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topsoil with wood chips in it -- a big deal
I'm about to purchase approximately 200 yards of topsoil for my new front yard. This will give me 6" of depth on top of a freshly graded clay/dirt/sand mixture (formerly a forest floor; hard-pan at about 18" below the current surface).
I've purchased a few yards recently for misc projects, and noticed that no matter where I buy, there always is a lot of wood (10%-30%, perhaps) in the soil. My limited wisdom tells me that less wood is better, but I can't back that with facts.
I can get soil as cheap as $13/yd (with wood), or a 'premium mix' for twice that which contains wood but much less.
What impact will the wood have on the end result? For example, will it absorb the nutrients out of the soil, leaving me with a huge fertilizer bill? Or, perhaps it doesn't matter in the long run.
I plan to hydro-seed, if that matters.
Thanks in advance.
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topsoil with wood chips in it -- a big deal
200yds is an estimate I received from a topsoil 'calculator' based on my square footage and desired soil depth (6" . I'm willing to splurge in this area to ensure a healthy lawn that doesn't yellow after a brief period of no rain. The bill for the 20 yds ($12.95/yd) was $281 after tax. $3000 on topsoil for the entire (BIG) front yard is within my psychological budget.
Your topsoil sounds much better than mine. Mine is very light and can be lifted with ease by my Kubota BX23's bucket no matter where I start to lift. There's a lot of air in this stuff, so that is probably why it's cheaper.
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topsoil with wood chips in it -- a big deal
Out of curiousity, I called the topsoil company I plan to use and asked them about how they can guarantee that I'm getting what I paid for. They said that they use a 6 yard bucket to load the truck and thus just count the number of loads dumped into the truck. There are no scales, etc to check.
It all boils down to how much you trust them. The topsoil company I'm working with is the largest in the area (12 locations). I'm confident that the person counting the beans is not the same person who counts the 6yd buckets. I feel I can trust them.
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topsoil with wood chips in it -- a big deal
I'm not sure what wood is in the soil, but I'm in the Seattle area, so it's likely doug fir, cedar, and/or hemlock.
Update on my quest for good soil: I spoke with the topsoil company and expressed some concern about the amount of wood, claiming that about 30% of the mixture is wood. They said they would create me a special batch (I could even approve it before purchase) with as much or little wood as I like. And still for only $12.95/yd. I told the sales lady that I'll take another 20 yards (need to plan a 120' row of english boxwood tomorrow) with 'less wood' and see if they can bring something more to my liking. I PH tested the last batch (the one with all the wood) and got a reading somewhere between 6.0 and 6.5 (closer to 6.0). That seems within the range I need for a good lawn.
They seem very accomodating. I think I'll order the big load from them if this batch turns out well.
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