Frequently Asked Questions

Potting soil mix is a lightweight soil, unlike topsoil, made from compost, peat, bark, perlite, dolomite, or other light soil that drains rapidly.  It is used for planting in pots, vases, or other containers.

A special lightweight soil mix is manufactured for use on green roof projects.  Normal topsoil and planting mix will become too heavy to support roof top gardens.  The Green Roof Soil Mix is designed to be lightweight, drain well, and retain enough nutrients for roof top plants.  There are even variations of the roof top soil blend to meet specific plant and drainage needs. 

Topsoil is best to start with before you plant your seeds in the lawn or garden.  Place and spread the topsoil evenly and with enough depth to promote root penetration.  If the depth of topsoil is less than 4” you may consider tilling the sub-base to help the roots transition from the topsoil into the next layer of soil.  You can place topsoil at any time of the year or season, but it is usually best to be seeded or mulched once it is installed. 

Soil conditioner is best applied to a lawn prior to seeding or sodding and tilled into the existing soil.  In gardens, soil conditioner is best to be tilled in to the soil in fall after vegetables or flowers are done growing or prior to planting in the spring.  You may notice your soil has a high clay content and tends to compact making rain run off from the surface instead of moving into the soil. Soil conditioner will help loosen and aerate the soil. 

Usually, bioslopes are installed parallel to roads and right of ways just off the shoulder.  They are useful as stormwater management practices when the downslope area is limited in space to treat stormwater with other practices such as bioswales or bioretention basins.  GDOT (Georgia Department of Transportation) projects, county, and city municipalities include bioslopes as part of their design plan.

Compost is available by the bag at most hardware stores and landscape suppliers.  Bulk compost is usually preferred to save money along with the convenience of delivering a large amount that doesn’t fit in the back of a pickup or suv.  River Sand, Inc. supplies bulk compost and delivers by the cubic yard to Atlanta and the rest of the surrounding areas in Georgia. 

River Sand, Inc. produces and supplies green roof soil in bulk or bagged in one-ton (supersack) bags for projects.  Bulk Green Roof Soil Mix is designed for roof top gardens.  Local delivery saves time and money. 

Buying planting soil or planting mix by the bag at the local hardware store can become expensive if you need a lot.  Local landscaper suppliers, like River Sand, Inc., blend, supply, and deliver bulk soils to your project or house.  Many people do not realize how much soil it takes to fill a garden or the area next to the sidewalk/porch.  You can purchase soil by the ton or cubic yard and save money!

There are many soil and sand producers/suppliers across the US.  Companies like River Sand, Inc. can blend soil for bioswales to meet specifications for projects.  Typically, they have their own soil lab or send the bioswale soil mix for testing to ensure it meets the requirements for a project.  Delivery is typically done in dump trucks as loose, bulk soil.  Be sure to have a proper location to store the soil mix so that no contaminates (other dirt or rocks) are mixed with the soil prior to installation (if it is not being dumped directly into the bioswale). 

There are very few soil suppliers that are capable enough to handle large quantities of soil blending properly and keep soil components in stockpiles.  River Sand, Inc. produces both the components and the engineered soil you need.  You can pick up or we can deliver.  We also provide support for answering questions from engineers, architects, or owners and laboratory analysis on our soils.