My own mud pit!

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beachbum
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Re: My own mud pit!

Postby beachbum » Thu Aug 07, 2014 3:34 pm

That sounds much better than looking for a mud pit. My backyard is clay and actually there is a low spot which is mixed with sand and water in where my feet have been stuck before. If I work on it like you, I'm sure I can make a deeper mud pit. I would love to have some vertical depth to it rather than laying down.

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stephie08901
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Joined: Fri Aug 01, 2014 2:43 pm

Re: My own mud pit!

Postby stephie08901 » Thu Aug 07, 2014 9:50 pm

Yes, having more "vertical depth" would be great --- I am working on that --- IF I had a backhoe, I would dig a pit!! BUT I don't, so I am slowly working on this so that it gets deeper. BUT laying in your private mud pit is better than nothing!! I am enjoying!
Thanks for your reply! :D
Naked & muddy Sissy Stephie

quicksandRVA
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Joined: Fri May 23, 2014 3:20 pm

Re: My own mud pit!

Postby quicksandRVA » Fri Aug 15, 2014 6:09 pm

The image is broken... :-(

YerK
Posts: 612
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 5:31 am
Location: Little Rock, Arkanstone

Re: My own mud pit!

Postby YerK » Sun Feb 15, 2015 7:18 am

Well, if you have trees, you may find they have roots that have kept you from sinking further. They do tend to go toward water. My advice would be to dig when it is either dig when it is very wet or very dry. Wet, and you can shovel mud out pretty easily. Dry, and it will take more of a beating to break up clay, but then it can be removed in chunks. If it's dry and hard, I'd use a pick to break it up.

If I were suggesting a shape, I would have the pit in the form of a trench, more than shoulder wide, with the sides vertical, but with a 30 degree slope from one end. (so you can walk out)

If there is a lot of sand, you may need to line the pit. This can be a real pain. I would suggest sturdy plastic or nylon, as they'll be out of the sun, and they aren't affected by moisture. I would bring the lining up to a few inches below the ground level, as you don't want it to show when full. You might also run weather treated 2X4's around the edge of the pit, as it gives you something to attaché the liner to, as well as something to keep the edge from crumbling.

Folks who want to heat their pits sometimes circle the pit with water hose, and run hot water through to heat the pit. If you're going to do this, it needs to happen before you line the pit, which happens before you fill it.

While you do not have to line a pit with anything, I would advise against trying to heat it if it doesn't have a liner. (too much of a chance of getting tangled!)

what color clay is in your yard?

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stephie08901
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Re: My own mud pit!

Postby stephie08901 » Mon Feb 16, 2015 4:45 pm

Yerk,
THANK YOU so very much for your detailed reply!!!
YES, there are probably lots of roots "in the way" both from plants as well as trees! The clay appears to be a light color in my backyard. I will continue to "work" on it and see what happens, of course when the weather gets a lot warmer. Right now we have snow and ice on the ground and last night it was near zero, so not good weather for "mudding"!!
I will often sit in my mud bath with a small hand held "pick" which I continually dig with while enjoying sitting in the mud. I figure, in time, this will make it deeper.

I really appreciated you taking the time to reply. In the warmer weather, I will post how I'm doing.

Have a great day and THANK YOU again.
Naked & muddy Sissy Stephie
;)
Naked & muddy Sissy Stephie

YerK
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Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 5:31 am
Location: Little Rock, Arkanstone

Re: My own mud pit!

Postby YerK » Thu Feb 19, 2015 4:04 pm

Different color clays have different properties. Some dry out easier than others. Some are more brick-like when dry than others, etc.

Texas has a black clay the locals call "gumbo". It has the odd property of shrinking a LOT when dry. Texas soil will show very big cracks during really dry summers. Houses have to be built differently, and any pipes laid in the ground are installed differently, to keep this problem from breaking foundations and plumbing. It is still fun to play in, if you can find it wet and without ants.

Arkansas has lots of red clay, usually with sand mixed in. (again, I'm typing from experience, I have not done any sort of detailed survey) This is really fun to play in when wet, and re-wets pretty quickly. Maybe it's because I grew up here, but it's my favorite stuff to play in. The Red River has this sort of clay.

Out in Arizona, the Little Colorado River has a mix of red clay and sand, but it is the place I have found the most of what I would call "textbook" quicksand. It was the first place I ever walked along the bank of a river and found myself walking as if on a waterbed. I could see wave action almost 4 to 6 feet in every direction, but with the top being sturdy enough that I felt I could have just kept walking and not sink. (Of course I stopped to play, though!) My favorite bit of mud to play in used to be a mile away from the local city, which has expanded to both sides of the river, now. :-( The mud may still be there, but the privacy is lost.

Now, if you are serious about digging a pit, you will need something to do with what dirt comes out. This leaves you with a question: Are you going to buy something to go into the pit, or are you going to backfill with the dirt (minus rocks and roots) that came out of it. It is best to plan this ahead of time, as you will not kill a lot of your grass by making a big pile of dirt on it. If you are going to back-fill, then you will need a wheelbarrow to move the dirt over to your patio or some place without grass. You can't carry it one shovel at a time, as that will cause so many trips that you'll kill grass from walking. If you plan on back-filling with the soil that comes out, you still need to set the soil aside where there isn't grass, but you'll need a separate place to put rocks & roots.

If you do not plan to put the soil back into the pit that is coming out, and you have a big enough yard, just spread it out in the yard and water it. Water will take the new soil down toward the roots of your grass. If you do not currently have good grass, you can move the removed soil to low spots in your yard to level it out, or just spread it out if your yard is already level. They also make landscaping bricks such that you can stack them and put soil in for a flower garden, If you like. If you find you have rocks, roots and soil, but want to put something new into the pit, you can always ask your neighbors if they need any of what is coming out. If you're in the city, there may be some day of the week the city will pick up waste wood such as roots. They may also pick up your rocks, if you ask them. I piled a lot of broken rock out near the street here and the city sent a work crew to gather them to throw into a wash, down by the local park.

Probably more than you care to read, but I have done some digging, as you may have guessed. I did not plan ahead, and I have 1 unsightly pile of clay mixed with big rocks, one pile of just rocks, and a large pile of gravel. These would be gone already, but my wheelbarrow broke and I had knee problems back during the summer, so it's a chore that waits for better weather to fix these piles. I guess I'd rather others did not get this problem. (I don't even have a mudpit to show for this, either, I dug a French drain!)

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stephie08901
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Re: My own mud pit!

Postby stephie08901 » Tue Apr 07, 2015 3:47 pm

8.5.14.JPG
Sorry for the long delay, but the weather is changing here now (NE) and my thoughts are going to my mud pit. Thanks for sharing your knowledge! I plan to use the same soil, and have places nearby without grass, so where to pile it is no problem. I have been using a pick ax to "loosen" up the soil and will do more this Spring. Would like to get it at least a foot deep! It would be a nice place to relax during a hot summer day!! Even though, I had great naked fun in the mud pit last year, my first year of creating it!
Once again, thanks for sharing your knowledge!! Hope you have great mud fun in the coming months!!
Naked & muddy Stephie
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Naked & muddy Sissy Stephie


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