What Are The Types of Topsoil?

There are numerous different kinds of topsoil to choose from. If you’re looking for topsoil for your small vegetable garden or backyard, you may be wondering which kind of topsoil to purchase for the health and well-being of your lawn and plants. This article aims to explain why different topsoils (the uppermost layer of soil which is about 2-8 inches thick) are best for different planting environments.

Here are the three kinds of topsoil:

1. Sand Soil

Sand topsoil is made up of silty particles and finely divided rocks. Sand topsoil is oftentimes a mixture of sand and soil, and it is typically used for vegetable gardens. This light, easy to work with soil is great for working into your commercial topsoil mix or using in your yard’s previously existing soil.

Sand’s addition to soil makes for a lighter mixture – sand will help you loosen up dense, heavy soil. Soil that is too dense will restrict plant growth through the compacted and tight spaces they provide for plants to grow through. These dry spots often rob plants of their rightful sunlight and nutrients by restricting root growth. Because of this, sandy soil is great for thriving vegetable gardens.

There is a proper way to mix sand soil in with regular soil – the best sandy soil for your vegetables to thrive in is a mixture of one part sand to two parts topsoil. Creating a mixture that is well-balanced and easily distributed without a hassle is the goal here. Sandy soil makes use of sand as a supplement in its soil, not a main component.

Sandy soil may also help improve the germination rate of plants containing smaller seeds. This is because large sand granules found in sandy topsoil help to create a barrier that holds seeds where they were originally placed. Because these seeds don’t fall into the soil and get lost (and are instead supported by sandy topsoil) you’ll have a better yield if you successfully work sandy soil into your gardening repertoire.

2. Loam Topsoil

Loam is another form of topsoil that is made up of evenly concentrated levels of clay, sand, and silt. Silt, sand, and clay are easily proportioned by the makers of loam, and there are different kinds of loam to accommodate different planting situations – some of the common loam topsoils include clay loam, sandy loam, silty loam, sandy clay loam, and silty clay loam. As you can see, the kind of loam we’re dealing with depends entirely on the proportion of clay/sand/silt within the loam.

While each form of loam topsoil has different characteristics relative to its counterpart, the difference between loam and sand includes loam’s general moisture, nutrients, and humus. Sand lacks any of these things, and so is insufficient for replacing loam in plant growth.

Loamy topsoil is mostly found in great fertile areas and is fantastic for farming. Loam offers crops the nutrients they need to survive and thrive in almost any climate or environment. Loam also has another unexpected use – it is used as insulation in walls for homes because of its ability to control humidity in the air. In fact, this construction technique is among one of the most ancient to exist.

Loam topsoil is perfect for your small vegetable garden or big farm – in either case, the result of your efforts will be a large and rewarding crop.

3. Clay Topsoil

Clay topsoil is the third and final type of topsoil to deal with. Clay is formed and made from decaying organic materials, like plant and animal matter. Usually, however, clay is made from dried up plants with a mixture of 10 million year old powdery rocks. Clay has historically been used for many purposes because of its impermeability to water and other liquids. Clay pottery, clay furniture, clay bricks, clay cooking pots, clay dishware, and even clay dams have been used throughout history to serve some kind of purpose.

As a topsoil, clay is a heavy soil type that benefits from high levels of plant nutrients. Because they dry out in the summer while remaining wet and cold in the winter, hydration of your plants during the summer months is of the utmost importance. Clay soils have a high amount of water retention, and the addition of organic matter to clay topsoil can give your plants an additional nutrient boost by improving the water retention capacity and nutrient quality of clay topsoil.

If you’re interested in finding the best topsoil on the market, look no further than our company. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!