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Soils Ain't Soils, Sol...

The right soil plays the most important part in your garden. Not only does it have to feed and water the plants growing in it, it also has to physically support them, without losing valuable nutrients, getting soggy, or drying out and hardening. Not so easy!

Here in Melbourne, our soil types vary from solid clay through to sand. And it takes a LOT of time, money, and effort to change the soil structure - especially the clays (which have to be physically and chemically broken down) and sand (which has to have organic matter added to it)! Luckily we stock a great variety of soil-conditioning products, from clay breakers to soil wetting agents and pretty much everything in between.

As far as soil itself goes, we carry two major soil types that we have designed and mixed in-house, as well as a huge variety of potting and propagating mixes, and many soil-modifying products. Check out the Shop pages for details on these products. We also keep a range of fertilisers to help to maintain your soil in tip-top condition.

The Good Soils

Our Premium soil is ideal to lift a tired garden bed, where a rich supply of nutrients is essential. Our Organic Soil mix, on the other hand, is ideal for lawns and turf, and offers more structure (thanks to the mushroom compost) and a slightly higher acidic content.

How Much Do I Need?

As an exact guide :

1. Figure out the area to be covered, in square metres. This is usually the length X the width.
2. Multiply this figure by 0.1 (for a coverage depth of 10cm), or 0.05 (for a coverage depth of 5cm)
3. That's your answer in cubic metres (m³)

For example:

Let's say you need to re-cover a long, narrow feature garden bed along your driveway. Let's say that it's 12 metres long (you have a great long driveway!), and 800mm (0.8m) wide. You want to get enough soil to cover to an average depth of 10cm.

First, multiply the length in metres (12) by the width in metres (0.8) : 12 x 0.8 = 9.6 square metres.

Second, multiply this area by 0.1 (for a depth of 10cm) : 9.6 x 0.1 = 0.96 cubic metres (m³)

That's your answer!  Although at first glance it doesn't sound right, it is, trust us! Since we can accurately measure to the cubic metre, it's best to round up to the nearest cubic metre. In this case, it's one cubic metre (1m³).

Another (curlier) example:

One common question we're asked has to do with circular gardens. So let's say you have a large round feature area that you'd like to re-cover to a depth of 10cm. Don't sweat it!

The easiest way to do this is to measure from the centre of the circle to any edge (the radius). Let's say it's 4 metres. Now we multiply the radius by itself, which in this case gives us 16.

OK, since the area of the circle (which is what we're after) is 3.14 x the radius squared (which you just measured and calculated), the total area in this example is : 16 x 3.14 = 50.24 square metres. (If you don't have access to a calculator and you're not so great with figures, get a calculator, or use the Windows Calculator).

Finally, you multiply the area by the depth of coverage (in this case, 10cm), which gives : 50.24 X 0.1 = 5.024 m³, or about 5 m³ (we are always generous with our yard measurements, so you won't have any problems). So you'd simply ring up and order five (cubic) metres of soil. How simple was that?

A Handy Shortcut:

If you only need to cover to 5cm depth, but the calculations look too hairy, just calculate the 10cm depth (multiply the area by 0.1, which is dead simple) then halve your answer!

If you have any other questions, feel free to Ask Our Nurserymen. We'll be glad to advise on the best product for your garden.

So have a browse below, and if you'd like to see what we can offer, come in and see us!

Please Note : Aumann's strives to provide the very best products at the very best prices in Melbourne. Unfortunately, our suppliers' costs are outside our control. For that reason, the cost of some garden soils and mulches will be dependent on the location. So please contact us first if you wish to purchase products from our South Morang store, and we'll be able to confirm a price before you purchase it!

Aumanns management apologise for the inconvenience, however this is solely due to factors outside our control.

Name	Description	Image	Price	Size	Units	Buy
Premium Soil	Our premium soil is mixed to our specifications on our premises for quality control and excellent consistency year round. The soil is fantastic just about anywhere, with good water retention and drainage, great nutrients, and lots of trace elements. It is ideal for use on garden beds, but where lawn or turf must be sown, use the Organic Soil mixture for best results. The formula we use is : Black Magic Soil Conditioner : 34% Organic Soil/Chook Manure : 27% Mountain Soil : 13% Screened Cow Manure : 13% Mushroom compost : 13%		. POA		m³
Organic Soil	Our organic soil, like our premium soil, is mixed by us on the premises. However, it is slightly more acidic than the premium mix, and is therefore perfect for lawns & even some natives. This mixture is ideal for 'green' gardens, as it mainly consists of composted plant matter (no broken glass or doll's heads in THIS mix!) The mixture consists of : Composted Green Waste : 47% Chook Manure : 23% Sandy Loam : 15% Sawdust : 5%		. POA		m³
Cow Manure	Cow manure is one of the best all-purpose organic fertilisers there is. Our cow manure comes only from happy cows, and is well broken down so it can be used anywhere.		. POA		m³
Mushroom Compost	Mushie compost is a top-notch mulch and fertiliser. It can be used just on its own, or mixed with cow manure for a complete soil booster.		. POA		m³
Black Magic	Black Magic Soil Conditioner is primarily composted green waste. It can be used as a mulch, as a soil conditioning agent, or both at the same time. This is a very flexible product, and can be used anywhere in the garden to improve or just protect the soil.		. POA		m³