# Black Kow Top Soil Issues



## thompwa (Aug 26, 2019)

Everyone has been talking about how great black kow top soil was and how pure it is.

I bought 40 bags to fix a few low spots and first two bags have a ton of bark and junk in them. Anyone else had this issue?

Did I just get a bad batch or has the mix changed?


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@thompwa the last half dozen bags I've bought have been the same as yours. Lots of weed seed as well that germinated from it.


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## thompwa (Aug 26, 2019)

mowww said:


> @thompwa the last half dozen bags I've bought have been the same as yours. Lots of weed seed as well that germinated from it.


Well that's really unfortunate. I doubt I'm going to get the nursery to take them back. Should have just gone straight to sand I guess. I'll probably call/email the company and see what they can tell me.


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## lambert (Sep 12, 2018)

It looks like lump charcoal... :shock:


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## thompwa (Aug 26, 2019)

lambert said:


> It looks like lump charcoal... :shock:


Yeah I raked up all of the clumps from the 2 bags I put down. At first I thought it was just clumps of soil, but it's little pieces of wood and bark


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## BermudaBoy (Jun 27, 2019)

Same happened to me last year. I put 400 pounds on my front lawn and after everything settled it looked like I had spread mulch everywhere. I hear that SuperSod has good compost but it's pricey.


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## Cramir (Apr 10, 2020)

Had the same issue with 20 bags. Had to run a rotary mower for it to suck it up and tear it into smaller pieces.


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## thompwa (Aug 26, 2019)

Cramir said:


> Had the same issue with 20 bags. Had to run a rotary mower for it to suck it up and tear it into smaller pieces.


Yeah I'm going to build a screen I guess. Should be easy enough to build just frustrating that they just changed what's in the bag all of a sudden.


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## acegator (May 31, 2018)

This is depressing to see because I put out 20 bags in the back 3 weeks ago that was in perfect shape.


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## thompwa (Aug 26, 2019)

acegator said:


> This is depressing to see because I put out 20 bags in the back 3 weeks ago that was in perfect shape.


I talked to several places that carry black kow on the phone when I was trying to track it down. They all said they have been having some issues keeping up with demand. Makes me wonder if they've changed Up their mix to make it go a little further. I'm really hoping I just got a bad batch. Tons of people on this forum use the stuff.


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## thompwa (Aug 26, 2019)

Update for you guys following. @BermudaBoy @Cramir @mowww 
@acegator

Contacted Black Kow and luckily they were super responsive via Facebook message on their company page.

I sent them a picture of the problem and they agreed that was not consistent with the quality I should expect.

Here is a pic of their response:


They later asked that I also send them a ziploc bag of the wood chips so they can check them out too.

Hopefully they will make it right!


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## Jeremy3292 (Apr 30, 2020)

That's Black Kow topsoil; that's not Black Kow manure. See picture below is what I buy at your local home improvement store.


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## thompwa (Aug 26, 2019)

Jeremy3292 said:


> That's Black Kow topsoil; that's not Black Kow manure. See picture below is what I buy at your local home improvement store.


Correct. I wanted the top soil. Not the manure. I don't know if the manure has a lot of sand in it or not but that's the bulk of what the top soil is...(or at least what it used to be).


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## Jeremy3292 (Apr 30, 2020)

thompwa said:


> Jeremy3292 said:
> 
> 
> > That's Black Kow topsoil; that's not Black Kow manure. See picture below is what I buy at your local home improvement store.
> ...


The Black Kow manure doesn't have any sand in it; it is much more "soil" IMO than any top soil you will find. Almost all top soil I have seen is mostly mulch; I haven't personally found any acceptable "topsoil." The Black Kow manure you can mix with sand for leveling or filling in purposes, at least that's what I do.


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## thompwa (Aug 26, 2019)

Jeremy3292 said:


> thompwa said:
> 
> 
> > Jeremy3292 said:
> ...


Yeah I may have to resort to something else if this is truly what they consistency is like although a lot of others have used the top soil before and it was perfectly fine


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## BermudaBoy (Jun 27, 2019)

Jeremy3292 said:


> That's Black Kow topsoil; that's not Black Kow manure. See picture below is what I buy at your local home improvement store.


