# Topsoil vs topsoil/compost blend?



## 86halibut (Jun 23, 2019)

Does it matter which one I get? Local garden centers carry both topsoil or a blend of topsoil/compost. I am in the process of renovating the backyard (1000-1200sq/ft) I purchased a levelawn rake so I'd like to get it level and smooth, got a couple of dips also. The current soil seems brittle (when dry) and clay-like but what do I know :dunno:

Do I just throw it on top, level it out, and roll? Then when it's time to seed I can go over with my electric dethatcher to make a nice seedbed?


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## BXMurphy (Aug 5, 2017)

86halibut said:


> Does it matter which one I get? Local garden centers carry both topsoil or a blend of topsoil/compost. I am in the process of renovating the backyard (1000-1200sq/ft) I purchased a levelawn rake so I'd like to get it level and smooth, got a couple of dips also. The current soil seems brittle (when dry) and clay-like but what do I know :dunno:
> 
> Do I just throw it on top, level it out, and roll? Then when it's time to seed I can go over with my electric dethatcher to make a nice seedbed?


Compost.... unless you've done a mason jar test and found your soil is already high percentage loam.

Compost _amends_ the soil you already have. Topsoil tries to _replace_ the soil you already have.

The problem with topsoil is that it is kind of difficult to add six inches of the stuff to replace enough of your existing soil to make a difference.

"Brittle" soil? You need organic matter. Compost is organic matter.

Now... whether you can sow seed into compost... I'm not so sure about that. I would add a layer of compost right on top. Let it settle for a month or so, and then seed and roll.

B


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## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

I just bought the level rake also. I plan on leveling my lawn in late August and do some overseeding. Why not buy topsoil and mix with sand to level a few weeks before seeding. Then seed and top dress with compost. That's my plan


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## ruxie88 (Dec 20, 2018)

Compost will decompose in weeks/month. Alone, compost will not level your lawn. It adds organic matter to your soil.

I have been slowly leveling my lawn with a mixture of topsoil and sand. My soil has a low CEC, so sand alone won't help me in the long run.


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## BXMurphy (Aug 5, 2017)

ruxie88 said:


> My soil has a low CEC, so sand alone won't help me in the long run.


Agreed.

I totally get wanting to level a yard. What I don't get is using sand. Isn't sand somewhat undesirable?

I always thought I had pretty good soil - in my vegetable garden, at least.

I recently did a mason jar test and was alarmed to find I have about 50% clay. Now I see clay everywhere! I need to re-test to confirm as I didn't dig deeply.

Wouldn't most of us prefer more organic matter if we had a choice? And... if you're going to go through the trouble of leveling... you know?

Here's another interesting observation... I used to buy firewood for a wood stove. One year, I bought a year's supply of firewood all at once. There was a TON of bark chips and chaff left after stacking. I heaped it in one spot in the vegetable garden and didn't grow anything for a few years because I got lazy.

This year, I turned over the garden with a pitchfork - not really distributing the wood chips. The tomatoes growing in that area are growing like you read about! In other areas, the tomatoes are so-so.

Personally, if I were to level small areas, I would incorporate mulch and topsoil. I'd pack in mulch and top dress that with topsoil to fill in air pockets and make sure to cover completely with topsoil to get the seed going.

In fact, I might go so far as to top dress my whole lawn with a light sprinkling of mulch. And then, as the grass clippings hit the mulch, it all turns into compost.

I'm a mulch-free kind of guy. I hate the stuff! I have three bags leftover from my prior Mulch Maniac days. I've been pondering over what to do with it... turn it into the flower and veggie beds or sprinkle on the lawn. Either way, it's win-win.

Murph


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

ruxie88 said:


> Compost will decompose in weeks/month. Alone, compost will not level your lawn. It adds organic matter to your soil.
> 
> I have been slowly leveling my lawn with a mixture of topsoil and sand. My soil has a low CEC, so sand alone won't help me in the long run.


Definitely get some sand and mix it with compost for leveling a native sandy soil, approximating the ratios as best as possible. As mentioned in the above quote, compost alone won't do it.


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## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

BXMurphy said:


> ruxie88 said:
> 
> 
> > My soil has a low CEC, so sand alone won't help me in the long run.
> ...


Adding organic material is good for your soil but as far as leveling goes you need something that doesn't break down. If you put compost in a low spot, eventually it will break down in the soil and your back where you started


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## BXMurphy (Aug 5, 2017)

NJ-lawn said:


> Adding organic material is good for your soil but as far as leveling goes you need something that doesn't break down. If you put compost in a low spot, eventually it will break down in the soil and your back where you started


Yeah... you're right. Hmph...

I guess what we have to do is find a way to level by adding "ideal" soil instead of just dumping something less than ideal on the low spot.

I've been reading on soils lately. Folks seem to be all over the place when identifying "ideal."

"Ideal" is loam. What is "loam?" A mixture of sand, silt, clay, organic matter, and air space. Minerals, organics, and air. Whatever...

I think I'm buying into North Carolina State Extention's Soil and Plant Nutrients report.

Can the original writer simply level with loam which, I guess, would be topsoil?  Wouldn't topsoil already have the right mixture of sand, etc.?

Did I just go around and around? Catch me on the flip side, ok?

B


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Ideal matches roughly what you have already.

Amending with a higher OM is different.

"Topsoil" isn't one specific mix. And sand plus compost is likely to cost less, have less weeds, and more nutrients.


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## BXMurphy (Aug 5, 2017)

Green said:


> ruxie88 said:
> 
> 
> > Compost will decompose in weeks/month. Alone, compost will not level your lawn. It adds organic matter to your soil.
> ...


@Green, I think I would have to agree with you because if the writer doesn't match the native soil, grass growing in that area may look and behave differently than the rest of the lawn.

Different soils will grow grass with different water and nutrient requirements and different growth characteristics. That area may stick out like a sore thumb.

B


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

BXMurphy said:


> Different soils will grow grass with different water and nutrient requirements and different growth characteristics. That area may stick out like a sore thumb.
> 
> B


For my back reno, compost-based topsoil (compost plus sand, synthetically created rather than dug out of the ground somewhere) was brought in. At least 4 inches of it, and more in some areas. For the first few years after, the grass grew much better there because it was like an ideal soil. A little soft, but good nutrient profile. The grass still does better there than the adjacent aeea.


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## BXMurphy (Aug 5, 2017)

Green said:


> The grass still does better there than the adjacent aeea.


Yeah... See? Which proves your point exactly.

Have you done a soil texture test (mason jar thing)? I did one. Sloppy and cursory.

The clay particles look like they will take a MONTH to settle out such that the water clears. Early observations for me are not encouraging.

I didn't know what a non-foaming detergent was. Apparently, you add that to the test to help particle separation and settling. I used my non-ionic surfactant. Laundry detergent might have been better. Another site suggested Calgon water softener.

I will run another test by digging an 8" hole and slicing an inch-thick layer off the side of the hole for a more representative sample. I will attempt to amend over time according to results.

I imagine I'll be adding organic matter...  <sigh>

B


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