Frequently Asked Questions

A general rule of thumb is to install 2 cubic feet for every square foot of tree crown expected at maturity.  The depth should be 24” minimum, but 36” is preferred. 

Compost is an excellent amendment to add to soil fertility.  The organic matter content can help add and retain nutrients available to plants.  In many cases, compost is a great way to reduce or eliminate use of commercial fertilzers.  However, the nutrient value of a quality compost is usually less than 1-1-1, meaning that more than 97% of the compost is not nutrients.  When compared to commercial fertilizer, such as a 50 lb bag of 10-10-10, there is more nutrient value, over 10 times, than compost.  So, compost is a great alternative that offers additional benefits from organic matter content and additional of beneficial soil microbes.  Regardless, be sure to perform a soil test (https://extension.uga.edu) prior to applying fertilizer to help your landscape, the environment, and save money. 

Compost is not topsoil.  Compost is one of the best amendments used to improve your dirt or topsoil but isn’t the best material to use alone for planting.  Its benefits of adding organic matter, microbes, and nutrients are best used when blending into a soil (unless it is being used a mulch). 

No, soils are sourced and blended differently by manufacturers and suppliers.  Typically, topsoil is soil excavated and sold directly as “good dirt” (this is not the case with RSI’s Topsoil).  Potting Soil contains a mixture of perlite, dolomite, peat, or other materials best-suited for potted plants.  It is light and drains rapidly.  Garden Soil can refer to a material that is very similar to Topsoil or Landscape Mix.  Landscape Mix often has a higher percentage of organic material and sand to promote adequate drainage along with moisture and nutrient retention.  Landscape Mix is better suited for planting established plants while topsoil is better for gardening and seeding/sodding a lawn. 

River Sand can be used for constructing beaches.  However, it typically contains coarser particles than the soft sand you think of on the beach which is good when waves may erode the beach.  We have many other products that look and feel more like the sand you think about as beach sand, similar to that on the shores of Florida.  Real beach sand is a very fine silica, or quartz, sand.  Beach sand can be from any source such as nearby volcanic rock, shells, or limestone. 

Yes, topsoil is a great media for gardening.  The sandy loam or loamy texture promotes deep root penetration.  The high organic matter retains moisture and nutrients are available within the soil for the plants to uptake.  So, raised beds and other vegetable gardens are best started with a good topsoil. 

Extensive green roof top gardens offer a shallower depth for planting media.  Intensive green roofs support deeper rooted plants such as grasses, flowers, shrubs, and even trees.  Agricultural or farming can be another blend of soil with more nutrient availability for crops. 

Most bioswales are hard to spot without knowing that they are present.  Bioswales really look like another ditch or depression but most are landscaped nicely.  Sometimes a sign will be present to prevent damage or mowing of the plants.  Many bioswales look like a really well landscaped dry swale or ditch along parking lots or roads. 

Soil conditioner is a soil amendment or additive to help a soil improve its ability to grow plants.  Soil conditioners are designed to improve soil structure by increasing porosity and water holding capacity while decreasing compaction.  A soil conditioner’s ability to reduce compaction leads to deeper, healthier roots. 

Bioretention ponds, bioretention cells, and bioretention basins are common names referring the same systems.  Rain gardens are usually smaller versions of these systems.  The idea is to capture stormwater runoff, specifically the water from smaller, more frequent events.  Generally, this water contains the most contaminants of nutrients, oils/grease, and other debris.  The bioretention areas are landscaped with plants and contain engineered soil to help filter the runoff and reduce the quantity of the runoff.  A bioretention pond is designed to slowly release clean water back into the watershed over a longer period of time that benefits the environment.