This is what I used last year and got the same result. There were sticks and clumps all over my lawn when I was finished and from the reviews that I read it seems to be hit or miss with Black Kow these days.


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## StormTrooper86 (Feb 3, 2019)

I've actually had issues with the compost manure myself. I spread out about 10 bags in my front yard and the bags had a good bit of mulch and gravel in them as well. Was disappointed in that but the Bermuda grass does love it. I ended up having to take up the mulch and rocks. Would hate to hit a rock with my reel.


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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

thompwa said:


> Jeremy3292 said:
> 
> 
> > That's Black Kow topsoil; that's not Black Kow manure. See picture below is what I buy at your local home improvement store.
> ...


I never seen the Top Soil, I always use the manure for my garden. I have used it for filling holes too..


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## TC2 (Sep 15, 2017)

Last time I used the composted manure (3 years ago) it also had mulch in it. Look elsewhere for something to spread on your lawn because black kow cannot be relied upon.


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## thompwa (Aug 26, 2019)

TC2 said:


> Last time I used the composted manure (3 years ago) it also had mulch in it. Look elsewhere for something to spread on your lawn because black kow cannot be relied upon.


Yeah you may be right. Just wish I would have known before I bought so much. So many people used it and loved it for a while.

I will likely build a screen depending on what the company says when they get my sample and bag I sent them


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

thompwa said:


> Cramir said:
> 
> 
> > Had the same issue with 20 bags. Had to run a rotary mower for it to suck it up and tear it into smaller pieces.
> ...


What I did, using chicken wire I suppose.....just takes more time and you get a lot of "mulch"


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

@thompwa you should link them to this thread, they may be interested to see what others are saying and experiencing as well.


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## thompwa (Aug 26, 2019)

Gilley11 said:


> @thompwa you should link them to this thread, they may be interested to see what others are saying and experiencing as well.


Yeah that's a really good idea. Always helps to understand what your customers like and don't like about your product.


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## acegator (May 31, 2018)

Got lucky I suppose, picked up 9 bags in Baton Rouge yesterday and very little twigs or bark. The clumps you do we are moist will rake out when it dries.



thompwa said:


> Gilley11 said:
> 
> 
> > @thompwa you should link them to this thread, they may be interested to see what others are saying and experiencing as well.
> ...


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## thompwa (Aug 26, 2019)

Update from Black Kow. They are refunding me for the purchase of 40 bags. Sounds like they think the wrong product got mixed into the hopper?

Regardless of what went wrong, they have been super responsive to my concerns and that says a lot. I appreciate them taking care of it for me. They seem to take a lot of pride in their product.


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

thompwa said:


> Update from Black Kow. They are refunding me for the purchase of 40 bags. Sounds like they think the wrong product got mixed into the hopper?
> 
> Regardless of what went wrong, they have been super responsive to my concerns and that says a lot. I appreciate them taking care of it for me. They seem to take a lot of pride in their product.


That's really good customer service! :thumbup: You did great :thumbup:

By the way I built a sand sifter in 30 minutes using 1/4" hardware cloth from the big box store and one 8 ft long 2x4 lumber that I cut into 4 equal length pieces. I basically made a square using the 4 pieces and screws and used staples to secure the hardware cloth. I wanted something quick and small to filter a few bags of top soil & garden soil, but of course you can build something bigger or better if that's what you need!


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## DuncanMcDonuts (May 5, 2019)

I used Black Kow Manure about 3 years ago to topdress my lawn. It was a thick clay mess. Clumps of material that would not spread. Pretty disappointed and never bought again.


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## thompwa (Aug 26, 2019)

Awar said:


> thompwa said:
> 
> 
> > Update from Black Kow. They are refunding me for the purchase of 40 bags. Sounds like they think the wrong product got mixed into the hopper?
> ...


This is basically my plan as well. I plan to make one that can fit over top of my gorilla cart and sift 2-3 bags at a time. I appreciate you sharing.


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## thompwa (Aug 26, 2019)

Here goes nothing. Screening one bag takes me about 3-5 min. Bags don't go very far As it is so by the time I sift out all the junk it's even less. Oh well, at least it's just this once.

Glad to put this one to bed.


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