One should know the basic soil facts before one start digging around in their garden. There are people who stock and supplies a range of soil to suit one’s landscaping requirements. Soil supplier in Sydney offer a broad range of landscaping soil which includes;
• Underlay soil
• Turf underlay
• Top dressing
• Vegetable soil mixture
Gardeners and growers usually work with 5 different soil types, and all of them are a combination of just three types of rock particles which are weathered and make up the soil;
• Sand
• Silt
• Clay
Soil’s type is defined by these three particles like how it feels to touch, how does it hold in water, and how it is managing.
1. TOPSOIL (80:20) OR TURF UNDERLAY
COMPOSITION- ASH 80% AND ORGANIC SOIL 20%
These are ideal for screen turf underlay
2. ORGANIC TURF GROW/ UNDERLAY SOIL
COMPOSITION- PREMIUM UNDERLAY 60% AND ASH 40%
It has a fertilized underlay with high soil content
3. PREMIUM ORGANIC TOP DRESSING
COMPOSITION- BLASTED RIVER SAND, BLACK SOIL AND FOWL MANURE (PH 8-9)
For use as a turf underlay or turf topsoil, the ideal choice is a fully screened topsoil mix. The sand content could be increased if one requests to increase drainage capacity. For new or old lawns this fowl manure provides an excellent initial boost and these are ideal for top dressing lawns.
4. PREMIUM ORGANIC GARDEN MIX
COMPOSITION- WASHED RIVER SAND, COMPOSTED BARK FINES AND LUCY MUTCH, BLACK SOIL AND COMPOSTED DUCK FINES (PH 5-6)
This is the best garden mix on the market. It is a premium general purposed Garden mix which is suitable for all garden mix applications. Between the figures 5-6 a neutral PH means that this product could be used for natives as well as exotic plants. The excellent drainage capacity allows one the provision of excellent nutrition for old as well as new plants.
5. SOIL CONDITIONER
COMPOSITION- COMPOSTED COW MANURE AND DUCK LITTER, MILLED PINE BARK, COMPOSTED MUSHROOM COMPOST (PH 7-8)
It is an environmentally friendly, fully organic soil improver which utilizes a special blend of materials which re-generates old, dry and tired garden beds. This is an ideal mix for poorest of soils, one can simply mix this product with the existing soil.
SOIL TYPES
1. Sandy
Among the different soil types, sandy soil has the largest particles. These are dry and gritty to the touch and as the particles have huge spaces between them, so it cannot hold on to water. The water drains rapidly through to places where the roots cannot reach particularly those of seedlings. As the plants don’t have a chance of using the nutrients in sandy soil more efficiently so they are swiftly carried away by the runoff. A good thing about the sandy soil is that it is light to work with and it warms much more quickly in the spring.
2. Silty
Silty soil is smooth to touch but they have much smaller particles than sandy soil. It is soapy slick when it moistens and when one rolls it between their fingers, the dirt is left on one’s skin.
It retains water much longer, but it cannot hold on to as many nutrients as one would want it to though these are fairly fertile. Silty soil is cold and drains poorly due to its moisture-retentive quality. One should avoid trampling on it when one is working on their garden as silty soil can also easily compact, it can also be poorly aerated as well.
3. Clay
Clay soil has the smallest particles compared to the three so it also has a good storage of water. It has a quality of being sticky to touch when wet, and smooth when it is dry. It has a tendency to settle together due to the small size of its particles, and through its spaces, one can also see little air passing by. It has a tighter hold on plant nutrients as it is slower to drain.
During the summer, this soil could turn hard and compact, making it difficult to turn. It is a cold soil but it takes time to warm in the spring weather as the water within also has to get warmed up.
