I have a couple questions on top soil that is sold in bulk.

I bought a truck-load of top soil in bulk, and I spreaded it over my
lawn. When I saw it on the truck, it looked dark because it was wet.
Therefore, I thought it looked acceptable to me. But now when I
compare it to store-bought top soil from home center, they are quite
different:

- Its color is kind of medium grey. Its color is like concrete
powder when it is dry or when it is wet. The soil from a bag of
Scott Lawn Soil is much darker and with a brown-tune. Their colors
are completely different when I place them side-by-side.

- It contains many stones as large as 3" wide. Cheap store-bought
top soil also contains many stones; but their stones tend to be
much smaller than those I find in the top soil that I bought in
bulk. The Scott Lawn Soil that I bought hardly has any stone in
it. The top soil was supposed to have "well screened".

My questions a

- Is my concrete-powder-colored top soil any good? The salesman told
me that this is just as good as the dark-black top soil. But I
have a hard time believing this.

- How much organic matters in this type of concrete-powder-colored
top soil anyway?

- The good thing is that this top soil seems to be quit easy to
spread. I guess this means it doesn't have a lot of clay. On the
other hand, its color surely looks like a mix of clay and sand.
The clay makes it dark, and the sand makes it easy to spread. Now,
I am wondering what is going to happen if I add water to it. Will
I get concrete out of it?

- What does "well screened" top soil mean? How do they screen top
soil? Do top soil vendors have large machines that have metal
wire screen to screen the top soil? Do they have someone casually
eye-balling a pile of top soil to sort of "screening" the top
soil?

- What is the best way to buy top soil in bulk without running the
risk of getting "something else"? I had already gone to visually
check the top soil before I ordered the top soil, and the salesman
had already written down "DARK!" on the invoice; but I still get
this "stuff". Do I have to go to the nursey to actually see them
loading top soil onto the truck?

Thanks.

Jay Chan

Jay,

Unfortunately there are no laws or industry guidelines governing what can
and cannot be sold as 'topsoil'. The stuff you buy in 3 foot cubic bags is
of a much higher organic content (usually) than the bulk stuff.

You just have to visit the yard and closely examine their particular version
of 'topsoil'.

Dave

"Jay Chan" wrote in message
om...
I have a couple questions on top soil that is sold in bulk.

I bought a truck-load of top soil in bulk, and I spreaded it over my
lawn. When I saw it on the truck, it looked dark because it was wet.
Therefore, I thought it looked acceptable to me. But now when I
compare it to store-bought top soil from home center, they are quite
different:

- Its color is kind of medium grey. Its color is like concrete
powder when it is dry or when it is wet. The soil from a bag of
Scott Lawn Soil is much darker and with a brown-tune. Their colors
are completely different when I place them side-by-side.

- It contains many stones as large as 3" wide. Cheap store-bought
top soil also contains many stones; but their stones tend to be
much smaller than those I find in the top soil that I bought in
bulk. The Scott Lawn Soil that I bought hardly has any stone in
it. The top soil was supposed to have "well screened".

My questions a

- Is my concrete-powder-colored top soil any good? The salesman told
me that this is just as good as the dark-black top soil. But I
have a hard time believing this.

- How much organic matters in this type of concrete-powder-colored
top soil anyway?

- The good thing is that this top soil seems to be quit easy to
spread. I guess this means it doesn't have a lot of clay. On the
other hand, its color surely looks like a mix of clay and sand.
The clay makes it dark, and the sand makes it easy to spread. Now,
I am wondering what is going to happen if I add water to it. Will
I get concrete out of it?

- What does "well screened" top soil mean? How do they screen top
soil? Do top soil vendors have large machines that have metal
wire screen to screen the top soil? Do they have someone casually
eye-balling a pile of top soil to sort of "screening" the top
soil?

- What is the best way to buy top soil in bulk without running the
risk of getting "something else"? I had already gone to visually
check the top soil before I ordered the top soil, and the salesman
had already written down "DARK!" on the invoice; but I still get
this "stuff". Do I have to go to the nursey to actually see them
loading top soil onto the truck?

Thanks.

Jay Chan

(Jay Chan) wrote in news:c7e5acb2.0309081049.4e2253a3
@posting.google.com:

I have a couple questions on top soil that is sold in bulk.

I bought a truck-load of top soil in bulk, and I spreaded it over my
lawn. When I saw it on the truck, it looked dark because it was wet.
Therefore, I thought it looked acceptable to me. But now when I
compare it to store-bought top soil from home center, they are quite
different:

Sounds more like "fill dirt" than "top soil". The two may or may not mean
the same thing depending on what industry the person you're talking to
works in.

In article , Salty Thumb
wrote:

(Jay Chan) wrote in news:c7e5acb2.0309081049.4e2253a3
@posting.google.com:

I have a couple questions on top soil that is sold in bulk.

