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What Do Worms Eat & Drink? | Is Your Garden Safe?
Worms might be very slimy and sometimes irritable creatures, but they are just as vital to the ecosystem as humans themselves. From being great allies for your soil to being a source of life for your plants, your garden would just not be the blooming beauty it is without them.
But how do these worms survive? What do worms eat and drink? Would they devour my seedling? This article entails in comprehensive detail everything you need or want to know about earthworms and their feeding habits.
What do earthworms eat?
Earthworms feed on many forms of organic material, e.g., garden clippings, vegetable peelings, decaying leaves, coffee grounds, eggshells, and many types of living organisms such as nematodes, protozoa, rotifers, bacteria, and fungi.
An earthworm can consume the equivalent of its own bodyweight on a daily basis.
Primarily, the diet of earthworms mostly consists of decaying plants (grasses, leaves, plant debris), rich in cellulose, but they also enjoy bacteria and fungi. By leaving hay or dead leaves on the ground, you allow them to acquire all the necessary resources and keep their role as soil decomposers.
Vermicomposting makes it possible for earthworms to transform our kitchen waste into quality vermicompost, subsequently producing organic liquid fertilizer.
Vermicomposting consists of placing earthworms in a “vermicomposter” where they feed on the waste brought to them. Their droppings accumulate and constitute vermicompost which blends perfectly with the odorless soil.
Due to their body composition, earthworms are great indoor organisms and are perfectly suited to the needs of city dwellers: they do not emit odors and ensure rapid decomposition.
The earthworm depends on the abundance of decomposing plant and soil matter for its survival.
Worms help the process of breaking down the already deteriorated matter into even smaller pieces, digesting them, and re-depositing them in the soil. While earthworms mainly consume the roots of dead and decaying vegetable plants, they eat live red clover (Trifolium pratense).
In addition to dirt, other earthworm delicacies include manure and dead animals, as well as the dead leaves of trees such as maple (Acer), birch (Betula), and ash (Fraxinus).
How much do earthworms eat?
It depends on how many worms you have. Earthworms can eat their weight each day and can double their population every 3 months. If you start with 1000 earthworms they will consume between 250 and 500 grams of waste per day.
After a few months, you should have 2000 earthworms and you can subsequently double their feeding ratio. Baby earthworms (small earthworms) will not eat much and will take about 3 months to reach adulthood.
How do I improve the appetite of the earthworms?
Earthworm populations are capable of consuming two tons of organic waste per hectare in one year. However, to be possible, organic materials must be present in sufficient quantities and of a certain quality to sustain them.
In soils that contain a lot of carbon and not enough nitrogen, vegetation takes longer to break down, providing less material for the worms to process. Adding manure to the soil improves digestibility, giving the worms a more ravenous appetite.
What is the ideal living condition for earthworms to maintain a ravenous appetite?
Earthworms must be kept within a temperature range of 15 °C and 25 °C and have a humidity between 75 and 85%. The pH should also be between 6.5 and 8.
Also, you might want to tell your neighbors that they don’t like noise, and are photophobic in nature.
Do earthworms excrete after eating?
After eating, the digestive system of the worms is so well-structured that the worms eject the result of their consumption in the form of castings, small twists on the surface of the ground. The good news is, the more castings you have in your garden soil, the better the soil in your garden.
In order not to disturb the earthworms, it is better to avoid turning the soil in depth (forget the old-fashioned “Plows”) or the fork-spade which could sink too deeply to turn the soil and thus disturb the micro-organisms.
Use tools such as the “broad fork” if you want to work the soil in the garden, especially in a vegetable garden.
The worms defecate on or near the surface of the earth. Their feces or racks are rich in nutrients and make the soil more fertile.
When is the best time to feed the earthworm?
Autumn is the best season to bring the organic matter to your soil to enrich it, and therefore to earthworms which break down this organic matter and make it assimilable by plants.
