Whats your experience with Top Soils?

[weegee]

Hi all,

Just interested in discussion with those who have tried different topsoils, other than compost.....

Been discussing it on "Message with a couple of members and would like more input for them and myself, as i will be top soiling myself very soon.

Rgds

weegee

[chiang mai]

I just bought fourteen cubes of top soil for my garden, much of it sank by up to a couple of inches following the heavy rains. Surprisingly the soil this time around was pretty decent quality, typically the stuff we buy around here contains far too much sand - 320 a cubic metre, delivered, anyone not having anything to do with their time and being handy with a shovel, please feel free to PM me. :)

[weegee]

[chiang mai]

You made that, didn't you?

 

I like it very much.

[weegee]

Chiang mai....yep,  Me and my mate Mick....i am getting too old to use a shovel for bulk soil spreading...so i built this to do the job.

I use washed sand when i can for topsoil, but i have access to some very good topsoil as well. Have you used the sand and soil mix? I am asking for another member on here, and he would Value everyones opinion on this.

Edited December 14, 2016 by weegee
Left out some words and couldnt post anything to reply to posts.

[weegee]

Like me, he probably has great difficulty answering on this new format for some reason....With me it's hit and miss....lol

 

[weegee]

if I dont reply for a while it's because i cant get the reply box to open.....Now back to the subject...

[Hutch68]

Have you been drinking tonight weegee?

[weegee]

Nope.....It's not Friday....lol

[Hutch68]

What's in that bottle that is in that bucket?

[Hutch68]

Braso?

[weegee]

New Ideas for another build.....

 

[weegee]

Still waiting for your tips on this.....thanks.

 

[cooked]

16 hours ago, weegee said:

Chiang mai....yep,  Me and my mate Mick....i am getting too old to use a shovel for bulk soil spreading...so i built this to do the job.

I use washed sand when i can for topsoil, but i have access to some very good topsoil as well. Have you used the sand and soil mix? I am asking for another member on here, and he would Value everyones opinion on this.

We have very heavy soil, suitable for making bricks as it gets so hard in summer I can't even get a pick into it. Disgusting sticky stuff in the rainy season. Basically clay. The thing with sand is that you haver to be careful, you don't want to transform soil that's too heavy into soil that's too light.

Assuming you can cultivate the stuff in to a depth of 10cm, 1 to 2 cm of washed sand should be about right.

Sand: Sand pit sand for kids is acidic sand, quartz sand, river sand (same thing, different names) and has generally transported in. It doesn't stick together as does alkaline sand. A tad more expensive but often this is the only sand available anyway.

You can test it using one of the toilet cleaners containing 15% hydrochloric acid, if it sizzles it isn't quartz sand.

Carbonised rice husks will do the same job and of course are much easier to apply, being lighter, I never tried it as we had a big pile of builders' sand here when I arrived.

[weegee]

Thanks cooked for your input, it sounds like I have the same as you with the black ozzzze in wet season and the hard as concrete in the dry season....Would be good to find a balance for both, and thats what I am working on at the moment.

Rgds

weegee

[NigelKennedy]

I use the bought in black soil and add ĺots of cow dung, chicken manure and bone meal. Use a tractor to mix it all together and all the plants are very happy being planted in it.

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