Types of Topsoil

What is topsoil? In general, topsoil is usually described due to the texture and composition of the material. Topsoil is affected by what kinds of minerals and materials soil contains naturally. In many cases, topsoil reflects the geological nature of its given location.

The categorization of the types of soil depends on the size of the particles they contain, which usually directly relates to their texture, too. There are six main types of topsoil you will find and they are clay, silt, sand, loam, chalk and peat. Let's take a look at these different types of topsoil.

Clay

Clay is a heavy type of soil that stays wet and cold in winter and will dry out during those hot summer months. Clay soils can be really thick, which makes them popular for pottery projects. When it comes to clay soils, they often lack in proper aeration and drainage. So you have to be careful when and where you lay down clay soil. This soil can also be easily compacted, which again hampers its drainage, as well as being difficult to dig in. Having a clay soil usually requires some changes to it in order to make it more suitable for gardening and landscaping purposes. But you will find that some plants grow just fine in clay topsoil.

Silt

Silt is a finely textured type of soil and is usually light in color. Unlike its clay counterpart, silt retains moisture very well. Overall, it tends to have a neutral pH and be fairly rich in nutrients.

Sand

Sandy soil is light colored and is also lightweight to use. However, it is low in nutrients, so not ideal for areas where growth in some fashion is expected. A common way to use sand is to mix it in with heavier soils, which winds up creating a lighting topsoil with a good texture. However, sandy soil on its own can be washed away or blown away pretty easily. And is susceptible to erosion.

Loam

Loam combines sand, silt, and clay and creates a medium textured mixture. It is either mostly sandy or mostly clay and is darker in color. It is also a material that is able to hold its shape well when squeezed together. Loam is often rich in organic matter, too, making it great for landscaping and contracting purposes. It also offers good texture for planting and good drainage. Due these factors, loam is a desirable soil to have for many projects.

Chalk

Chalky soil is light colored, porous, and contains large amounts of limestone or calcium carbonate, which makes it highly alkaline.

Peat

Peat is a lightweight soil that contains organic matter. It also has excellent drainage, making it ideal for landscaping projects where someone wants to grow plants or trees. This is a sought-after type of topsoil, since peat soils do not occur naturally in too many places. Due to this, peat is often harvested and exported for use in soil amendments and mixtures to improve the texture and drainage of garden soil.

NYC Topsoil Delivery

Atlas Roll-Off supplies various types of crushed stone and other materials for contracting, construction and landscaping projects, which includes topsoil. Get a quote today for the types of crushed stone you need for your project.

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