Landscaping Problems With Topsoil

Properties of Healthy Topsoil

• Topsoil has to meet precise standards to be considered quality. The texture, organic matter, pH and soluble salt levels influence how well topsoil performs in supporting plant health and development. When even one of these properties is out of suitable range, significant time and money has to be expended on soil improvement in order for the landscape to thrive. High-quality soil may initially be more expensive, but in the long run avoids the need to replace landscape plants and constantly fixing chronic setbacks

Spotting Topsoil Problems

• Low-quality soil is referred to as subsoil or engineered soil. Subsoil is famous for being insufficient in micronutrients and it may hold recycled waste products and high salt levels. Top soil that is high in soluble salts is light in color with crusted salt crystals on top. Hard soil can signify low organic matter or elevated clay. Grainy soil may indicate a lot of sand content. These tips can help identify poor soil, but it is impractical to discern true topsoil quality without soil testing.

Benefits of Soil Testing

• Spreading topsoil only to find out later it is inferior is dismaying and expensive. Where it is feasible, have the soil tested to insure it meets standard physical and chemical parameters before buying topsoil. Purchasing topsoil can make the difference in creating an extraordinary landscape or it can be worse than the soil already on location. As of publication, the cost of professional soil testing is between $25 to $30 per sample, but laboratory analysis is a priceless tool in circumventing low fertility, environmental issues, disease and pest troubles.

Enhancing Inferior Topsoil

• Ample amounts of organic matter is crucial to the value of topsoil. Black or brown topsoil generally indicate higher organic content, where extremely light or white soil may have too much lime or salt and tends to be much lower in nutrients. Lack of organic materials can create compacted soils and nutrient deficiencies. By weight, topsoil should contain 2 percent or more organic substance. Increase the amount of organics in poor soil by incorporating compost and other natural soil amendments.