Soil, Mulch & Growing Media For Sale in the Minneapolis & St. Paul Metro
If you want to grow strong, healthy plants, the first step to doing so is the material you’re planting them in. At Wagners Garden Centers, we offer a wide variety of soil, mulch and planting materials to help you foster the growth of anything from the most finicky orchid to the hale and hearty marigold. Choosing the right soil for the grass, herbs, seedlings, and flowers you’re growing means choosing a variety that best facilitates the delivery of water and nutrients to whatever you plant.
Mulch, when applied around plants, helps conserve moisture, retard weed growth and provide attractive appearance in the landscape. You can apply mulch spring, summer or fall, but the best time of year in Minnesota would be in early summer as your garden is all planted and the weeds are emerging. Applying it too early in the spring slows down the soil’s ability to warm naturally. To increase weed protection a weed barrier fabric can be laid before the mulch is applied.
Approximately 2-3” of mulch should be added to gardens but slope the mulch down to ground level around the base of the plants to prevent stem rot. One cubic foot should cover about 3-4 square feet of space. Mulch types available at Wagners are cypress, cocoa bean, and dark brown colored mulch. In general, 1 bag covers 8sq ft. 3” deep. We offer a media chart to our customers to assist them with any calculation of media coverage. In order to choose the best soil for what you’re planning to grow, we recommend doing a pH test first to determine it’s acidity on a scale of zero to fourteen. Most plants thrive in soil with a pH between six and seven, though not all varieties are the same. The best soil is formulated specifically to address the needs of your individual plants, customized to their biology, which is why Wagners carries a wide variety of soils and growing media:
Types of Soil, Mulch and Growing Media at Wagners
- Wagner’s potting mix- Great option for containers or raised beds. The absence of synthetic fertilizer makes it a great option for vegetable growing. Comes in 16 qt. or 2 cu.ft bags.
- Mir-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix- Great container mix. Includes fertilizer and retains moisture. Available in 2 cu. ft. bags.
- Garden soils- Ready to use in your garden. Softer and more nutrient than top soil.
- Top Soil- A great addition to gardens. Also great for starting a new garden. Comes in 40 lb bags.
- Cypress Mulch – the most common mulch used by customers it is made from shredded cypress trees.
- Cocoa Bean Mulch – made from roasted cocoa bean shells. The roasting process sterilizes the shells so that they are weed free and organic. Is smells like chocolate and is much easier to breakdown and feed the plants. The only thing to consider is that it could be harmful to dogs if indigested.
- Brown Mulch – is made from shredded hardwood which was dyed brown. It compliments nicely the plants, because of the great contrast with the foliage.
- Peat Moss- soft, and fluffy due to its high percentage of water retention. Great soil amendment for heavy or clay soils. Available in 2.2 cu ft. bales.
- Compost- Great soil amendment. Made from plants. Adds organic matter to the soil. A must for vegetable gardens. Available in 1 cu. ft. bag.
- Composted manure- Also adds organic matter. Adds nutrients to vegetable gardens. Available in 40 lb. bags.
- We also offer specialty houseplant mixes like african violet, cactus, orchid, seed starter and indoor plant mix. They are all available in 8 qt. bags.
We work with a landscaping company that delivers bulk media if needed.
