When it comes to creating a beautiful landscape in your yard, there is more to it than selecting and planting beautiful flowers. While you don’t have to listen to Walter Reeves every weekend to achieve a beautiful landscape, it does help to have some “know-how” in your knowledge base. Topsoil often gets overlooked, yet it is something that every gardener, novice or not, needs to have. Topsoil is the top 2-8 inches of soil on any part of your landscape, and it helps to provide the ground with nutrients to keep plants healthy.
Natural topsoil occurs when leaves and plants decay. As they go through the decaying process, they create a nutrient-rich layer of dirt. Depending on how your landscape is set up, you may have more natural topsoil in some areas than others. This is why your hydrangeas may thrive in one area of your yard but struggle in another area. Because topsoil only includes the top 2-8 inches of soil, the nutrients may not be enough for you to create the lush landscape that you desire.
Topsoil can add many benefits to your yard and garden beds:
More nutrients: Topsoil can provide many nutrients to your landscape. With weeds, saplings, and other mature plants in your landscape, they all compete for nutrients. It is important to provide your flowers, shrubs, bushes, and trees with plenty of good soil to grow and remain healthy.
Improve drought resistance: Let’s face it, summer in Georgia is HOT. Topsoil helps protect the roots of plants by locking in moisture that is already drained into the soil. Topsoil ensures there is more water for your plants because it prevents evaporation, so even during periods of little rainfall, your plants can have the moisture they need.
Better drainage: Along with drought resistance, topsoil drains very well. Topsoil helps prevent your plants from drowning in a heavy rainstorm while also trapping moisture deep in the ground to promote root growth and expansion.
Less erosion: Rain, wind, and other water that runs down a slope will wash away soil if it is not properly anchored. Topsoil not only provides an added layer of protection, but it also allows plants to establish a good root system that holds the soil in place.
Southern Landscape Supply screens, cleans, and amends native Georgia soils into organic planting mixes. All of our soils are indigenous to Georgia and create the ideal growing environment for Georgia plants. We process topsoil, composts, and other organic materials to create the perfect soil for your landscape project.