Choose Quality Topsoil- 2 Major Things That You Must Check

Are you planning to turn your home’s barren outdoor area into a verdant garden? If yes, then I must say that’s a really good idea. If you have a beautiful garden outside your home, it will not just make your neighbours envy you, but it will enhance your home’s appeal as well. In fact, an attractive garden will also increase your home’s resale value. I’m sure you want to enhance your home’s value and appeal, isn’t it? So, don’t waste much time, start revamping your boring outdoor area and turn it into a lush-green nook.

Since you want to turn your home’s barren outdoor into a verdant garden, you surely have to add a few plants to make it look absolutely gorgeous. Wondering what kinds of plants can you add to your garden? Well, that completely depends on your choice. It’ll be great if you visit a plant nursery and check out all the exotic plants that they have in stock. I would suggest, try to add a wide range of plants in your garden such as the flower-bearing plants, succulents, vegetable plants and etc. But, even before buying plants for your garden, there’s one essential thing that you have to do and that is, purchasing quality topsoil. Generally, most of the nurseries also provide a quality top layer for your garden. However, if the nursery you have visited cannot provide you with this, then you can look for soil suppliers in your city. I’m sure you will find many such suppliers.

2 Essential Things to Check before Buying Topsoil

Now, you must be wondering, why is topsoil so essential for creating a healthy and green garden, right? Well, the reason why top soil is considered to be the most vital layer of soil is because it contains all the major nutrients that any plant would need to survive or stay healthy. However, when purchasing top soil, don’t just randomly purchase it. Instead, there are certain things that you have to check. To know what you need to check, go through the below-mentioned points.

• Check the pH: The reason why you have to check the pH of the topsoil Hastings is to get a proper idea about the soil’s alkalinity or acidity. To measure the pH and obtain an accurate value, you have to use an electrode instead of paper test strips. The ideal pH of a top soil has to be in between 5.5 to 7.5, as you’ll be able to grow a wide range of plants. However, there are some plants like azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries and raspberries, which grow well in acidic soil that has a pH below 5.5. So basically, you have to ask the nursery owner about the ideal pH of the plants that you are buying.
• Check the texture: After pH, the next thing that you have to check is the texture of the soil. Ask the soil supplier to give you details of the proportion/percentage of silt, sand and clay present in the soil. The reason you need to check the percentage is because, the proportion of other earthy particles highly influences the aeration, tilth, drainage, compaction and lastly, the water and nutrient-holding capacity of the soil. Since the top coat/soil contains other fine-grained earth particles as mentioned above, hence, it is also known as a blended soil.

Apart from checking the soil pH and texture, you can also send your top soil sample to a lab for testing. The reason why I am suggesting you this is because soil testing is the best way to determine a top soil’s quality. Hence, if you are buying a huge amount of topsoil, it’ll be best if you get it tested.

So, now when you know why topsoil is important and what you need to check prior purchasing, hope you’ll be able to choose the best one for your garden. Thank me later!

Author bio- Rachael Mcbride is a lifestyle blogger. Her favourite hobby is gardening, which is why she loves writing articles about topsoil and blended soil. To know more about topsoil Hastings or soil suppliers, read all her articles.