06-04-2004, 08:47 PM
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Is Garden Magic Top Soil suitable as soil (by itself)?
(Cicero_wnb) wrote in
om:
I want to fill my newly built 4'x24' raised bed, over 1 ft deep, with
a good soil to grow vegetables and herbs (and maybe some flowers too,
why not). I purchased 5 40-lb bags of top soil, different brands, from
local stores, and sent samples from each to our Extension Service for
testing. Based on the results I got back, and also from price
considerations, I will choose one named Garden Magic Top Soil,
produced by Michigan Peat. Now that I'm looking more closely at this
product, I noticed that instructions on the bag talk about using the
product to "top your soil". Specific recommendations for using this
product a
-Top dresses lawns and gardens
-Patches bare spots on lawns
-Loosens heavy soils
-Improves moisture retention in existing soils
(this is verbatim from their web site)
Interestingly, there is no mention of using this product as your soil,
period. It's always about doing something to your existing soil in
order to improve it. So I called Michigan Peat and asked whether this
particular product is suitable for use as the only soil (as opposed to
something used to enrich existing soil). The person I spoke with
seemed to be caught by surprise by my question, and after a few
seconds of silence (and apparent hesitation), slowly said "yes, it
should work". So the official answer from the company, technically
speaking, was "yes", but I didn't feel exactly reassured. Perhaps it
would help if I mention that they describe the composition of Magic
Garden Top Soil as a "blend of dark reed sedge peat and sand". Not
knowing anything about soil composition in general, this description
doesn't help me much. I know it's supposed to be a mix of clay, silt,
and sand, but how does "dark reed sedge peat" fit into this scheme? I
know from the test results that the pH and mineral and organic content
are all good, so one question to ask would be, is the structure of
this product adequate?
I'd like to know if anybody happens to have used this product and
knows whether it can be used as "real" soil (whatever that is). Any
other related experiences or insights will be appreciated too!
If I recall correctly, it is suboptimal to grow stuff purely in "topsoil".
Don't remember why though. Might have to do with drainage (you want a less
permeable layer to slow water from siphoning below the root level but not
so impermeable as to continually waterlog the roots) or nutrient intake
(same idea, you don't want water soluable ions to wash beyond your root
depth).
Topsoil belongs on top, subsoil on the bottom. Yes, topsoil is soil.
According to your product's marketers, dark reed sedge peat is the primary
organic component of their topsoil. I don't know enough about reed sedges
to know if I should be impressed or not.
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