You may have seen on various packaging for different types of soil the words “screened” or “unscreened”. But what does this mean for the type of soil you need to buy? We’re here to give you the lowdown on screened vs unscreened soil, because understanding the distinction can make a huge difference for your yard or garden.
How Do We Screen?
While most of our competitors use ⅝” screens to remove debris, Soil Kings goes a step further. Taken directly from our own topsoil stockpile, we screen all of our loam with a ½” (or 12 mm) screen to ensure that we remove most debris, from clumps to large rocks, making our soil the mostly tightly screened in Calgary.
Why Screen?
The reason it’s important to use screened soil in your garden is because its properties allow for things to grow. For example, take potatoes. If you’re growing potatoes in your garden and you want the texture of the outside to be soft and peelable, you have to grow them in such a way they only come in contact with soft soil. The problem with unscreened soil is that if your potato hits some debris, it can bend and start growing in the wrong direction, or not grow at all.
Air Pockets
Another thing to watch out for are the air pockets that can be formed with too much debris in soil that’s not screened. This can cause problems with border plants like small trees with flowers growing because they don’t have space to root. It’s the same reason why when moving plants to a new area of growth, you should always move it one enclosure size by enclosure size (pot size by pot size).
Browsing through our menu of soils will explain to you what each type is good for and can link you towards the type of nutrients you want for your summer garden. Order online or call us by phone to order your bulk soil today at 403-452-LOAM (5626).
