It takes more land, but it is a better system than the ones in a grassy field, because the trees can get to the water. the trees remove the nutrients, too...returning them to the land, rather than letting them escape into the aquifer where they do no good for the land and contaminate the groundwater...and eventually the well water. The tree roots also keep the soil drier, so the system lasts longer because it doeesn't form an anaerobic biomat in the drainlines.

...

Also, For those uf us with septic systems in woods, I add a half a pound of Copper sulfate to the outgoing drain line once a year. I buy it in the farm and garden store or in the ag supply or gardening shop. It is used to kill some pests for roses or some such. I forget what exactly, but it is commonly available and it's cheap, too. It kills roots that have invaded the system, but the copper does not accumulate in the trees and does does not harm the trees other than killing some of the roots.

Obed
 
   / At Home In The Woods
  • Thread Starter
#5,673  
   / At Home In The Woods
  • Thread Starter
#5,674  
She Fixed It
Some guys would be too embarrassed to let their wife fix the truck. Not me! For the past 2 or 3 years, we've had trouble with the batteries staying charged. I replaced the alternator; that seemed to help for a short while but not for long. Recently someone suggested that the starter might be draining the battery. My wife replaced the starter and the solenoid. Presto! Worked like a charm.

View attachment 381253

I did my part by taking pictures!
 
   / At Home In The Woods #5,675  
Obed said:
She Fixed It
Some guys would be too embarrassed to let their wife fix the truck. Not me! For the past 2 or 3 years, we've had trouble with the batteries staying charged. I replaced the alternator; that seemed to help for a short while but not for long. Recently someone suggested that the starter might be draining the battery. My wife replaced the starter and the solenoid. Presto! Worked like a charm.

View attachment 381253

I did my part by taking pictures!
Click to expand...

Your Mrs. is a keeper like mine....I am amazed at some of the things my wife tackles and succeeds....We both married UP !;)
 
   / At Home In The Woods #5,676  
Obed said:
<snip>

I found a discussion online about a septic drainfield in the woods here. One guy made the following interesting comments. I wonder if I should get some copper sulphate.

In NC, we do not disturb the trees or the land...that would destroy the ability of the land to treat the waste. We snake the drainlines between the trees. It takes more land, but it is a better system than the ones in a grassy field, because the trees can get to the water. the trees remove the nutrients, too...returning them to the land, rather than letting them escape into the aquifer where they do no good for the land and contaminate the groundwater...and eventually the well water. The tree roots also keep the soil drier, so the system lasts longer because it doeesn't form an anaerobic biomat in the drainlines.

...

Also, For those uf us with septic systems in woods, I add a half a pound of Copper sulfate to the outgoing drain line once a year. I buy it in the farm and garden store or in the ag supply or gardening shop. It is used to kill some pests for roses or some such. I forget what exactly, but it is commonly available and it's cheap, too. It kills roots that have invaded the system, but the copper does not accumulate in the trees and does does not harm the trees other than killing some of the roots.

Obed
Click to expand...

That is interesting, maybe a little overstated about destroying the land's ability to treat waste. He lengthened his drain field to accommodate a system that works better? Or, does he mean he used fewer but longer drain lines?

Whatever works for him, but without a video probe I think he is shooting in the dark maybe.

On the face of it, trees in a northern climate have reduced moisture uptake from the time the leaves turn and fall, until early spring when daylight hours are longer. Uptake is also related to moisture loss through leaf transpiration. No leaves during the dormant season and somewhat/almost frozen trees (they have their own antifreeze) will not be taking up much moisture. That being the case, the drain field in the woods is relying mostly on soil percolation at least part of the time.

I imagine the results are highly soil and climate dependent.

My leach field is the semi-circle chamber type. It is supposed to grow a mat of some sort on the interior chamber walls that treats the waste as it oozes through the slits and on out to the soil. I don't have trees near it, but have often wondered how roots would affect that type of system.
 
   / At Home In The Woods #5,677  
brin said:
Your Mrs. is a keeper like mine....I am amazed at some of the things my wife tackles and succeeds....We both married UP !;)
Click to expand...

Me too. However, to be honest, I have yet to know any male friend who didn't marry up. Seems like the ladies always have to settle down.

MoKelly
 
   / At Home In The Woods #5,679  
Obed thanks for the tip on checking the starter I am having battery issues and cannot figure out why. I will check that out.

Thanks
Scooter
 
   / At Home In The Woods #5,680  
I can't see any of the pictures in Obed's last couple of posts. Is it just me?
 
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