At Soil Kings we’re not shy about proudly telling Calgarians that we have the finest soil available in the city. While some of our competitors use ⅝” screens to remove debris, we go the extra step of screening all of our loam through an extra-fine ½” (or 12 mm) screen. This tighter screen means almost all debris, clumps, and large rocks are removed, leaving a highly workable, top-quality screened loam. One question we hear pretty often is why bother using a tighter screen? Well, the simple answer is that finer screens make for better soil.
Benefits of Screened Soil.
We screen all of our garden mixes and screened topsoil onsite by passing our unscreened loam through a tight ½” (12 mm) mesh. By running the soil through a screen, we’re able to catch large, unwanted debris that might prove to be a hassle in your landscaping, like rocks or chunks of root.
The tighter the mesh, the more debris that’s removed and the more consistent the particle size across the garden. This is important because consistent particle size is a determining factor in how well nutrients and water naturally flow through the soil. The more consistent the particle size, the healthier the growing space. Water is able to soak deep into the soil, and plant roots can freely grow deep down into the earth. In turn, this leads to stronger, healthier plants. Fruit trees and other larger plants will grow visibly taller in a high nutrient, screened garden mix, and vegetable and fruit-bearing plants should become noticeably more productive.
Screening the soil also helps to loosen the particles, allowing for better air and water penetration and improving the texture of your loam. By choosing our tightly screened soil, you can expect to benefit from improved drainage and moisture retention, which prevents root rot.
All About Unscreened Topsoil.
While inexpensive, unscreened topsoil isn’t a great productive growing medium, unlike its screened or garden mix counterparts. The wide range of soil particle size inhibits root growth, and it prevents nutrients, air, and water from penetrating deeply. Water, in particular, becomes trapped by the odd-shaped particles causing it to pool out of sight and leading to plant sickness, like root rot. Unscreened topsoil is best used for filling holes or creating a berm. For landscaping projects where the design requires building a mound or other elevated landscaping shapes, unscreened topsoil is the cheapest way to get the end result.
When it comes to gardens and lawns, you’ll want the finest, screened loam on the market. And the one of the tightest screened topsoils is found at Soil Kings. Order online today, and have your loam delivered tomorrow, weather permitting.
