[mm[_1_]]

Thanks, Frank, for the asnwer about old fertilizer. I'm going to sell
or give it away.


Now I have another problem. My yard is missing grass where the deck
used to be, and the ground is not high enogh everywhere. So I bought
a 40 pound bag of topsoil.

I opened it and it's black, but the rest of my dirt is dark brown or
light brown. I put a little down and it looks bad. Do they sell
brown topsoil too?

I thought it would be dry like a big powder, but I guess it got wet
inside somehow, and now when I use a 4 inch putty knife, it cuts like
fruit cake. Is it ever going to get powdery? So it isn't totally
clumped, so it has no clumps that don't break up when I hit them, and
I can just pour it out, and mix it with other dusty dirt?

I only paid 1.23 for 40 pounds. That seems cheap, even for dirt. (The
last time I bought some was 20 years ago.) Is there more expensive,
better topsoil? (not counting miracle-grow that's 7.50 a bag and say
it has nutrients that will last for 4 months.)

Thanks.

[[email protected]]

On Jun 3, 8:03*pm, mm wrote:
Thanks, Frank, for the asnwer about old fertilizer. *I'm going to sell
or give it away.

Now I have another problem. *My yard is missing grass where the deck
used to be, and the ground is not high enogh everywhere. *So I bought
a 40 pound bag of topsoil.

I opened it and it's black, but the rest of my dirt is dark brown or
light brown. *I put a little down and it looks bad. *Do they sell
brown topsoil too?

I thought it would be dry like a big powder, but I guess it got wet
inside somehow, and now when I use a 4 inch putty knife, it cuts like
fruit cake. *

Sounds like it has a fairly high clay content.

Is it ever going to get powdery?

Not if it has high clay. With high clay, if it's damp and you
squeeze it in your hand, it remains in a clump when you release it.
Sandy loam falls apart.


*So it isn't totally
clumped, so it has no clumps that don't break up when I hit them, and
I can just pour it out, and mix it with other dusty dirt?

I only paid 1.23 for 40 pounds. That seems cheap, even for dirt. (The
last time I bought some was 20 years ago.) *Is there more expensive,
better topsoil? * (not counting miracle-grow that's 7.50 a bag and say
it has nutrients that will last for 4 months.)

Thanks.


We have no way of knowing where you are or what's available
locally. What you can buy in San Francisco is likely different than
what you can buy in Georgia. But topsoil doesn't have to be
expensive to be good and there is no need to pay for a name brand to
fill in a hole in your lawn. Try another bag from a diff
company. If the hole is large enough, you can use the one you have
to start filling, then top off with the better one. Or mix them
together. Or mix the clay one with some humus, like compost. In all
likelihood, even if you used it as is, you'll be fine. A couple
inches of it on top isn't going to make much diff.

[mm[_1_]]

On Thu, 4 Jun 2009 05:43:28 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Jun 3, 8:03*pm, mm wrote:
Thanks, Frank, for the asnwer about old fertilizer. *I'm going to sell
or give it away.

Now I have another problem. *My yard is missing grass where the deck
used to be, and the ground is not high enogh everywhere. *So I bought
a 40 pound bag of topsoil.

I opened it and it's black, but the rest of my dirt is dark brown or
light brown. *I put a little down and it looks bad. *Do they sell
brown topsoil too?

I thought it would be dry like a big powder, but I guess it got wet
inside somehow, and now when I use a 4 inch putty knife, it cuts like
fruit cake. *

Sounds like it has a fairly high clay content.

Is it ever going to get powdery?

Not if it has high clay. With high clay, if it's damp and you
squeeze it in your hand, it remains in a clump when you release it.
Sandy loam falls apart.


*So it isn't totally
clumped, so it has no clumps that don't break up when I hit them, and
I can just pour it out, and mix it with other dusty dirt?

I only paid 1.23 for 40 pounds. That seems cheap, even for dirt. (The
last time I bought some was 20 years ago.) *Is there more expensive,
better topsoil? * (not counting miracle-grow that's 7.50 a bag and say
it has nutrients that will last for 4 months.)

Thanks.


We have no way of knowing where you are or what's available
locally. What you can buy in San Francisco is likely different than

I should have said I'm in Baltimore and bought this at Home Depot
(which is only a mile from my house.)

The stuff was stored outside and I guess there was rainwater in the
top bag. When I lifted it, my thumb stretched the vinyl bag and
almost put a hole in it.

what you can buy in Georgia. But topsoil doesn't have to be
expensive to be good and there is no need to pay for a name brand to
fill in a hole in your lawn. Try another bag from a diff
company. If the hole is large enough, you can use the one you have
to start filling, then top off with the better one. Or mix them
together. Or mix the clay one with some humus, like compost. In all
likelihood, even if you used it as is, you'll be fine. A couple
inches of it on top isn't going to make much diff.

