Topsoil
Topsoil
Bulk Topsoil, Screened Topsoil, Planting Mix, Topdressing, Top soil, Soil, Potting Soil, Raised Garden Soil, Gardening Soil, Sod Soil, Seed Bed Soil, Flower Mix, Landscaping Soil Mix, Compost Blend, Dirt Near Me, Soil Near Me, Fill Dirt
Applications
Landscaping, Lawn Topsoil, Grass Seed, Sod Installation, Planting trees and shrubbery, Raised Bed Garden, Gardening, Lawn levelling, Drainage improvement, Filling low spots, Soil amendment, Fixing lawns, Repairing yard
Key Benefits
Promotes healthy plant growth and allows root penetration; Provides essential nutrients for grass, trees, and shrubs; Increase water and air movement in to the rootzone; Ideal infiltration rate; Improves grade, levels low spots, and improves drainage; Reduces erosion; Environmentally beneficial practice for growing plants (less need for application of fertilizer, pesticides, and other chemicals)
Specs
Fertile, rich, dark in color with high organic matter content; High CEC (cation exchange capacity); Sandy loam to loam texture; Neutral to slightly acidic pH; All-natural soil with no chemicals or pesticides added
Topsoil
River Sand Inc. offers the best topsoil in North Georgia and metro Atlanta period!
We deliver bulk soil from as little as 1 ton up to 1,000s of tons, in various size dump truck loads. Or if you have your own dump truck come pick up a load of topsoil at one of our many locations throughout North Georgia.
We blend many different engineered soils but topsoil is the most popular for general landscaping, planting grass, laying sod, gardens, raised beds, tree and shrub soil, and filling in low spots in your lawn.
PerfectSoil is simply our preferred blend of topsoil for the optimal properties most projects require. PerfectSoil is the ideal topsoil product to promote plant growth, root penetration and water infiltration for all your landscaping and gardening needs.
This is what separates our topsoil from all the other dirt:
- Screened Topsoil – screening removes unwanted large sticks, rocks, and debris.
- Fertile – dark brown, nutrient-rich soil promotes plant growth, high CEC (this means that the soil not only contains nutrients but helps hold on to them until the plant can take them up)
- Sandy Loam to Loam Texture– soil texture promotes root penetration and water infiltration, especially here in GA with high clay soils
- pH balanced – neutral to slightly acidic 6.5-7 pH for optimal growth of nearly every plant
- Organic Matter – PerfectSoil, our blended topsoil, is enriched with the right amount of organic matter to hold nutrients and water to improve soil tilth
- No red clay – free from red clay that inhibits plant health and compacts easily
Simply put, once you see and run your fingers through our topsoil you will know why plants love it even more!
You may be a landscaper, contractor, or homeowner looking for dirt delivered to your project or home. We supply and deliver all types of dirt for sale and top soil for sale in any size bulk load.
How do I know the right kind of dirt or topsoil for my project?
The following are the most popular project types and suggestions for the right kind of dirt:
Soil for Laying Sod and Soil for Planting Grass Seed:
Growing grass is probably the most common application of our topsoil, and really a driving force behind the design of our topsoil and PerfectSoil. When you are laying sod such as bermuda, centipede, zoysia or fescue it is best to have a great soil for the roots to grow in. The sandy loam texture creates the ideal rootzone for warm season turfgrasses to spread laterally and increases root depth by allowing air and water infiltration. A healthy root system will improve your overall turf health by decreasing disease susceptibility and increasing drought tolerance. Planting grass seed, such as fescue or rye, is also ideal for to use our topsoil as a planting mix or seed bed. Atlanta and North Georgia’s temperatures allow for fescue to be the desired choice for many landscaping projects for lawns and sport fields. The establishment of these cool season grasses need a good soil, full of nutrients, at the right pH and able to allow roots to penetrate deep. Our topsoil has the right amount of sand and organic matter to create the ideal porosity to drains water away when it is too wet and hold on to plant available water when it is dry. Overall, our topsoil is an excellent choice for growing all types of grass.
