potting soil

MRBB

5 year old buck +
OK has anyone had any experience with using potting soil in food plots or in other ways

I have access to about 200 ton of it(for almost nothing)
I had 60 ton delivered already, and am finding the stuff just doesn't pack at all, just stays fluffy
I spread about a 1/16 acre at about 3-4 inches thick ,, to a price of land I have that us super rocky and full of tree roots I didn;t want to try to turn over and just too Rocky to seed as is!

I then roller some, added some clover seeds and rolled it some more , but it just bounces back up all fluffy

I haven't had any rain since I got it, so hoping that will maybe firm it up some
at first it seemed like a great idea, now not so sure?
as I do know when this stuff gets DRY(delivered rather wet)
and now where it dried its all dust!
so, has anyone else ever tried using it to build a plot site?

I'm thinking I might need to get other dirt and MIX the stuff together some how
 
Most potting soil I buy has a lot of sphagnum peat moss in it. It's not really what I would call soil. It's more like a planting medium that needs to be very well drained because it is meant to be in a pot. It's very easy for sprouts to push through it, so you might try spreading it as a top dressing after seeding or after you mow an established crop. This will allow roots and thatch to hold the potting soil in place and incorporate it into the actual soil of the food plot.

If you have rocky areas, consider using rye and potting soil to quickly build layers of organic matter on top of the existing soil.
 
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thanks guys
the area I was planning to try and make something out of of, was a rather very shaded area that is on a slight slope, so over the yrs all the top soil washed away, leaving nothing but tree roots and rocks exposes with very little dirt showing at all, so cannot turn it over or even disc it up at all!

I was offered this potting soil, l(from a place that grows flowers) for free, just had to haul away!

so, I THOUGHT well, if I covered this area to make it more level, remove the slope on it, and then got it to firm up, I could plant something in it.
I knew right off due to poor soil there now, and all the shade it wouldn't be anything treat
but figured once leveled, MAYBE something would grow, the shade then being the larger issue
and that the potting soil would maybe hold some better nutriments in it to help something maybe have a better shot at growing!

as just finding other DIRT/soil to use, is just way beyond the costs its worth for me to do, so this being free more or less, be worth trying
and I had a 10 lb bag of clover seed to waste HAHA!

but as of now I am wondering of I maybe am just making a mess
as I spread some of it today at a spot closer to my place, and could reach with a garden hose

and once its wet, it just turns into a slimmy goo, and once it drys(in a sunny spot) it just returned back to dry fluffy soil! not firming up at all

calling for a few days of off and on rain now, so will see
I have about 40 ton stock piled in piles now , if nothing else, maybe can top dress before winter and let snow and such pack it down and bleed it into ground else where for me??
 
If it was me i would try to mix it in with existing. Disc it in ? Or you just spread it out and plant some clover. Leaving it on top of the ground i would be afraid of high winds blowing it away.
 
Get seed of any kind on it asap.
 
thanks and again, I cannot disc the area I put it, , I was hoping this would work as fill dirt and maybe be of better growing quality, due to m, well, its kinda prime soil to grow things in, or certian things!

and I seeded it as soon as I spread it(well I tried compacting it first, rolling it with a packer, and then running a skid steer over and over it )

I also piled up 4-5 ft piles of extra soil on the down hill side of things, so, wind would be limited

I am hoping after some rain and then dry and rain cycles, things will firm up, as , right now, its like driving on a sponge , as soon as you run it over it fluffs right back up like memory foam LOL

I have access to a few more tri axle loads, but going to hold off till I see how this pans out I think

The section where most sun is, is already starting to sprout clover , so I know its good for growing it in it, just not sure if it will ever really hold things down and firm up like normal dirt will!
 
ALSO< I was also wondering if it would be a good idea to use it around some fruit tree,s like building a sloped pile from trunk outwards a few feet from truck
was thinking the stuff might hold a lot of good nutrients that will leach downwards over time and help feed the tree's a little extra!

the site I filled in, has one 70+ yr old apple tree and I surrounded that with a top dressing and reseeded ,a s already had clover growing around the tree;(I placed about 4 inches of potting soil all around this say about 20+ ft out from base, to cover the drop zone and again , needed to fill in to remove the slope and cover roots that were now exposed from erosion!

anyone have thoughts on maybe using it to base tree's?
 
Could you broadcast some seed into the potting soil and run an ATV drag over it to cover the seed? that should improve your germination and help hold the potting soil in place with living plants.

I had a couple dump truck loads of compost delivered to my place in an attempt to improve a sandy section. It worked well, but I disked it in to mix it together.
 
Could you broadcast some seed into the potting soil and run an ATV drag over it to cover the seed? that should improve your germination and help hold the potting soil in place with living plants.

I had a couple dump truck loads of compost delivered to my place in an attempt to improve a sandy section. It worked well, but I disked it in to mix it together.
I did run a roller over things to pack it first, and then ran skid steer over it more, and then rolled it, it never got firm , just stayed fluffy
I then again seeded it, and re rolled it and tried packing with skid steer
seeds are already sprouting after just 2 days now
as the stuff was some what wet(NO rain since putting it down)
so I am sure things will grow in it, my concern is will it stay put and ever firm up
as this is in a sloped area, and once heavy rains come, if it never firms up, it will all just wash away and been just wasted effort?
 