During this season, the favorite food of earthworms is cellulose. Place on the surface of the ground: dead leaves, grass clippings, kitchen peelings, and weeds. If you run out of raw material, then opt for cardboard boxes (preferably brown with no tape, no inscriptions) will do, it’s practically pure cellulose!
Autumn catches earthworms fully active. Take advantage of this to enrich your soil and prepare it for the coming year’s crops. The soil will be easier to handle, loose, airy, and perfect for your seedlings and plants.
What kind of food is harmful to earthworms?
Materials such as plastic, synthetic fabric, metal, cement, snack bags, tetra pak and glass are not ideal feeds for your worms.
Among other things that you should never have to add is: bread and its derivatives, cooking oil, diseased plants, paper with color printing, human or animal feces, meat products, dairy products, and rice.
If you have any questions about what to put or not, this site is the ideal place to leave your questions, I will gladly answer them.
What do earthworms drink?
Nothing. As off as that might sound, not even water is ingested by these little slitherings. But put into proper context, this is not as incredulous as it sounds.
Unlike vertebrae, who need lungs to respire, worms breathe through their skin, which is the same medium they get the water they drink.
However, for worms to inhale oxygen, the skin has to be moist. To moisturize, worms create a mucus coat beneath their skin that aids to retain as much water as they need, all of which is gotten from the surrounding soil.
However, since too much of anything is bad, worms will drown if the ground is too wet. Hence the reason why worms come out of hiding in their numbers onto your driveway after a rainstorm.
On the other hand, if the soil gets extremely dry, these worms will possibly suffocate due to dehydration, if they can’t find moist ground quick enough.
Will worms eat my plant?
Earthworms also called nightcrawlers or rain worms, eat leaves and other plant matter. However, they do not eat the fresh plants and leaves directly, rather they prefer to eat decomposed leaves and plants in the ground.
What kind of worms should I be feeding?
There are around a hundred species of earthworms in the US, distributed according to the area they occupy in the soil.
The piglets (less than 5 cm deep), dark red, live on the surface, in leaf litter or decomposing plant waste (particularly compost, leaf litter, etc.). It is the worms in this category that are used for vermicomposting (Eisenia fetida and Eisenia Andrei).
Endogés (1 to 20 cm deep), pink, whitish, even translucent, live in networks of horizontal galleries in the first 20 cm of the soil and eat dead roots. For example, the cutworm (Nicodrilus caliginosus).
The anecics (10 to 30 cm deep), large, red, gray, or brown, come out of the earth every night to look for the organic matter on which they feed, empty their intestines by making a “cast” (which is rich in nutrients – nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and calcium – easily assimilated by plants), then descend into their vertical galleries, burying organic residues with them.
Among them, the common earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) is the best known. They thus participate in the bioturbation of the soil by intimately mixing organic and mineral matter and by promoting microbial activity. More stable and better structured, these soils are more fertile and less sensitive to erosion. Thanks to their network of galleries, these tireless ploughmen aerate and drain the soil.
How do worms digest food?
The organic matter that is ingested by these invertebrates is mobilized directly through the pharynx to reach the esophagus and on getting here, passes to a structure called a crop, which is a simple sac that serves as storage.
The process continues to transport the material stored in the crop to a compartment or structure that resembles a simple stomach called a gizzard, where particles are crushed and simpler nutrients are obtained to allow better absorption of them in the intestinal tract.
Like all digestive systems, unprocessed foods that are mixed with mud or swamp are excreted through the anus, which is when they expel the so-called humus, which is a mixture of mud with organic matter.
Can I Water My Plants With Tea? Read This First!
Have you ever been sitting out in your garden enjoying a cup of tea and when your finished there’s some left in the tea pot. You could put it down the drain however that would be a waste of water. You maybe wondered “Can I water my plants with tea?”
Let’s find out…
Can I Water My Plants With Tea?
