If you do need to work with bought-in topsoil, start off by tilling or digging the existing soil, and the work part of the new soil into it, adding it gradually and tilling as you go. After a few years the organic material will have mostly disappeared (as CO 2 and methane) and you will be left with sunken beds and poor, dry, sandy soil.įar better is to work with the soil you have, unless you need to create raised areas. If you don’t believe me, put some into a large jar, fill with water, shake and leave overnight. It’s a blend of around 25% of some kind of compost, mixed with sand. In fact, it isn’t ‘topsoil’ at all – no farmer is going to sell something so precious. Despite it still be required in the specifications of garden designers, cities and property developers, there is no value, and plenty of potential harm, in buying truck loads of ‘topsoil’ for planting your garden. Only add soil amendments if the levels are low, or nutrient levels are lowįor permanent tree and shrub planting, rely on spreading organic mulch every few years to keep them healthyĮxcess amendments can cause drainage problems, and nutrient excesses, as well as contaminating ground water Buying Topsoil for a New Garden Try to avoid bringing in commercial ‘topsoil’ You don’t need more than 5% Organic Matter for trees and shrubs Have a professional soil test done to find out your soil’s Organic Matter content ‘Native’ soil is simply the soil you happen to already have in your garden. So, I thought it would be a good idea to explore this issue, and try to find some clarity between the belief that organic material should always be mixed into the soil when planting trees, and the opposite instructions being increasingly given to plant directly into ‘native’ soil, without adding anything to it. Nothing odd about that! We all tend to believe that, “if some is good, more is better” ( an adage that causes more harm than good!) I have written previously about organic matter on earlier blogs, but recently I have seen an increase in suggestions that we have gone too far. The value of organic matter has grown enormously for gardeners, and methods of growing based on compost and soil additives has become normal. Since then most home gardeners have moved away from them, and for many today they are ‘poison’. International delivery is not offered.Back when I was a student of horticulture, the use of synthetic chemicals for gardening was widespread. Due to quarantine restrictions we are unable to deliver into Western Australia and Tasmania. We have certification ICA42 for the treatment of Myrtaceae stock delivered into South Australia. We utilise green life freight companies to deliver beyond that point into country Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland. Learn more…īased in Melbourne, Australia, our trucks deliver into Melbourne and its greater metropolitan area, Monday to Friday only. Better efficiencies with material grown to precise requirements, delivered on-time and to budget. The most reliable, time and cost effective way to purchase quality material to your specification. This tree will tolerate most soils but doesn't like prolonged periods of drought or periods of wet. Also works well in larger gardens for interesting foliage and stunning spring flowers. A stunning feature tree for small gardens or courtyards.
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