Black Earth | Soil for levelling, reseeding, planting trees or sod (2024)

FAQs

Black Earth | Soil for levelling, reseeding, planting trees or sod? ›

Black earth

Blended loam topsoil, lawn seeding topsoil, and regular screened topsoil are some of the most commonly used types of topsoil for use on lawns.

Adding soil over grass can be another effective form of repairing a lawn. It is possible to dump new soil over top of what you have, and prepare it for sod or seed. This option will save you money on excavation costs of removing the old soil and grass.

Scotts Select Black Earth is ideal as a top dressing for gardens. The organic dark soil blend can be used for seeding new lawns and repairing bare spots. Use with grass seed to repair or thicken an existing lawn. Enriched with compost to promote healthy growth.

Regular topsoil is fine for filling in low spots with depths greater than 3 inches. But adding fine sand to the topsoil like the golf course turf pros do, results in a silky-smooth soil blend perfect for leveling lawns at depths of between ½ inch and 3 inches.

Ideal Soil Conditions to Seed Your Yard

Loam or loamy soil is the perfect mix of clay, silt, and sand for growing plants. It provides water and nutrients, drains excess water, and leaves enough room for air circulation so oxygen can reach the roots of every blade.

To reseed your lawn, fill in bare spots with topsoil before you overseed. This improves the quality of the soil and helps the grass grow. Some bald spots are in areas with water drainage problems. Add a thin layer of sand first and smooth it out with a rake.

Seeding in Late Summer/Early Autumn is the best time of year to plant grass seed for a lush and healthy lawn. Milder temperatures and less competition from other plants during this time make it easier for grass seeds to take root. This makes it easier for new turf growth to establish itself quickly.

The aeration is able to loosen the soil and also activate the nutrients and make it easier for the seed to absorb when it is putting down its roots. Both of these treatments are performed right before the seed has been planted. If the seed is just thrown on the ground it will cause poor germination.

Grass seed is surface sown, meaning it lays and roots on top of the soil, so it does not need to be buried. It's usually broadcast over the ground with a hand or rotary spreader. For that seed to sprout, it needs good soil contact, which makes soil quality a major factor in growing a healthy, uniform lawn.

Is black earth the same as topsoil? ›

Black Earth: Mostly soil but will sometimes contain manure or other additives. Generally used for dressing existing garden beds to help amend soil and improve the appearance of garden beds. Top Soil: A mixture of sand and clay soil. A good topsoil will be screened to remove any large pieces of debris.

Black earth is an essential gardening material that is harvested from peatbogs. It can be used to level out terrain; raise a flowerbed or vegetable garden; lay out sod; re-seed a lawn; or plant annuals, perennials, shrubs, or trees.

Premium Soil (Triple Mix) - Detailed Description

This general-purpose mix consists of topsoil, peat moss, compost, and manure and is perfect for all types of plants, flowers, trees, vegetable gardens, seeding, and patching lawns.

Here, you'll need your topsoil, sand, and compost to make a levelling mixture. Mix two parts topsoil, two parts sand and one part compost (2:2:1). So, for example, 20kg of topsoil, 20kg of sand and 10kg of compost.

Due to the adverse effects of adding pure sand on your lawn by itself, it is better to use a mixture of sand and dry topsoil to level uneven sections on your lawn. You can make your lawn leveling soil by mixing pure sand and dry topsoil in a ratio of 1:1.

We recommend using BigYellowBag Black Garden Soil when you decide it's time to overseed. Our Black Garden Soil has light and fluffy properties that make it a fantastic growing medium for new grass seeds.

If you're using grass seed to overseed your lawn instead of Scotts® Turf Builder® Thick'R Lawn™, it's a good idea to rake in a thin, 0.25-inch layer of enriched soil over your lawn to help the seed settle in. Don't put so much down that you kill your existing grass; less than a quarter of an inch is plenty.

Along with planting grass, there are additional tasks that can be completed to protect and help the grass grow well. Many think that putting topsoil over the seeds would protect it, but in fact, that will actually suffocate the seedlings rather than doing any good.

It is best to use compost or a sandy type loam to spread on the lawn. Before you actually spread the dressing, make sure the grass is actively growing. Topdressing dormant grass may damage it. You should fertilize the lawn a couple of weeks before topdressing; this will help the grass push through the soil quickly.