Leveling your lawn:
Topsoil is a great option to level up low spots in your lawn. It is different from Topdressing though. We recommend levelling your lawn or grass with topsoil when the area needs to be filled more than a couple of inches, or you need to raise or fill in a large area. When applying topsoil in this amount it often requires that you re-seed or re-sod the grass back because it will be too deep for the grass to come back through the soil. In contrast, Topdressing will allow you to level the lawn or grassed area to a shallow depth (1” max or ¼- ½“ on average). Topsoil has an advantage over topdressing when the depth increases because it will remain in place when walked upon, mowed over, or driven over as it tends not to push out.
Planting Trees and Shrubs:
A quality Topsoil is one of the most versatile planting soils for here in Georgia. Actually, that is exactly what the native species in the forest and pastures grow in. Our topsoil mimics fertile soil found in Georgia fields and forests in that they contain a high percentage of sand and organic matter with a slightly acidic pH. Topsoil growing trees and shrubs are excellent at maintaining adequate moisture levels (or plant available water at field capacity). Ideally you will be able to plant directly in the topsoil with the whole rootzone benefiting from the fertile soil. However, if you are amending the soil be sure to blend the topsoil in the surrounding edges of native soil so as to limit the difference in transition and encourage more root growth.
Gardening and Raised Beds:
Garden soil is vital for success in all types of gardens such as vegetable gardens, flower gardens, butterfly gardens, herb gardens, raised gardens, community gardens, and just plain ol’ garden gardens. Bulk topsoil delivered for a garden is an excellent way to start or improve a garden no matter what you grow. The rich soil full of microbial rich organic matter, nutrients, ideal texture, and optimal pH makes topsoil a great way to improve your vegetable and flower yield. Topsoil is a great replacement instead of typical Georgia red clay for your garden.
So, what is the difference in topsoil and fill dirt?
RSI’s Screened Topsoil is very different from our Fill Dirt. First, you need to know the difference in dirt and soil is LIFE. Soil is full of microbes, organic matter, and designed like nature intended. Dirt is a term that just refers to just plain dirt. Dirt can have beneficial properties but growing plants is not one of them. Fill Dirt is unscreened and generally composed of primarily red clay (with some rocks and other debris possibly). Fill Dirt is great for filling a hole at a great value. However, when you get to the top 4”+ and you want to grow some grass it is best done with Topsoil. Often Fill Dirt is a great alternative to bring a property to grade or level at an lower cost, and then a load of quality Topsoil can be delivered for the top layer. We can help you figure the best options when you call.
What is the difference in our topsoil vs. other topsoil for sale?
Quality and quality control is the difference. River Sand, Inc. Topsoil is a product of decades of production. We have been making great topsoil in Georgia for almost 30 years. We carefully select the source from which we excavate our soil, then we blend just the right amount of sand and high-quality organic compost as needed to optimize the pH, organic matter content, and infiltration. We screen our topsoil finer than most any other landscaping supplier. Finally, we make sure it passes our quality control. We even have our own soil laboratory to double check.
Most of the topsoil for sale in Metro Atlanta and other areas such as Gainesville, Athens, Cumming, Dahlonega, and Clayton is just what gets scraped off the nearest construction site prior to construction.
Some of this dirt they call topsoil is good but more often than not it is a mix of soil, red clay, roots, sticks, rocks, and any other trash on the site. You can screen it but the lack of consistency leaves this option that local dump truck companies and other landscape yards supply a guess in the dark on quality and even contamination. We have seen some great loads of topsoil supplied from these sites but many more loads of dirt filled with trash, rock, and undesirable plants (bermuda, kudzu, and other weeds) called Topsoil For Sale. One other common source for Topsoil is the leftover small bits of wood left over from different types of wood waste. If composted and used as an amendment to the soil these products can be beneficial. However, many of them are turned black without composting and offer very little nutrient value, and if the Carbon to Nitrogen (C:N) ratio isn’t optimal then your “topsoil” will actually steal the nitrogen from your plants. Furthermore, a strictly organic based soil or even Compost used alone will decompose over time and often provides soft areas not ideal for lawns. Many of these soil materials composed only of organic matter are better suited as a soil amendment, and not the purpose of a stand-alone topsoil. With all that being said, Topsoil is a very general term. If you want to know you are getting a quality Topsoil we can deliver that!
