Recycled Sugar Beet soil

A nearby factory of British Sugar apparently sells recycled sugar beet soil cheaply. I want to make a rockery for alpines and also add some more topsoil to my garden. Will this soil be good enough to use for this or is there something I should be careful about. I am not sure of the structure or pH of it???

Would welcome any advise before buying.

Thanks

RYDALL

 

Rydall, you are right about the PH. Find that out first. Then come back to us.:thumb:

 

OK David. What do alpines prefer? Is it alkaline?

 

No, obviously. if they are on a mountain there`s going to be no nutrient. So it`s going to be acid.

 

Cause it is...time for bed I think!

 

I would look at it first to see what you are getting, Ph is likely to be reasnably neutral id of thought..... But it could be quite a high clay/ silt content.

The beet will be harvested from the field mechanicly and fairly cleanly, then washed at the factory..... its likely the 'soil' is the sediment from the wash tank....

 

There are plenty of 'alpines' so called, that do like an alkaline soil. Dianthus and Pulsatilla spring to mind and what about those which grow in Limestone areas? Agree about the nutrient levels though. Most 'alpines' prefer a depleted soil and often grow large and are short lived in rich conditions. Mind if you want top soil for the rest of your garden then a good soil would be better than a poor one.
Don't know about this recycled soil, but the stuff which comes out of the factories which is made of the remains of the beet and the lime which they use to process them stinks and I mean STINKS!

 

I would hazard a guess that the soil will not have much structure, will be more of a sediment constistency.