I bought a truck-load of top soil in bulk, and I spreaded it over my
lawn. When I saw it on the truck, it looked dark because it was wet.
Therefore, I thought it looked acceptable to me. But now when I
compare it to store-bought top soil from home center, they are quite
different:

Sounds more like "fill dirt" than "top soil". The two may or may not mean
the same thing depending on what industry the person you're talking to
works in.

Did sound like filldirt, but unless from some contaminated source, it can
be rendered as good as any quality topsoil by mixing into it a shitload of
manure. A shitload of rabbit raisens might not even need to be composted
first.

If the field sample is loamy topsoil & the delivered stuff is powdery
dirt, the real problem is selling for a quality price something that has
little or no organic component. It's a rip-off by thieves even though it
can easily be fixed with compost & labor. If it's worth the time & effort
for a bit of justice, I'd go get a sample of the vendor's "quality top
soil" as displayed for sale, & take that along with a bucket of the
powdery dirt actually delivered & get an expert opinon on both from a
horticultural extension. If what was purchased vs what was delivered are
notably different, then armed with expert opinion, demand of the vendor a
FREE load of good compost sufficient to turn that ordinary cheap filldirt
into the top soil actually paid for. If they refuse, then it's off to
small claims court for a FULL refund with which to purchase the required
compost from someone else.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

Unfortunately there are no laws or industry guidelines governing what can
and cannot be sold as 'topsoil'. The stuff you buy in 3 foot cubic bags is
of a much higher organic content (usually) than the bulk stuff.

Seem like this is a case of "I got what I paid for". OK, next time, I
will buy in bags instead of in bulk, and I do this for the following
reasons:

- At least I know what I am getting.

- The price difference is small when I factor into my sweat and
effort in using this stuff (that costed me one weekend to apply those
fill-dirt on my lawn).

I always prefer to use composts instead of top soil anyway. I was
forced to use top soil because I could not find anyone that can sell
composts in bulk locally. If I will have to get top soil in bags, I
may as well get composts instead.

Thanks.

Jay Chan

Sounds more like "fill dirt" than "top soil". The two may or may not mean
the same thing depending on what industry the person you're talking to
works in.

I have a feeling that you are right. Sigh...

Jay Chan

In article ,
(Jay Chan) wrote:

Unfortunately there are no laws or industry guidelines governing what can
and cannot be sold as 'topsoil'. The stuff you buy in 3 foot cubic bags is
of a much higher organic content (usually) than the bulk stuff.

Actually, there are industry guidelines from a bark, soil, and compost
vendor association, but being guidelines only, with no backing in law,
they have no enforcement value.

Seem like this is a case of "I got what I paid for". OK, next time, I
will buy in bags instead of in bulk, and I do this for the following
reasons:

- At least I know what I am getting.

- The price difference is small when I factor into my sweat and
effort in using this stuff (that costed me one weekend to apply those
fill-dirt on my lawn).

I always prefer to use composts instead of top soil anyway. I was
forced to use top soil because I could not find anyone that can sell
composts in bulk locally. If I will have to get top soil in bags, I
may as well get composts instead.

Thanks.

Jay Chan

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

Did sound like filldirt, but unless from some contaminated source, it can
be rendered as good as any quality topsoil by mixing into it a shitload of
manure. A shitload of rabbit raisens might not even need to be composted
first.

After I have spent the last weekend in spreading the so-called top
soil on my lawn, I am too tired to think of spending another weekend
spreading manure. I think I will leave the grass clipping on the lawn
when I mow to add organic matters into the soil. Next year in spring
when I need to mow the lawn very short anyway (cool season grass), I
will consider spreading compost over my lawn.

If the field sample is loamy topsoil & the delivered stuff is powdery
dirt, the real problem is selling for a quality price something that has
little or no organic component. It's a rip-off by thieves even though it
can easily be fixed with compost & labor. If it's worth the time & effort
for a bit of justice, I'd go get a sample of the vendor's "quality top
soil" as displayed for sale, & take that along with a bucket of the
powdery dirt actually delivered & get an expert opinon on both from a
horticultural extension. If what was purchased vs what was delivered are
notably different, then armed with expert opinion, demand of the vendor a
FREE load of good compost sufficient to turn that ordinary cheap filldirt
into the top soil actually paid for. If they refuse, then it's off to
small claims court for a FULL refund with which to purchase the required
compost from someone else.

This will not work for me. The nursey has all the bases covered: When
I went to order top soil from the nursey, they had both black-rich top
soil and the "so called" top soil sitting next to each other. The
salesman verbally assures me that they will delivery the good kind to
me, and he wrote down "DARK!" in the invoice. Of course, "dark"
doesn't mean anything, and verbal assurance means even less. Because
they also had the "so called" top soil also in display, I cannot say
that they are bait-and-switch. The problem is that I cannot tell the
difference between the black rich top soil and the "so called" top
soil if they are not placed side-by-side, and that was what had fooled
me.

Next time I will buy in bags even if they cost more.

