Practical Drainage for Golf, Sportsturf and Horticulture

...explains in great detail how water moves in soils; some of the more difficult concepts such as perched water tables and the capillary fringe; how drains work; how to calculate drain spacings; and how to install subsoil drains...aims to bring this complex subject to the ordinary practitioner in a form that can be understood and used in a practical way...---Golf & Sports Turf Australia

"...well organized, easy to read, treatment of the subject that reflects the state of drainage theory and practice as it is currently perceived...Graphic illustrations and photographs are generous throughout...an excellent value to students and others working in the turfgrass industry."---Dr. David Aldous, Professor of Turfgrass Management, The University of Melbourne

Practical Drainage is easy to read and presented in a non-technical style generously supported with helpful illustrations. There are three key messages in this book:

• water moves sideways only slowly through soil--leading to a detailed description of how drains work
• the how-and-why of perched water table methods of construction
• sands are different from one another--they must be tested before use in turf root zones.

These key messages are preceded by detailed descriptions of how water moves into soils and the effects of compaction on that movement. The final chapters give step-by-step guidelines for calculating drain spacings and depths, based on measurements of the hydraulic conductivity of the soil and its various layers. There are also chapters about how to measure hydraulic conductivity and how to design and install sub-soil drainage systems.

About the Authors

Keith McIntyre has a BSc Hons from the University of New England and a MSc from the Australian National University. He has 34 years of experience in horticulture and sportsturf. 

Dr Brent Jakobsen has a BAg and a PhD in Soil Science from the royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Copenhagen. He has spent much of his working life working on compaction in agricultural soils, and on particle movement within soils.