Help with drainage issue

[jtcn1965]

I'm hoping you fine folks can help me with a problem since your knowledge is remarkable? My yard is solid clay after you go past the grass. I tried planting a lilac tree and it drowned 😞. I dug a large deep hole, filled it with soil and planted it. For the first week it was great until it rained. That's when I knew with the way the leaves drooped it drowned. Everyone has a drainage issue around me because of the clay. How can I plant a tree if it's going to fill with water when it rains? I built a raised garden to grow my veggies but I can't plant tree's above the ground? Does anyone know how I can overcome this issue? It's so bad I dug 2 weeping tile ditches and a French drain that went down 5 feet and all they do is fill with water! Now I put a sump pump so I can drain the water away from the back of my house every time it rains.
Please help if you can? I know this is kinda off topic but this group is amazing!

[DW2]

This IS a different topic! Do You know how deep the clay layer is? How deep is the water table? Is there any slope to the area? The only thing that I could suggest, depending on what the answers to the previous questions are, would be to dig out as much of the clay layer as possible, refill the area with rock and gravel, and cover with topsoil. Give it some drainage slope and hope that You do not aggravate the neighbors with Your runoff! Or You could dig it up and go into the pottery business! (LOL!)
Good luck!

[Redwasp]

Ok here is the answer that will fix the tree issue. Will take some time, hard work, no chemicals, but other than time and busting your ass it will work. May take a year or 2. Sorry not what you want to hear im sure.

Rent a huge tiller, or enjoy that shovel, spade, and hoe. Till the dirt to about 18 inches deep. When you cut your grass, if you have it, bag it and put it on the tilled area. When you rack any leaves put it on that area. Find someone with cows, horses, rabbits, chickens etc etc and offer to clean their area if they let you keep the manure. Throw that in there. At the end of the season till it in. In the winter cover with hay. Come spring till it in. Keep doing this until you start to find earth worms and can easily dig in the soil with your hands. When the clay starts turning dark and beautiful and full of worms you should be good. Add worms if you have too.

Short term solution for a small area, dig or till. Fill with good dirt from an actual nursery. Get super soil if you can. Dig the area about 4 times the rootball size. Build it up about 6 inches taller than the surrounding area. After planting. Use some good mulch to about 4 to 5 inches. With the extra dirt and mulch right at the base of the tree it should be about 8 inches taller than surrounding area. It should slowly ramp down to the same level as the ground about 4 feet away on all sides from the base of the tree. Should work.

[Redwasp]

And not really off topic. Works for growing anything. Lol

[jtcn1965]

Thank you Redwasp.