Good top soil

[td25c]

I was running short on good top soil at a new home site that I am finishing up now.It's on a hilltop and the top soil was thin and marginal at best,The home owner wants a nice hardy lawn.I have separated some nice dirt from a couple of burnt brushpiles at the site And it looks like we will have enough top dirt to go around the new home.We have alot of poultry farms in the area so we decided to mix in some turkey litter to our top soil to add some fertility .Here are some pictures mixing the dirt & turkey litter concoction.I start by spreading the dirt out about a foot thick.Then angle the blade to make plow furrows in the dirt,then bring in the turkey litter keeping the dozer blade just above the plow furrows allowing the turkey litter to fall in between them.

 

[td25c]

Here comes the turkey litter so hold your nose.The last pic is the finished product.It looks like it will grow grass.

 

[willie59]

Nice pics 25c. Ain't everybody that uses a Fat Allis as a manure mixer. Nice job.

 

[td25c]

ATCOEQUIP,That turkey litter pile had been fermenting awile with all the rain we have had latly.When I broke it open the stench sent the flies away until I got it mixed in with the dirt.My wife was just commenting this evening about how I should have dove off in the river before comming home.

 

[willie59]

ATCOEQUIP,That turkey litter pile had been fermenting awile with all the rain we have had latly.When I broke it open the stench sent the flies away until I got it mixed in with the dirt.My wife was just commenting this evening about how I should have dove off in the river before comming home.

Man that's one of the funniest posts I've seen! I can't even comment on that! :lmao :falldownlaugh

 

[atgreene]

I mix and make my own loam, but i use hen manure and can agree whole heartedly about the stench! Woo hoo, wife has a fit when the trailer dumps start hauling. Nasty stuff, and it stinks for years.

Nice job mixing.:notworthy

 

[bigblueox]

it's gonna need some lime!

 

[td25c]

atgreene,I new I wasent the only member that mixed in poultry litter.The chicken litter is a little hoter mix than the turkey litter.The poultry litter sure dose help plants grow,the grain farmers in my area practically fight over who gets the poultry litter when a building gets cleaned out.It's good fertilizer.

 

[td25c]

bigblueox,I agree,a little lime spread on top when we are finished would help.

 

[atgreene]

I did approximately 1500 yards the last time I mixed in chicken manure. Had 100 yards of the stuff hauled in, let it set for 1 year then mixed it in and turned the pile for 2 years longer as the pile kept growing. When we ran it through the trommel it came out black and stunk to high heaven. I just finished that pile of screened loam off after 2 years and it still had that odor to it, but it grew grass and gardens like crazy. Awesome stuff.

And yes, I always limed a new yard when I got it spread and told the homeowner to keep liming it. Never can have enough lime.

 

[td25c]

I ran the skidloader today and started putting the topsoil around the home.We still have to pour the sidewalks but I need get most of the topsoil around the home before I pour them.On top soil I usually start at the home and keep working my way back until I get to undisturbed ground.I'l have to pour the sidewalk before I can finish spreading the topsoil after today.No need in having a concrete truck run over and rut up a new yard.I throw down a little wheat straw to keep the dirt off the bick in a hard rain,the last picture is my finish dozer.

 

[BIAVAEX]

I can't say I've ever had your problem. I live in E Central IL. Black rich top soil is abundant in my neck of the woods. What part of IN are you form??

 

[heavylift]

Nice job of mixing
we have 1/4" of dirt then rock..... can't say that ever mixed dirt and turkey nor do I want to....digging into a pile of stripped grass and dirt is bad enough...

I worked on a 150 mile rural waterline.... that was mostly in rock.... cleaned a lot of ponds for dirt... to bed and backfill the pipe.... closer and cheaper than sand...

 

[td25c]

Hi BIAVAEX and welcome to the forum.I am in south central IN,alot of rolling hills & river bottoms.This job was up on top of a hill and the top soil was thin and the clay under it was some of the toughest dang stuf I've worked.The clay was about 30 inches deep then its all sandstone after that.Our river bottom ground is probably similiar to the soil type in your area.

 

[td25c]

That sounds rough only having 1/4" of dirt to work with heavylift.Yep,cleaning a pond is a good way to get good dirt as it's mostly top soil that has washed in over the years.The turkey & chicken litter work pretty good mixing it into the dirt and it spreads nice with the dozer on the yard.The smell dont bother me much,but after mixing litter all day the wife always comments on my aroma and tells me to throw my clothes outside & take a shower.

 

[heavylift]

you should have asked dirtpusher9 to level the dirt.... His d9's blade is probably as wide as that comealong

I must have been asleep when I type 1/4"..... it was suppose to 1'-4'

 

[td25c]

Have several customers wanting top dirt for lawn & yard projects . Been wet & cold here lately , finally dried up a bit this afternoon so we could work up ground & haul .

Dirt was a little wet & heavy this morning , made a few passes with tractor & disc. The sunshine / 70 f weather in the afternoon it turned for the better .

 

[movindirt]

Most new lawns we do in my neck of the woods are done on all clay, (even though IL is known for some of the richest topsoil in the world) the developers strip it all off first and sell it before the roads go in. Clay is some of the better dirt for growing grass, you work it up and plant the seed, and as long as the home owner waters it for a few weeks you'll have a beautiful lawn, 4 applications of fertilizer a year and thats it, most folks are used to fertilizing that many ask what to put down before we mention it. The nice thing about the clay is it takes less water because clay holds moisture for much much longer than topsoil, especially if the topsoil is at all sandy. The native topsoil needs fertilizer too if you want a good lawn. Most of ours are "in town" so they are a little more particular about their lawn I had 2 lawns right next to each other, one person paid to have 6" of topsoil brought in and seeded, it was fertilized and watered the same as the lawn next door that was planted in clay, you could not tell a difference.

 

[td25c]

That's been my experience as well movindirt . Clay will grow grass fine with fertilizer / turkey litter , even helps grow corn .

Customers I haul to mostly want it for flower bed's , land scape & small yard projects . Might have me dump partial load in different areas . Main thing is they want it worked up good so it can be easily shoveled & hauled in wheelbarrow to the final destination .

We have somewhat rolling hill ground in my area . What I call top dirt is about 2 to 3 inch deep then you get down to more of a clay base type soil .

 

[movindirt]

That's been my experience as well movindirt . Clay will grow grass fine with fertilizer / turkey litter , even helps grow corn .

Customers I haul to mostly want it for flower bed's , land scape & small yard projects . Might have me dump partial load in different areas . Main thing is they want it worked up good so it can be easily shoveled & hauled in wheelbarrow to the final destination .

We have somewhat rolling hill ground in my area . What I call top dirt is about 2 to 3 inch deep then you get down to more of a clay base type soil .

I gotcha, yeah thats mostly all we use the topsoil for as well, planting beds and such. Around here the topsoil is good black dirt for at least 24" some spots up to 36" thick.