Posted on 13th December 2017 by Hintons
Topsoil is an essential ingredient for establishing and maintaining a healthy garden space. Whether you’re laying a new lawn, creating a new bedding area or planting flowers in raised garden beds, choosing unsuitable topsoil will only make your job harder. But what are the benefits of topsoil? This article should give you an idea.
What is topsoil for?
Plants and seeds receive much of their essential nutrients from topsoil. It forms a rich layer on which to sow new grass seeds, and is commonly used to create fertile borders, plant beds and the foundations for a new lawn.You may need to find new topsoil for a garden if the existing soil is of poor quality or not substantial enough to support plants or grass. For new build gardens replacing a paved area, finding new topsoil to establish a lawn space is vital.
Different types of topsoil
Typically, there are three grades of topsoil to choose from:
- Premium – a finer grade of topsoil used for establishing fertile beds and borders. Soil is far from coarse, and will be free of any impurities such as weeds.
- General purpose – Good for laying new turf, with a range of screen grades available for beds and borders.
- Economy – cheaper and more likely to contain impurities. Economy topsoil is used when quality is unimportant – such as to fill holes.
Another important distinction to make is whether the topsoil is screened or unscreened.
Screened topsoil is processed thoroughly before being used. This kind of topsoil can be finely processed to your specifications, and produces a richer, higher quality material that is best for new plant beds and borders. This topsoil is more uniform. It has an even spread of nutrients, without any weeds or impurities, and allows for excellent natural drainage of water.
Unscreened topsoil is cheaper. It is more commonly used when bulk amounts of soil are required to fill in groundwork or holes, and is not necessarily chosen for its quality. Unscreened means unfiltered, so there’s a much higher chance of finding weeds and rocks, and the soil itself won’t be anywhere near as fine as its screened alternative.
Know what you need
Test the soil in your garden so you know exactly what you will need from new topsoil. If your current topsoil is lacking in certain nutrients, too coarse or has too many impurities to work with, you’ll should aim for a finer, more premium grade.
If quality isn’t as important to you, then an economy mix should be fine. It’s all about knowing exactly what you need from your garden, and using topsoil to accommodate that. Ground preparation and filling holes is the primary use for economy grade topsoil, and is the one you want if you’re primarily looking for quantity.
Hinton’s Waste are reliable providers of aggregates and topsoil in London and Croydon, serving domestic and commercial customers alike. Whatever the size of your project, we aim to provide prompt delivery of your materials, and our team of experts are on hand to help you find the most suitable grade and classification of topsoil for your needs. To find out more, simply contact us today.