What benefits are there in watering with drunken tea? If you conduct a chemical analysis of tea, you can find in the composition of the drink minerals and organic matter, as well as tannins, that will acidify your soil. Not all houseplants need such acidification.
We can certainly say that ferns that suffer from the action of carbonate salts in soil or water as well as cacti that love hard water and the tannins it contains, respond well to tea.
The rest of the houseplants, however, react to the watering of the teapot with a lot of disdain or probably disgust. More so, there is no reliable experimental data that would prove the obvious benefit of such a fertilizer.
There is an opinion that regular mulching of the soil with tea residue helps to retain moisture, and if you make tea leaves under flowers indoors and gently store them in a flowerpot, the plants will receive a fertilizer with an extended lifespan.
Disadvantages of Watering Your Plants with Tea
Flavored tea with additives can lead to dramatic consequences for flowers including root rot and imbalance of soil nutrients.
Watering plants with tea leaves that contain sugar provokes the appearance of a fungus mosquito in the pot, black midges, and other pests that are not easily eliminated. These pests will start a toxic relationship with your flower and will require a huge chunk of alimony to severe the marriage.
When using moldy tea, you can introduce bacteria, mold in the soil (apparently) and cause soil contamination.
For cases of domestic greenhouses that prefer acidic soil, such addition can only do more damage than good.
Top Tip: You can determine the acidification of the soil by such signs as a greenish coating on the soil, which gives off an unpleasant smell, rotting of inflorescences and leaves, as well as mold on the petioles of plants.
These arguments will make the supporters of the “grandmother” methods reflect and think deeply. But if you are a cultured person and can’t be dissuaded by what neighborhood folks think, you might as well go ahead with teeing up your flower, pun intended.
How to Use Tea Leaves for Irrigation and Fertilizer?
This option may be acceptable to supporters of organic floriculture, as natural remedies have recently become widespread.
Top Trick: Any tea can be used for watering: black, green, herbal. The main thing is that it does not contain additives and flavors of synthetic origin.
How to Water Plants With Tea Infusion?
Make sure your flowers need soil acidification. Plants like tomatoes, oxalis poinsettia, and east lily thrive in acidic conditions. A simple soil test can be performed with a litmus test.
You do not need to constantly pour this fertilizer under the flowers, several times a month is enough. Avoid watering your plants with tea that has added sugar, acidic or moldy solution. You can use a cool, weak, unsweetened solution at room temperature.
Top Trick: If, in addition to watering, the tea leaves also flow under the flowers, then it is necessary to strictly fix the amount of them, mixing them with the top layer of the soil. This method will help maintain humidity, which will require you to water the plant less often.
Some Other Ways to Use Tea Leaves.
If you are a tea addict like many of us, then you might be “elated” to discover that there are other means to use them.
A large amount of waste after drinking tea can be turned into a drainage layer when planting a flower in a new pot.
To do this, lay the tea leaves on the layer of expanded clay, sprinkle with earth and plant a flower. When it reaches the roots of the lower soil layer, part of the tea leaves already decompose and serve as organic fertilizer.
Instead of a drainage layer, the dried tea leaves are mixed with the flower soil when a plant is transplanted into another pot. This additive is acceptable if the soil is dense, then it acts as a baking powder.
Wrapping Up
So, if you use tea for watering, then you should do it following all the rules, do not use additives and flavorings, or moldy raw materials. This method is best for plants that prefer acidic soil and hard water with tannins.
When adopting this method, try to regularly loosen the soil under the flowers indoors and monitor the condition of the plants. When midges and other insects appear, you need to cultivate the soil and reduce watering.
Best Rotary Mowers For Small Gardens (Pre-2023 edition)
No matter if you own a small garden or a large one it can be tough to know which lawn mower is best to get the job done right. You probably don’t need a petrol lawn mower which is going to be expensive and harder to maintain if you only have a small space. Below we have outlined the 5 best lawn mowers for small to medium sized gardens.
