How to Make Topsoil
westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
16 days ago
last modified: 16 days ago
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Comments (19)
westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
16 days agoRelated Discussions
How much topsoil do I need for new lawn?
Comments (11)I mostly agree with texasweed in hesitating to till. I realize you can find hundreds of articles on that topic, but you will never find a reliable landscaper that tills before installing a garden. They always use a tractor and box blade to develop perfect drainage and seed bed. If you are in a new development, your soil was probably graded already. If you add more soil you are almost guaranteed to ruin the drainage. If you end up with water draining into the house, you are in for a long time of headaches. I'm am assuming you don't need more soil. No matter what soil the contractor left you with, it is adequate to start a lawn. Pure sand is what I use as a replacement for my lost topsoil. Sand will never be "topsoil" but it works great for grass. Removing the rocks is a good idea, but I would not go way overboard on that either. My bedrock protrudes from the surface in places and is as much as 18 inches deep at the deepest. You can't dig holes in my garden without a pick or jack hammer. But I digress. Whatever soil you are starting with is fine. It will become topsoil before you know it. As for seeding, the most I would do, assuming your soil is properly graded from the contractor, loosen the very top with a leaf rake, apply a mix of Kentucky bluegrass seed and turf-type tall fescue, roll it down with a water filled roller, and water. KBG takes a little longer to sprout than fescue so keep watering daily until the KBG comes in. Set your mower to the highest setting and mow when the grass is tall enough to be mowed. Back off on watering frequency as you can but increase the time you water. Eventually you should be watering every other week unless your part of WA is in the desert. Then during the hot part of summer you might need to water weekly. Fertilize after you have mowed the grass for the second time. You don't add weed killer unless and until you have weeds to kill. Don't worry about not having weeds. Spring seeded lawns are very susceptible to crabgrass sprouts. Keep your grass growing up tall and that will help keep the crabgrass out....See MoreHow much topsoil to grow grass
Comments (11)I understand what you are trying to accomplish, the optimal way of doing this would have been to use the fabric sleeve that go around the entire pipe because it will be difficult to ensure that the fabric stays in place anyway. If you have an opening through which to clear blockages(i.e. run a snake through ) your best option may be to make sure that the river rock in the trench is compact and in place and place top soil over top of it lightly and spead you seed. The grass will cover the trench soon enough without a lot of work and time that might not get you very much benefit anyway....See MoreI have zero topsoil!!! what do I do?
Comments (22)I am impressed with your initiative! I agree with your decision to till or hand dig initially since removal of whatever was on the lot before it was vacant involved heavy equipment and compaction of the fill used. It can be difficult for plants' roots to penetrate highly compacted soils. Someone suggested that you pull topsoil/compost from your paths onto your beds; that's a good suggestion since you won't need to have good soil there. A few random thoughts and suggestions: - Having mulch of some kind, such as wood chips over corrugated cardboard in your paths will give a neat appearance, help conserve moisture, and reduce weeds. - Having mulch such as compost on the surface of your beds after planting will help keep moisture and soil temperature more even as well as feeding the soil and plants. - I notice that you are planning for 5' wide beds. I suggest that you reduce that to 4' wide so that you can easily reach to the middle of the bed from the paths. I am about 5 1/2' tall and DH is a couple inches under 6', and 4' width has worked well for us, allowing us to reach everything in the bed without having to walk on the soil. - Being between brick buildings in the middle of a city, you will have something of a heat sink in the walls, so you may escape later spring and earlier autumn frosts, extending your season. - Veggies need sun and sun angle will change over the course of the season. Start checking soon to see where the sun hits and for how long each day, and continue to check periodically as the season progresses. This will give you some idea where to best place the beds and the different veggies within the beds as some will be more tolerant of a bit of shade than others. Also take into account plant height and location in figuring shade for other plants. - Since much of the produce is intended for a food pantry, talk to those who run it to find out what they will be most likely to find useful to their customers. Having produce that looks familiar (think about avoiding unusually colored varieties) and that is used locally will give you the biggest bang for your buck. - Consider a couple of herbs if you have room and they will be used; basil and parsley are used in many different cuisines and tend to be expensive to buy. They can be dried or frozen for winter use. - Have fun. The first year tends to be the most difficult, but having a veggie garden is also rewarding IME, both in terms of the produce, but also in terms of being outdoors watching the changes in the garden and the seasons....See MoreCONFUSED! Topsoil - HOW DEEP?
Comments (12)How do I know about all this? It's my job :-) In additional to being a landscape designer, I am a consulting horticulturist and a horticultural educator. I am sure you are just as proficient and knowledgeable about your profession. There will always be a lot of varying opinions on how to do things, depending on one's personal experience and how current they are with up-to-date horticultural practices. Sometimes the older, highly work-experienced folks (like maybe your arborist?) are years removed from the classroom or even any professional or technical publications so they are not aware of the newest technology and current, revised methods. Trees competing with grass (or vice versa) can be an issue but only when dealing with young, newly planted and unestablished trees. If your magnolia has been in place for 3 years or more, then this is no longer a concern - the tree is established. And your yardman doesn't have it quite right - grass needs nutrients just like the tree does. It doesn't give them up to the tree. That's why there can be issues with young trees planted in the middle of a lawn - both fight for the same nutrients and moisture. But when you fertilize a lawn that has a tree growing in it, the tree benefits from the fertilizer just as the grass does. Leaving an area surrounding an established tree free of lawn is more a matter of maintenance than it is necessarily for the health of the tree. It is just a whole lot easier to mow and edge when you do not have to deal with a tree trunk in the way! With small, young trees it is even more important to leave a clear area as they CAN be easily damaged (and even killed) by mowers and string trimmers. And you never want to leave clear areas unmulched. Mulch keeps the weeds down and insulates the soil, reducing evaporation and therefore the need for additional watering. Asking for additional opinions is never a bad thing so no worries about posting your question on the Trees forum. The guys over there and I agree in general about most things tree-wise :-) And you'll find me responding in a bunch of different forums. My interests are very broad, as is my experience, and the teacher in me just has to come out when someone asks a question that I feel they will benefit from my answering....See Morewestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
15 days agolast modified: 15 days agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
15 days agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
15 days agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
15 days agolast modified: 15 days agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
14 days agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
14 days agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
14 days agowestes Zone 9b California SF Bay
14 days agolast modified: 14 days agoannpat
3 hours ago
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