It's going to rain for the next few days. I didn't cover it the first
day (and the bag was widee open so it could dry) but it is now and I
'll see if I can work with it after it dries out.

Thanks.

[Kansas]

As noted in this link darker topsoil is usually considered better, but this
is not always true.
http://www.ladybug.uconn.edu/PUrchasingTopsoil.htm
The price you paid seems fair as this works out to $61.50 a ton
Here at least I can get good topsoil for $10.00 to $20.00 per ton delivered
depending on fuel cost and the total number of tons required.
I would recommend applying an even layer of topsoil over the existing uneven
ground tilling the new with the old, and seeding now and also again in the
fall. One comment once the grass and the turf are established then the soil
color will be less apparent, and the stock question have you had a soil
analysis performed, what you described may not have been topsoil but fill
dirt, or may be lacking in amendments applied to the other areas of your
yard.

wrote in message
...
Thanks, Frank, for the asnwer about old fertilizer. I'm going to sell
or give it away.


Now I have another problem. My yard is missing grass where the deck
used to be, and the ground is not high enogh everywhere. So I bought
a 40 pound bag of topsoil.

I opened it and it's black, but the rest of my dirt is dark brown or
light brown. I put a little down and it looks bad. Do they sell
brown topsoil too?

I thought it would be dry like a big powder, but I guess it got wet
inside somehow, and now when I use a 4 inch putty knife, it cuts like
fruit cake. Is it ever going to get powdery? So it isn't totally
clumped, so it has no clumps that don't break up when I hit them, and
I can just pour it out, and mix it with other dusty dirt?

I only paid 1.23 for 40 pounds. That seems cheap, even for dirt. (The
last time I bought some was 20 years ago.) Is there more expensive,
better topsoil? (not counting miracle-grow that's 7.50 a bag and say
it has nutrients that will last for 4 months.)

Thanks.

[mm[_1_]]

On Thu, 4 Jun 2009 14:00:40 -0500, "Kansas"
wrote:

As noted in this link darker topsoil is usually considered better, but this
is not always true.
http://www.ladybug.uconn.edu/PUrchasingTopsoil.htm
The price you paid seems fair as this works out to $61.50 a ton
Here at least I can get good topsoil for $10.00 to $20.00 per ton delivered
depending on fuel cost and the total number of tons required.
I would recommend applying an even layer of topsoil over the existing uneven
ground tilling the new with the old, and seeding now and also again in the
fall. One comment once the grass and the turf are established then the soil
color will be less apparent,

You know, I was thinking about this just an hour ago when I was
putting grass seed down. I was thinking how stupid I was to worry
about the color in the first place, since just what you said, the
grass would cover it! Fortunately for my ego, I partially recovered
when I realized it's not so clear I'll be able to grow grass in this
area which is quite shady. Much of it didn't have grass even when
there was no deck above it. (Now my deck is only two feet from the
house to the edge and that leaves about 4 feet more with no grass.
Part of which I covered with flagstones.

So it's been raining in Baltimore for 6 of the last 10 days and will
rain 4 more days this week, so I figured I'd better plant grass (since
I usually forget to water) and since the old seed I put down last week
didn't do anything, I bought new seed this morning, for shady areas.

I'll see where the seed grows and if it grows between the flagstones
(2 inches wide) I will fill in the space with topsoil so they are
recessed in the ground instead of sticking out like now, and if I have
to I'll plant grass again there.

Thanks, Kansas


If I bury fresh but still short grass in new topsoil a quarter to a
half inch thick, with that kill the new grass or will it just keep
growing till it reaches fresh air? If I wait until the grass is
higher than the flagstones, will that be better?


and the stock question have you had a soil
analysis performed, what you described may not have been topsoil but fill
dirt, or may be lacking in amendments applied to the other areas of your
yard.

wrote in message
.. .
Thanks, Frank, for the asnwer about old fertilizer. I'm going to sell
or give it away.


Now I have another problem. My yard is missing grass where the deck
used to be, and the ground is not high enogh everywhere. So I bought
a 40 pound bag of topsoil.

I opened it and it's black, but the rest of my dirt is dark brown or
light brown. I put a little down and it looks bad. Do they sell
brown topsoil too?

I thought it would be dry like a big powder, but I guess it got wet
inside somehow, and now when I use a 4 inch putty knife, it cuts like
fruit cake. Is it ever going to get powdery? So it isn't totally
clumped, so it has no clumps that don't break up when I hit them, and
I can just pour it out, and mix it with other dusty dirt?

I only paid 1.23 for 40 pounds. That seems cheap, even for dirt. (The
last time I bought some was 20 years ago.) Is there more expensive,
better topsoil? (not counting miracle-grow that's 7.50 a bag and say
it has nutrients that will last for 4 months.)

Thanks.