Where do I get a load of dirt? Where do I get a load of Topsoil?
River Sand, Inc. is the premier local Topsoil supplier and bulk landscape yard for Atlanta, Athens, Gainesville, Alpharetta, Roswell, Lawrenceville, Winder, Commerce, Cornelia, and the surrounding areas in Georgia. We are North Georgia’s largest producer of Sand and Soil. We have all your landscaping materials for construction and landscaping projects, whether at home for your lawn or on your construction project. Quality is what separates our soil from other dirt. Topsoil is available for pick up at several of our locations or can be delivered in a dump truck directly to you!
Engineered Soil is another option where we blend or engineer any soil you need for any construction project or soil specification. Different terrains require different soils, and we intimately understand the soil needs of the areas we serve, such as Gainesville, Cumming, Athens, Alpharetta, Milton, Dawsonville, Buford, and the rest of Atlanta and Georgia. We’d be happy to help you choose the right soil for your location and project.
Give Us A Call!
We can help you choose the perfect bulk landscaping supplies for your project. Just give us a call at 877-499-SAND. We look forward to serving you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have questions about Topsoil? We have answers!
Topsoil is used for making gardens, planting shrubs, spreading to lay turf of plant grass seed, and filling in holes in your lawn. Topsoil is one of the most commonly used materials for landscaping and gardening. A good soil is critical for healthy plants. Potting soil is slightly different and better for potted plants and not ideal for use in the lawn.
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.
Yes, if you don’t apply it too deep. You can apply a light layer of topsoil, less than 1”, and the grass should come back through it with time. Use a rake to work the soil down and help the grass stand back up as you apply it. As, you apply more depth of topsoil it will take longer for the grass to grow back to the surface. Also, consider the timing of the application as fescue will not growing quickly in the summer and bermuda will not grow back quickly in the fall or winter. If you need to patch or repair the lawn with several inches of topsoil, you may consider just re-sodding or re-seeding that area and mulching lightly with straw.
Generally speaking, garden soil had a few more enhancements like sand or compost added to a quality topsoil. Topsoil from most providers is good dirt that they dug up somewhere, and loaded it in a truck. However, RSI’s Topsoil comes from a process where we screen out any large debris and blend just the right amount of sand and compost to improve its quality, so our Topsoil is both a high-quality topsoil that can be used for a gardening.
Topsoil is a sandier, fertile, usually dark brown or black, soil that contains nutrients and organic matter suitable for growing plants. Fill dirt refers to any dirt that does not contain organic matter but instead contains higher amounts of clay. Some fill dirt may be suitable for compactible fill. Fill dirt is usually a more economical option and better option to fill in low areas for structured fill. Topsoil is best used for areas that will be planted with grass, trees, or shrubs.
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See what we’ve been saying about
Topsoil
“The people at River Sand have been so generous to our school! Mr. Charles Parker [CEO of River Sand] comes weekly to Mossy Creek Elementary to mentor to one of our students; Mr. Parker provides stability, encouragement, and a friendly ear. When I called to inquire about purchasing top soil for our school garden, not only did the folks at River Sand donate one truck load of soil, but TWO loads of top soil. Without River Sand we would not be able to afford the soil that is so badly needed for our garden. (We use our MCES garden to teach elementary classes about science and growing, but also as an activity for students in counseling.) Their generosity and caring spirit is one that brings much joy, and we greatly appreciate River Sand.”
— Ellen G | Mossy Creek Elementary
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