Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30am-5:30pm Sat 8am-1p

Phone: 417-840-2348

How Much Mulch, Topsoil, or Rock do I Need?

August 12, 2022

Cubic Yard Calculator

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Bulk Landscape Material FAQ

Many of our customers come in wanting bulk gravel, topsoil, or mulch, but they’re not sure how much they need, or how to get it home. Whether you want to pick up your landscape materials in a truck or trailer, or order a truckload of mulch to be delivered, we can help! Here’s your guide to planning your next trip to our stone and landscape supply yard in Marshfield, MO.

We sell our stone, soil, compost, and mulch in three different quantities

  • Have a smaller project? We sell all of our materials by the 5 gallon bucket.
  • Purchase it by the cubic yard loader scoop and take it home in your truck bed or trailer.
  • Get your material delivered in a dump truck for large projects

Loader scoop = 1 cubic yard

Each scoop you get from our loader is 1 cubic yard. You can expect that a short bed truck will hold 1 cubic yard. A long bed truck can typically hold 2 yards of mulch, but 2 scoops of soil or rock will be too heavy.

As for trailers, expect that a 16’ bumper pull trailer will hold 2-3 scoops of landscaping material. It may look like it can hold more, but you don’t want to damage the axles with the weight.

If you have a project that requires a lot of decorative rock, topsoil, bulk compost, or bulk mulch, you may want to order a dump truck delivery in the Marshfield, MO area. Check our Bulk Materials Pricing page for current rates. We also offer compost delivery, bulk gravel delivery, topsoil delivery, and bulk mulch delivery to the Lebanon, MO and Springfield, MO areas.

Expect to lay new mulch about 3” thick, and refresh current beds with about 1.5 - 2” of mulch. Our co-owner, Kevin, recommends spreading the mulch by hand instead of with rakes or shovels- it ends up looking much more natural this way.  1 scoop (cubic yard) of mulch will cover about 100 square feet.

Applying compost to a new lawn- 2 ½”

When seeding a new lawn, spread 1-2” deep. After tilling 5-7”, seed the yard, apply an additional ½” of compost, then water.

 

Applying compost to an existing lawn- ¾”

Spread compost about ¾” deep over the entire yard, then water.

 

Applying compost to a garden- 4”

Lay down 2-4” of compost, then till 6-8”. Water immediately after. Your garden soil can benefit from compost in the Spring and Fall, but doing a soil test can help you decide how often you need to do it.

 

To see the amount of compost you need for other applications (like planting trees, laying new sod) see our full Compost Page.

Most decorative landscape rock should be laid at a depth of 2-4”, but this will vary by the size of the stones. The general rule is that the larger the stones, the thicker your layer needs to be. The goal is to ensure there are no gaps where weed barrier can be seen.  A general rule is that one scoop (1 cubic yard) will cover approximately 100 square feet at 2” thick.

 

One exception is Colorado River Rock and other large garden stone, which should be applied at 4” due to its shape and coverage.

 

Downspouts need about 3 buckets of large rock to create a spillway.

If you haven’t found the answer to your question, feel free to give us a call at 417-840-2348. Customer service is our top priority, and we’ll be glad to get your project moving.

Grass Roots Team

Watering Tips

  • Our watering advice is based on plants living in a 72 degree house. Porch life or humidity could have an impact on its watering needs.
  • Always use tepid water for watering your houseplants.
  • Broadleaf plants need less water in fall and winter, but you should never allow the soil to completely dry out.
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