Q: What’s the difference between Potting Soil and Topsoil at the garden center?
A:
Potting soil primarily consists of perlite, aged compost, peat and vermiculite, and might not actually con-
tain any real soil. It’s typically used for gardening in pots or containers to help plants retain nutrients.
Potting soil also helps reduce
compaction, which can prevent
plants from filtering out carbon
dioxide and other toxic gasses
that can kill the roots. It’s best
used in containers because when
combined with an outdoor gar-
den, it can cause the garden soil
dry out because it can drain too
well.
Topsoil is taken from the top
of a field, so it has a wider range
of materials and is best com-
bined with existing garden soil.
Avoid using topsoil for containers
because it can sometimes be too
moist for containers and cause
root rot.Q:
My neighbor says I
need kickout flashing
on my roof. What would this
accomplish?A:
A great volume of water
can pour down a sloped
roof, and one of the most critical
flashing details occurs where a
roof intersects a sidewall. The roof
must be flashed with step flashing.
Where the roof terminates, an
angled piece of kickout flashing is
used to deflect water and prevent
it from dumping behind the siding
at the end of the roof intersection.
The flashing should be a min. of
4 in. high and 4 in. wide with an
angle between 100° and 110° to
maximize water deflection.Questions About Home Building, Remodeling? Have Your Own
How-To Tip? Visit our blog at blog.extremehowto.com
and click on Ask Our Experts.Got
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