These are some of the most affordable electric mowers for small gardens.
| Image | Product Name | Our Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
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Einhell GE-EM 1233 Electric Lawn Mower | ||
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Bosch Rotak 34 R Electric Rotary Lawn Mower | ||
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Hyundai HYM3200E Electric Lawnmower |
||
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Mountfield 294340063/M13 Princess |
||
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Flymo EasiMow 300R Electric Rotary Lawn Mower |
Best Lawn Mowers For Small Gardens
1. Einhell GE-EM 1233 Electric Lawn Mower
Einhell is a corded electric lawn mower that is quite powerful and was created for lawns of about 600 square meters. The Einhell GE-EM has an extraordinarily high torque along with an engine of a 1500W strong carbon motor. This feature allows the Einhell to work perfectly well even in gardens with tall grass and dense greenery.
The engine is not the only powerful feature of the Einhell GE-EM 1233 Electric lawnmower. Read on to see more of its unique features. The device comes with a flexible cutting height along with a 36cm cutting width.
With this unique height setting, the blade of the mower can be adjusted to 5 different modes. To ensure more flexibility, the deck of the Einhell was designed to be wider than the high wheels. Maneuvering is therefore very easy.
The grass box of the device is yet another amazing feature of the Einhell GE-EM 1233 – it allows about 38 liters of grass and makes it easy for you to see when it is full for emptying.
Einhell weighs about 10kg making it relatively lightweight. It is also foldable and would be easy to store. For safety, the device comes with a 2 point safety switch. No doubt, this is one of the best rotary mowers for small gardens.
Pros
- Powerful Engine
- Lightweight
- Foldable and easy to use
- 2 Point safety switch
- Cable strain release for long durability
- Wider deck for more flexibility
- Transparent grass box for 38 litres of grass
Cons
- The Einhell GE-EM 1233 comes with no roller
2. Bosch Rotak 34 R Electric Rotary Lawn Mower
The Bosch Rotak 34 R is an electric lawn mower that is powerful, lightweight, and handy. It is great for both small and medium-sized lawns due to its 34cm cutting width. The device comes with a 1300W power drive motor engine along with a rotary blade, ensuring that your lawn gets the perfect cut. It also has an integrated rear roller for strip effects on lawns.
The lightweight of the Bosch Rotak 34 R is another amazing feature that ensures more flexibility and carrying around your yard. Storing at home is very easy due to its stackable grass box and double folding handles. The device is also great for cutting grass on the edges of your yard due to its inset front heels and grass combs.
Finally, The Bosch Rotak 34 R has a Single lever height of cut adjustment from 20-70 mm. This mode variation helps suit the condition of different lawns.
Pros
- 34cm cutting width making it great for medium-sized lawns of 300 square meters
- Lightweight and portable
- 1300W power drive motor along with rotary blade for a perfect cut
- Rear roller for stripe effects
- Stackable grass box
- Double Folding handles
- Inset front wheels
- Grass combs
Cons
- Possibilities of overheating
3. Hyundai HYM3200E Electric Lawnmower
The next mower on our list is the Hyundai HYM3200E which is a product of the popular Hyundai model – this already gives it some credibility as one of the best lawn mowers you’d find in the market. The device hosts a powerful 1000W motor and it is getting energy from a power cable that is about 10 meters long, making it quite environmentally friendly.
The device comes with a flexible height setting, allowing you to cut grass at 24mm, 45mm and 65mm. It is also very effective for uneven gardens. Starting the engine of the Hyundai HYM3200E is as easy as pressing a button.
The device is lightweight – 8.8kg of weight making it one of the lightest rotary lawnmowers you’d get from the market. Finally, The HYM3200E Electric Lawnmower has a foldable handle system which is great for minimal storage requirements. That is less space is needed for its storage. Making the device very easy to fold, stack and store around your yard.