Jay Chan

Xref: kermit rec.gardens:248862

Wow I have never heard of getting topsoil with stones in it! They are
supposed to tell you the percentage of organic (mulch to some) matter that
is in it. This is what is going to give it the dark color and what makes
topsoil what it is. You should be able to take a handful of the soil,
dampen it and squeeze it. If it is too high a percentage of clay (which is
what it sounds like), it will clump together and not come apart. Too high a
percentage of sand and it will not hold at all. A proper mix (of loam,
sand, clay) will hold together but easily break apart... hard to describe.
One of those things that you know it when you see it. I'm sorry but it
sounds as if you were had.
DK


"Jay Chan" wrote in message
om...
I have a couple questions on top soil that is sold in bulk.

I bought a truck-load of top soil in bulk, and I spreaded it over my
lawn. When I saw it on the truck, it looked dark because it was wet.
Therefore, I thought it looked acceptable to me. But now when I
compare it to store-bought top soil from home center, they are quite
different:

- Its color is kind of medium grey. Its color is like concrete
powder when it is dry or when it is wet. The soil from a bag of
Scott Lawn Soil is much darker and with a brown-tune. Their colors
are completely different when I place them side-by-side.

- It contains many stones as large as 3" wide. Cheap store-bought
top soil also contains many stones; but their stones tend to be
much smaller than those I find in the top soil that I bought in
bulk. The Scott Lawn Soil that I bought hardly has any stone in
it. The top soil was supposed to have "well screened".

My questions a

- Is my concrete-powder-colored top soil any good? The salesman told
me that this is just as good as the dark-black top soil. But I
have a hard time believing this.

- How much organic matters in this type of concrete-powder-colored
top soil anyway?

- The good thing is that this top soil seems to be quit easy to
spread. I guess this means it doesn't have a lot of clay. On the
other hand, its color surely looks like a mix of clay and sand.
The clay makes it dark, and the sand makes it easy to spread. Now,
I am wondering what is going to happen if I add water to it. Will
I get concrete out of it?

- What does "well screened" top soil mean? How do they screen top
soil? Do top soil vendors have large machines that have metal
wire screen to screen the top soil? Do they have someone casually
eye-balling a pile of top soil to sort of "screening" the top
soil?

- What is the best way to buy top soil in bulk without running the
risk of getting "something else"? I had already gone to visually
check the top soil before I ordered the top soil, and the salesman
had already written down "DARK!" on the invoice; but I still get
this "stuff". Do I have to go to the nursey to actually see them
loading top soil onto the truck?

Thanks.

Jay Chan

(paghat) wrote in
news
Did sound like filldirt, but unless from some contaminated source, it
can be rendered as good as any quality topsoil by mixing into it a
shitload of manure. A shitload of rabbit raisens might not even need
to be composted first.

snip

opinon on both from a horticultural extension. If what was purchased
vs what was delivered are notably different, then armed with expert
opinion, demand of the vendor a FREE load of good compost sufficient
to turn that ordinary cheap filldirt into the top soil actually paid

hehe, make sure you word your demand carefully, or it's a FREE load of
rabbit raisens for you!

Wow I have never heard of getting topsoil with stones in it!

Yes, I have a pile of stones to prove it. I threw them under my deck
as inorganic mulch.

They are
supposed to tell you the percentage of organic (mulch to some) matter that
is in it. This is what is going to give it the dark color and what makes
topsoil what it is. You should be able to take a handful of the soil,
dampen it and squeeze it. If it is too high a percentage of clay (which is
what it sounds like), it will clump together and not come apart. Too high a
percentage of sand and it will not hold at all. A proper mix (of loam,
sand, clay) will hold together but easily break apart... hard to describe.
One of those things that you know it when you see it. I'm sorry but it
sounds as if you were had.

Actually, the "so call" top soil seems to have the proper mix of sand
and clay. This means it can hold together and can break up. This is
the reason I can spread it over my lawn relatively easily.
Unfortunately, I doubt that it contains much organic matters. Seem
like it contains sand/clay/stones and that's! Oh well...

I will not buy anything from that nursey any more!

Jay Chan

snip
Actually, the "so call" top soil seems to have the proper mix of sand
and clay. This means it can hold together and can break up. This is
the reason I can spread it over my lawn relatively easily.
Unfortunately, I doubt that it contains much organic matters. Seem
like it contains sand/clay/stones and that's! Oh well...

I will not buy anything from that nursey any more!

Just make sure to give them a call and let them know. Don't make it a
complain or whine... just tell them you have a comment for management and
let them know you won't be back because of the poor soil that was delivered.

Businesses need as much feedback as possible if you want them to improve!

Just make sure to give them a call and let them know. Don't make it a
complain or whine... just tell them you have a comment for management and
let them know you won't be back because of the poor soil that was delivered.

Businesses need as much feedback as possible if you want them to improve!

You are right. I surely hope them can improve -- they are the closest
nursey near my house. Thanks.

Jay Chan