The Screened Topsoil Difference

Whether you are building your landscape from scratch or you are looking to re-up your current landscape, one of the most important aspects of your lawn will be the topsoil. Most people have heard of topsoil before, so it is not a shocker that you are reading about it now. However, most people do not understand the vital importance of having topsoil adequately and generously applied to your landscaping. Understanding the importance of topsoil will drastically improve the quality of your landscaping.

What is screened topsoil and why is it important?

There are a few different types of topsoil, but this article will focus on screened topsoil. Let us start off by learning what unscreened topsoil is. Unscreened topsoil is unfiltered, so it contains all of the chunks, sticks, wood, stones, and other materials commonly found in soil. Unscreened topsoil is good for areas where this is not the top layer of soil (i.e., For raising landscaping beds). It is also good to level off a garden or to fill holes while landscaping. Furthermore, the large pieces of debris found in unscreened topsoil can hinder plant growth because the sticks and wood can prevent roots from expanding, growing, and settling in. In general, unscreened topsoil is harder to work with, which is why we recommend using screened topsoil.

Screened topsoil is when the topsoil has been sifted and cleaned, allowing high-quality, debris-less topsoil for your landscaping. Essentially, the topsoil is put through a machine that, literally, screens it. Think of what you do when you are sifting while biking – it is the same idea! The large debris is removed, allowing for just the soil and nutrients to remain. This process of screening means that the soil is more expensive to purchase, but using screened topsoil is a worthy investment. Screened topsoil is much easier to use in your yard. Besides, without all of the miscellaneous chunks and pieces, you and your family are less likely to get injured by accidently stepping on something hard or sharp in the unscreened topsoil. Screened topsoil is a lot like regular topsoil, in that it is packed with organic material and nutrients that are vital for plant growth. 

There are a lot of benefits to using screened topsoil. For one, you get improved soil quality. The nutrients found in screened topsoil will immediately boost the life of your plants and other life in your landscaping. The aeration allowed by screened topsoil is also vital to elevating the quality of your landscaping. Because the topsoil is connecting directly with your plants, your plants’ roots are better able to develop strong and healthy roots. 

Additionally, just like other forms of topsoil, you get a substantially reduced risk of weed growth when using screened topsoil. When you add a layer of screened topsoil to your landscaping, you are preventing weed seeds from getting sunlight, which hinders the process of photosynthesis. You are also physically restricting the weed plants from growing, as it now has an additional barrier of topsoil to try and sprout through. There is a common misconception that adding a layer of topsoil introduces weed seeds to your landscaping, but that is not true. Most good, high-quality topsoil products will not introduce weed seeds to your landscaping.

Adding a layer of screened topsoil to your landscaping also prevents erosion of your soil. With screened topsoil, you get increased aeration and improved moisture retention, both of which contribute to reduced soil erosion. Soil erosion can be very expensive, since it is essentially soil leaving your landscaping and being introduced to the runoff. This is more expensive for you, as you will then need to consistently replace the soil that leaves due to erosion.

Lastly, screened topsoil is very easy to manipulate. Because of its granular and light nature, screened topsoil is loose and easy to work with. That means that if you need to change your landscaping, you can easily do so without working with clunky topsoil.

Why order screened topsoil in bulk?

There are a lot of benefits to ordering screened topsoil in bulk. For one, it is cheaper in the long run. In general, wholesale and bulk-buying is cheaper over time, but more expensive upfront. For the amount of screened topsoil that you will probably need to use with your landscaping, it makes sense to buy the large amount. Furthermore, by buying a larger amount now, you have to buy the screened topsoil less often. There will always be minute differences between bags, so buying in bulk also ensures that you are getting pretty much the same product for your entire landscaping project.

If you are doing a large-scale landscaping project, it makes even more sense to buy your screened topsoil in bulk! Imagine having to continuously run to your local hardware or landscaping soil everyday to buy more small bags of screened topsoil. On top of that, you have the added disadvantage of the more-expensive unit price of smaller bags! For that reason, it is better to invest more money upfront to save you time and money in the long run.

How to order screened topsoil in bulk

Ordering screened topsoil in bulk seems like a hassle, but it is actually quite simple. First, you want to research topsoil suppliers. It is a competitive market out there, and everybody thinks that their product is the best. However, you want to find a supplier that is reliable, communicative, and provides a high-quality product. That’s where we come in! We provide both a high-quality product and excellent customer service that will allow you to feel comfortable with your screened topsoil provider.

Your next step is to determine how much topsoil is needed. We can help you with that! Calculating this area yourself is pretty intuitive though. You will need to measure the dimensions of the area that you want to layer with screened topsoil. From there, you will multiply that by the depth of topsoil that you want to have. We recommend a 3-6” layer of topsoil for your yard, depending on a lot of factors, such as type and amount of plants, climate, likelihood for erosion, and more.

Next, you will actually place the order! Tell us how much screened topsoil you need, and we will get it for you. You will need to consider delivery and placement factors. In general, we will deliver the screened topsoil to your driveway ourselves.

Factors to consider when choosing a topsoil supplier

We know that there are a lot of options to choose from when considering a screened topsoil supplier. Know that we provide high-quality and well-screened topsoil that will boost the quality of your landscaping. Once you place an order, we will give you a call to confirm your order and schedule a delivery date. We work for you! So, we want to make sure this process works for you. We also deliver for free, so you will never pay extra to have your screened topsoil delivered to you. Lastly, know that we do not expect you to be home for delivery.