Pros
- Easy to start and use
- Lightweight
- Flexible Cutting height
- Self Maintenance Mode included
- Perfect cutting width
- Quick-release grass collection box
- Easy to fold, stack and store
Cons
- Absence of roller
4. Mountfield 294340063/M13 Princess
The Mountfield 294340063/M13 Princess is one of the most powerful all-encompassing lawnmowers you’d find in the market. It works best for small lawns of about 100 Square meters and it is quite easy to start and operate. It is handheld and integrates a 1400W motor which is quite above the requirements for a small lawn. It has a large grass box of 35 liters capacity along with an extended 34cm cutting width.
The device grass box is transparent and therefore allows you to see the quantity of grass in it to prevent overloading. It also incorporates a rear roller for strip effects and an anti-scalping plate for the uneven surface to give your lawn the perfect look.
The Mountfield 294340063/M13 Princess also comes with a mulching plug that aids the healthy growth of your lawn. Finally, it has a safety switch that automatically stops the rotation of the fan 3 seconds after release, making it quite safe to use.
Pros
- Powerful 1400w motor engine
- Reel roller for stripe effect
- Large grass box capacity
- Integration of mulching plug for a healthy lawn
- Wide cutting width
- Transparent grass box
Cons
- Limited mobility due to the 15 meter cord
5. Flymo EasiMow 300R Electric Rotary Lawn Mower
The Flymo EasiMow 300R is an electric rotary lawnmower that is great for small and medium gardens. It is very light and easy to move and maneuver. The device is powered by a 1000W motor along with a 10 meters cord. It is environmentally friendly since it makes use of electricity rather than fuel or diesel.
The Flymo EasiMow comes with a flexible cutting height along with a 30cm cutting width. It has a roller for stripe effects and a large 30 liters grass box for storing grass clippings. The detaching and emptying process is also very easy, allowing you to get the mowing of your lawn done in no time.
Lastly, the device is great for manoeuvring due to its incorporation of a dual lever. It weighs 8.4kg making it one of the lightest electric lawn mowers you’d find in the market.
Pros
- Lightweight mower (easy to push)
- Environmentally friendly
- Roller for stripe effect and design
- Flexible cutting height
Cons
- Difficult to adjust the cutting height
Buying Guide
Certainly, not everyone is a gardening expert, however, that should not be a deterrent to keeping your yard clean and beautiful. Below is a precise guide that will help you in getting the right product for your garden. Read through and follow the guide judiciously.
How to choose a rotary mower for small gardens?
Power source
The power source of any mower you want to get is very important. Since we are dealing with a small space, the source of power will determine how effective and efficient you get your lawn cut perfectly. Therefore both Electric and Fuel mower would get the job done perfectly. But if you want to be eco-friendly, then the Electric mower is your best option.
Cutting width
The wider the cutting width of your mower the faster you get the job done. No one wants to spend the whole day cutting the lawn. Moreover, it is a small lawn we are dealing with right here. Therefore a 30cm width mower should get the job done efficiently.
The deck
The deck is simply the part that ensures how long you’d get to use your mower. That is its longevity. Lawn Mower can either have a steel deck, plastic deck, and composite deck. The steel will last longer than the plastic and composite deck but surely it is heavier and cost faster.
Drive types
Lawn Mower comes in different drive types and so you must decide which is best for you. They include,
- Rear-wheel – Designed to fit uneven surface and edge cutting.
- Front-wheel – These types are designed for more flexibility and maneuvering when mowing.
- All Wheel – these are great for literally all lawn conditions.
Other features
Other features to look out for include;
- Rear roller for stripe effect and design
- Mulching plug for healthy growth of your lawn after mowing.
- Flexible discharge of grass clippings etc.
Conclusion
Contrary to what’s being said, small lawns very much do need maintenance. And one great place to start is with the lawn. Getting your lawn perfectly mowed is like getting 80% of the job done already.
And so, since everyone is not an expert gardener, it can become quite difficult to choose the best rotary mower for your lawn. Hence, the purpose of this post.
