When Should or Shouldn’t You Lay Down Topsoil?
Topsoil is exactly what it sounds like, the top layer of soil. Natural soil has its own topsoil, but our lawns and farms lay down special topsoil that ensures plants have the nutrients and water drainage they need to thrive. It holds most of the nutrients that plants need to thrive. It’s also where other nutrients and water from the rain land first. Water tends to collect in the topsoil as it is drained. Depending on the kind of topsoil that you have, your drainage may allow as much water as possible to reach the roots, or keep most water from drowning roots that don’t require as much water.
Topsoil can provide too many nutrients or not enough water drainage if one isn’t careful enough with it. When you lay down topsoil, you have to be careful to make sure you are adding it at the best time. Add it too early, and you can overfeed a plant, but too late, and the plants may suffer permanent damage they can’t recover from.
To know when you should and shouldn’t lay down topsoil, ask the experts at Pioneer Landscape Centers.
The Difference Between Topsoil and Compost
Topsoil and compost can be easily mistaken for one another. They have similar uses, which are to provide nutrients and drainage but do so differently, and in different situations. Compost is used when you don’t have any or very few nutrients. With topsoil, you expect there to be a good amount already, and you are keeping your soil at one hundred percent. Topsoil also helps provide filler that prepares for and, in some cases, helps heal soil after erosion.
The most common difference in how they’re used is with how you would use compost to fill a pot, but not topsoil. Compost does the job of soil in some cases, while topsoil strengthens what is already there.
When Should You Lay Down Topsoil?
There are a few specific times when you should lay down topsoil where it will help your lawn and other plants the most. For grass, the best time would be after the grass has started growing. This is because the grass is actively using nutrients and water, so the grassroots are looking to be replenished. You don’t have to worry as much about your grass having too many nutrients.
The major thing to consider is the drainage of your topsoil brand. If it recently rained or is going to rain, your topsoil can either keep the water with the roots or keep it out. Use the right amount and the right kind of topsoil to meet your drainage needs. Either way, some of it will be swept away with erosion from the rain and wind, so extra topsoil can alleviate the effects.
The Importance of Tilling
After you’ve tilled your yard is also the perfect time to lay down topsoil. Tilling is when you prepare the soil for the cultivation of seeds. This can be done by digging, plowing, or overturning the current soil by hand or with a tool.
You should consider tilling your lawn before the grass is set to grow for the season. You want the richness and fertility of the soil to extend into the ground. You’ll also want to remove any dead matter or invasive plants such as weeds. A good rake or tiller can help with that.
Get Your Topsoil at Pioneer Landscape Centers
Pioneer Landscape Centers have Screened A-Top for customers looking for topsoil. This is quality topsoil with nutrients and proper drainage so your lawn will have the nutrients and water it needs.
If you’re unsure of how much you need or how much you should be using, we have the materials calculator. This will help you take the shape and dimensions of your yard, or however much topsoil it needs, and then calculate how much product you need. You can use this to figure out how much topsoil you need. If you want a professional opinion that takes your lawn’s condition into account, have the results of the material calculator when you visit one of our locations or contact us.
You can visit any of our locations for help, call our number, or contact us online.