How do I Install Agricultural Field Tile?

Agricultural field tile collects excess water in soil and diverts it from crop roots sensitive to too much water and root rot. Agricultural field tile is actually plastic pipe perforated with 1/8-inch holes across its surface, which, according to the EPA, gets its name from its original clay tile pipe form. Installing agricultural field tile prevents soil from water logging in fields situated in low-lying areas and allows planting of water-sensitive crops in areas that would otherwise be unable to accommodate their need for well-drained soil.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Shovel
• Agricultural field tile
• Couplings
• Hack saw
• Gravel
• Scissors
• Landscaping fabric

Instructions

1. Identify the specific areas within a planting field prone to waterlogged soil, then identify an area clear of the planting area to divert and collect the excess water. Measure the distance with a tape measure and calculate how much agricultural field tile and how many couplings to purchase. Manufacturers produce agricultural field tile in 100-foot lengths.

2. Dig down to the root level of the intended crop, or 2 to 3 feet, within the low-lying area and create a 3-foot-wide trench from the beginning of the waterlogged area to the water diversion site, creating a slightly downward slope to the trench toward the water diversion site.

3. Place the agricultural field tile in the trench, joining lengths with couplings when necessary, to reach all the way to the water diversion site. Shorten lengths when necessary with a standard hack saw.

4. Cover the agricultural tile with an even layer of gravel. Cover the water diversion site with gravel to create a drainage field where diverted water may evaporate or be reused.

5. Cut landscaping fabric with scissors and lay it over the gravel.

6. Re-fill the trench with soil.

Tips & Warnings

• Tile fields after the last harvest and before the first frost.

References

• EPA: Ag 101 Drainage
• University of Wisconsin: Soils
• State of Indiana: Tile Drain Installation and Repair
• North Dakota State Univ.: Managing Subsurface Water in the Field Can Pay Off