All the mowers listed in this article are great and could be gotten on Amazon at affordable prices. Go through the buying guide once again and pick the mower that best suits your needs. And do note that the rotary mowers listed are mainly great for small lawns.
Topsoil Vs Compost For Planting Grass Seed | Which Should I Use & When?
As the weather starts to warm up towards the end of Winter/beginning of Spring, most people start looking at the state of their yard and gardens thinking about what they want to do for the upcoming summer.
When it comes to the yard, a beautiful carpet of lush, green grass makes any home look fantastic, but what is the secret to having a beautiful, green grass yard?
Well… part of the secret to having a beautiful yard is to make sure that the grass has all of the nutrients that it needs in order to be that vibrant color of green. Because if you have a yard that is covered in bright green grass, then you have a healthy, strong yard that, not only looks great but is also going to be able to fight off diseases that may make lesser grass yards turn brown or not grow to their full potential.
A couple of the tactics that you can use to supply all of the nutrients that your grass needs to be healthy and green is rich in compost and topsoil. The question then becomes…. how do I choose topsoil vs compost for grass seed? Well… Read on to get some great information that you can use to make the best decision
What is Top Soil?
As the name implies, topsoil is the very top layer of the ground. It is actually the top 10 inches of the ground.It is very nutrient-rich and is full of great minerals that plants, flowers, and grass can use to grow and be beautiful. Because topsoil erodes due to wind and rain, it is pretty standard for most gardeners to purchase topsoil. There are several grades of topsoil available.
1. Premium – Sand, clay, and organic materials, such as composted manure, make up this grade, which is the most expensive. Plants, beds, and gardens can all benefit from their fertile, nutrient-rich properties.
2. General-Purpose – The soil in this grade has been screened to remove stones and debris. Besides landscaping, it can also be used for planting beds.
3. Economy – This product is the least expensive, but offers the lowest quality topsoil. Because there isn’t any screening of rocks and stones that go into this product, it is best utilized to level land or build up an area of ground. Due to the potential for rocks and stones, this grade should not be used for beds.
There are also three different types of topsoil, characterized by their material makeup, and they each have specific uses.
The first type is Clay soil. Clay soil is useful for adding to areas that need to hold water for a longer period of time. The clay holds water very well for a longer period of time, so you would want to use clay topsoil in an area that gets a lot of water, and if you decide to use clay topsoil, you are going to be able to go for a longer period of time without water.
The second type is Loam topsoil. Loam soil is made by mixing together clay, sand, silt as well as other organic materials. Loam is the best type of topsoil to use for lawns because it incorporates all of the best features of the other type of soils with the additional nutritional value from the added organics.
The third type of topsoil is Sandy soil. Sandy soil is great for adding drainage. Sandy soil does not hold water for long, so you are going to need to water more often, any plants that are growing in sandy soil. Obviously, you would not want to use sandy soil in an area that does not get a lot of water.
There are many benefits of adding topsoil to your lawn, but the best benefit is that by layering the lawn with topsoil, you’ll be enabling the grass to absorb all of those nutrients into the root system. This will, in addition to ensuring that the grass maintains a beautiful green color and lush texture, allow the grass to become very resistant to drought and bugs.
What is Compost?
Compost is the fertilizer that is used for plants that are made from decayed organic material, like leaves, grass trimmings, etc. Because it is decayed organic material, it is very rich in minerals and other beneficial organisms like worms, etc.
Compost is generally used to improve the fertility of the soil in landscaping and horticulture by providing high-quality minerals and organisms for plants, flowers, and grasses. Compost can be created from pretty much any organic material; however, there are three main types of compost.
The first is wood compost. Wood compost is made from bark, dead limbs, sticks, and wood chippings that have been left to rot. Thanks to bacteria breaking down the wood, it eventually becomes a wood “dust” that is full of nutrients and bacterial organisms.
