How much topsoil should i use

Grass roots grow between 4 and 6 inches long, so a layer of topsoil that's 6 inches deep provides enough room for the roots to grow. High-quality topsoil should feel slightly gritty when you rub it between your fingers, which indicates mineral content, while being dark to nearly black in color, which indicates the soil is also rich in organic matter. Poor topsoil may feel and look sandy, or it may have heavy clay particles that cause it to clump and harden as it dries.

The layer beneath the topsoil, called the subsoil, doesn't usually contain as much organic matter and usually isn't as high quality as topsoil, often being more rocky or sandy than the desirable soil on top. If you have poor topsoil, you can buy topsoil so your lawn has a better chance of growing well. Laying topsoil directly on top of the subsoil creates a drainage problem.

Before laying the topsoil, till the top 2 to 3 inches of the subsoil to loosen it, and grade the lawn surface. Grading means leveling the lawn area to remove any low spots while sloping the lawn gently away from buildings and driveways. Apply the topsoil in an even 4- to 6-inch layer and then till it into the loosened subsoil. This gives the grass a deeper rooting zone, while the more gradual change to the native subsoil allows water to drain and soak more deeply into the ground.

Sight unseen, you could order 5 yards of anything from beach sand to adobe brick material. Always go to look at what you are buying if you are unfamiliar with the soil seller to know what you are purchasing. Myth 2: Good topsoil is very black. Balloon popper: Very black soils are not always the best soils.

You should be able to feel some grit when you rub a small amount of soil between your thumb and forefinger. This is the mineral portion of the soil, which is critical for plant growth.

Those minerals include phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and many more. The black portion is the organic portion, which is slowly decomposing nitrogen. It is impossible to write a good song using only one note. The soil should contain both minerals and organic material. It may be very good soil and not deep black. Balloon popper: All topsoil comes with weed seeds.

There is no way for even the most diligent seller to remove these. If the soil was heated to kill the seeds, it would also kill all the valuable microorganisms in the soil. This sterile disaster would create more problems than it would solve. The importance of topsoil comes down to the nutrients contained in the dirt.

If you were to just plant your garden in the dirt that is currently covering that patch of ground, you may or may not find that your plants get enough nutrition to thrive.

Yes, new topsoil is great for providing plants with the nutrients they need to grow. Your plants are quickly going to start working through the nutrients in that topsoil, so fertilizing in an ongoing manner is a good idea.