FAQs

At American Soil & Stone, we take great pride in producing the highest quality soils. We have over 38 years of experience blending soil and 38 years of listening to our customers. This has given us the knowledge to provide some of the best soils and soil amendments that you will find in the Bay Area.

We produce a variety of soils and soil amendments, each formulated and optimized for a specific use. For example, American Soil & Stone makes a very nutrient-rich, open-structured soil for vegetable gardens, a moderately acidic, high organic matter soil for woodland-style gardens, and an open-structured, granular, fast-draining soil for cactus, succulents, and similar plants. The list goes on. We also produce custom-blended soils for projects with special requirements, such as rooftop gardens or unique plantings at botanical gardens. We have the knowledge and ability to handle almost any project.

We continuously run growth tests on all of our soils. Growth tests provide a much better indication of how soil performs than laboratory tests that only capture a single point in time. Soil is dynamic. As soon as you water or dig into it, its chemical, physical and biological properties begin to change. Using a growth test, we can follow the plant’s response throughout its development and maturation. Growth tests also allow us to determine if the various components we blend into the soil are consistent with the high quality we require.

Our soils are blends of many different materials, such as composts, organic fertilizers, mineral components, bark, soil, etc. The method by which all the components are blended is of extreme importance in determining how the soil will perform. A uniformly mixed soil is essential for consistent plant growth. To this end, American Soil & Stone has invested in the best mixing equipment to ensure that all ingredients are uniformly blended in the production of our soils and amendments. We use an electric batch mixer that is capable of evenly combining as little as one pound or less of an ingredient into a cubic yard of soil. The result is that our soils are consistently uniform within a batch and between batches. There are no fertilizer hot spots or dead spots to cause problems. Growth will be uniform and predictable. It is almost impossible to achieve this level of uniformity when using a front-end loader which is the common practice in our industry.