The second type is green compost. This is the type that most people think of when they think of compost. It is composed of garden waste as well as food scraps, and the third type is manure.
Manure compost is very beneficial to grass and other plants due to the large number of nutrients that are in it from the hay, straw, and plants that cows eat.
Compost Vs Topsoil?
I really don’t think of a compost vs topsoil debate because the best course of action really is to use them both simultaneously. The plants and the grass benefit by having a lot of beneficial nutrients introduced into the root systems.
The type of nutrients is even more broad-spectrum if both are used simultaneously because the nutritional profile will be much more enhanced by using a combination of compost and topsoil where you may end up in a situation where the grass is not getting enough nutritional value from just topsoil or from just compost.
Again, the trick is to use both together in order to really get the most bang for the buck. When using topsoil and compost for a new lawn, whether seed or sod, the best results are going to be obtained by using a mixture that is 5:1, which is 5 parts topsoils mixed with 1 part compost. By using that mixture you are sure to get all of the nutritional value that the grass needs without any concern that the grass might be overloaded.
When Should I Use Compost?
The best time to use compost is pretty much the same as when to use topsoil, which is very early Spring and during the Fall. Compost can be used in the Summer as well for some applications; however, in general, it is best to use compost in the Spring and Fall because that is the best time of the year for all of the microbes in the compost to do their thing so that the grass or garden plants will benefit the most.
Like most other organisms, microbes tend to not be as active in very hot weather as they are in warm weather. What is comfortable for you, is also comfortable for the microbes. Additionally, since compost contains so much nutritional value for the plants and grass, any area of growth that needs an extra infusion of minerals is a candidate for compost.
One thing to keep in mind is drainage. Because compost doesn’t drain well, you may not want to add much compost to any area that has a drainage problem.
When Should I Use Top Soil?
When you use topsoil depends completely on the project, but it is versatile and can be used for a variety of applications. Topsoil can be used for lawns, gardens, and for drainage. However, since the focus of the article is lawns, let’s discuss how you would use them for your lawn.
Topsoil is great for lawns because it has so many uses for grass. For example, topsoil can be used to reinvigorate and rejuvenate a damaged or depressed lawn. It can also be used to raise the level of an area of the lawn so that it is even with the rest of the yard. If you are growing grass from seeds, all that you need to do is to lay down a one-inch layer of topsoil, and then, using a rake, work the seeds into the topsoil.
If you have a new area and are trying to get some growth established and you either know or suspect that the existing layer of soil may not have a nutrient profile that is going to provide enough support for new growth, then topsoil is a great choice.
Is compost or Top Soil Better for Grass Seed?
As far as seeding goes, whether reseeding or over seeding, the best strategy is going to be to apply a layer of topsoil 2-4 inches deep before you lay down the seed. After you have put down the seed and worked the seed in with a rake, then you may want to top off the seeds with a thin layer of compost. This then layer will provide additional nutrition, but will also ensure that the seeds do not wash away or are blown away.
How Can I Make Grass Seed Grow Successfully?
1. Use a lawn spreader or a mechanical seeder for large areas in order to ensure that the seeds are distributed evenly. For small areas or patches, spread it by hand. Just make sure that it is evenly distributed.
2. Cover the seeds with topsoil and a layer of mulch or compost to prevent them from blowing or being washed away.
3. Saturate the new area of seeds with water. Use the mist setting on your garden hose to really get the area wet. Do not overwater, but make sure that the area does not dry out either.
4. Do not walk on the area while the new growth is being established… Try to keep pets away from the area if possible.
Wrapping Up
Using compost and/or topsoil for grass seed is not really all that difficult because they both have their place in the garden. They both work well for certain applications, but they both can be used together as well. It really does depend on what your project is and what you are trying to accomplish.
The important thing to take away from this is to make sure that you understand compost and topsoil. Go to the garden center and ask questions to get information on the best composts and topsoil that you need in order to create a beautiful lawn and garden for your home.