I did run a roller over things to pack it first, and then ran skid steer over it more, and then rolled it, it never got firm , just stayed fluffy
I then again seeded it, and re rolled it and tried packing with skid steer
seeds are already sprouting after just 2 days now
as the stuff was some what wet(NO rain since putting it down)
so I am sure things will grow in it, my concern is will it stay put and ever firm up
as this is in a sloped area, and once heavy rains come, if it never firms up, it will all just wash away and been just wasted effort?
Do you have mushroom soil up your way? All of the local mulch/seed stores around me sell it. It's basically compost from the mushroom farms in southern PA.

It's like you describe, very fluffy when you first lay it down. If that's what it is, it will compact a lot with rain over time. I think I would try to top dress a field of rye or put it down and immediately seed it. Probably with rye or something else inexpensive. I'd hate to put a bunch of seed on it and have it wash away in a big rainstorm
 
That will make an excellent plot in the future. I would aim to get as much organic matter as possible in and on top of it, as quickly as you can. I would use crops that grow and mature quickly. Buckwheat and crimson clover now, radish, turnips, and oats in the fall.

The organic matter, and the soil food web is what will provide the soil structure.
 
I am planing to get some buckwheat today , as calling for some rain the next 3 days
so be good time to seed I think and let the rain push the seeds down, being its so soft!
 
This is an awesome experiment. Pics please.
 
OK well I didnl;t take any at first, but just took these now for you's as I am at the place

had about 2 inches of rain yesterday/last night light at first with a mix of some heavy down pours
some did wash off and some did pack better

this is a just a small section of my place that was sloped and over decades washed down to roots and rocks, due to slope and all the shade it gets!

its about a 50 ft by a 150 ft area!
that I was trying to cover roots and rocks with and IF it ever packs tight will try and remove most of the slope
hard to see slope ion pictures here, but it does have a pretty good slope to it!

I also stock piles a bunch of this top soil along the edge of things, ( I also seeded that too, just cause I had a b bunch of seed handy) so any water run off should back up against the piles!
I Will move them as I figure out what all to do with it, and I do have more coming(another 4-5 tri axle loads)

my clover is already growing pretty well in sections, but its also getting hammered by rabbits and deer
all day and night there in it eating things as fast as there sprouting up!
so might be a problem getting anything to take well here on that alone?? and again the site doesn't get much sun due to all the mature tree's there pines and leaves don't let much in any more!


and not sure if you can tell but there is one larger old apple tree ( about 70+ yrs old) there too, so will see if the soil adds any extra to apples in the future as well!

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Can you get a quick soil test done on it? Might be useful to know what you’re “adding”.. Ph, etc. Compared to what you already have.
 
I was debating doing one or not
and I think I am just going to NOT do one
and the reason is, that this stuff comes from a few green houses, that grew all sorts of things in it, and some of it was reused dozens of times and some of it not at all

so pending where in the pile a sample came from, things could be pretty far off to another section!
maybe close, maybe not

it seems to be growing stuff pretty fast I will admit
and it has a pretty RIPE scent to it , a mix of fertilizers and I gather what ever rotting material in it


I am now thinking what I might TRY< is as things take root in it, and build a support for things, I might try adding smaller thin layers to it
and have to remember that when wet times or spring thaw to stay off it, so I don;t sink and get stuck in it!

as main goal is to fill in slope to less aggressive angle and water run off/erosion
don't really care about it drawing critters at all, but won't complain if it does!
 
was thinking the stuff might hold a lot of good nutrients that

Quite the opposite. It is mostly devoid of nutrients. Usually fertilizer is added to it. It's really just a growing medium. If you can establish plants in it then you can get bacteria and other organisms to accumulate in the material and cause it to become soil.
 
Quite the opposite. It is mostly devoid of nutrients. Usually fertilizer is added to it. It's really just a growing medium. If you can establish plants in it then you can get bacteria and other organisms to accumulate in the material and cause it to become soil.
it has all sorts of things in it, from old flower bulbs to plant material, to??
and has a very strong odor of rotting plant life in it
things are growing in very FAST as of right now too

so what ever is in it, seems to be fine for growing new things in it
will see how well it maybe lasts
or again, IF or how well it stays put as to washing away and eroding on me!


been getting lots of heavy rain/down pours off and all all last night and all day today so far, and can se a bunch of it washing away on me m, as ruts form from water running down hill with speed and furry(has a few inches of rain between last night and now)
and once this stuff is wet, its way too slimy to get equipment into it to work with it, makes more of a mess than I could fix, so, to fill in all the ruts now, will have to wait for dry ground again
and NOT sure when that might happen,a s calling for rains next 7 days? not getting much sun, won;'t help matters

but time will tell!
 
just a slight follow up
clover is growing but its having a hard time keeping up with critters mowing it down, all day and night there are things eating it down to almost flush with the ground
not getting much sunlight isn't helping it either I am sure
but things do seem to be growing and the SMALL of this soil and the rotting ???? in it, is drawing in critters as well

bears have been showing up like crazy smelling it all over
just had a few inches of rain too, so its sort of staying put better than
I expected, but before I add more I will wait for grass(adding rye soon) to take a better hold of things, and top dress in thin layers I think!

so here are a few pic's










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