Anyone know about screened topsoil?

[Fuddyduddy1952]

About a week ago I had a tandem load of supposed to be screened topsoil from a guy who I've used before, gravel & sand. He has good online reviews. I had a good place to dump it, not far off the road. I cut grass real short for dump site which is part of our yard.
He said 18 tons, it looked like good dark soil, $600 ($550+$50 tip).
Wife wanted some for containers so I hand shoveled filling dump carts, plants put in with some Miracle Grow. I noticed when watering the water would just run off (?) so I made depressions near plants which just pooled water.
Yesterday I worked all day with tractor filling bucket then back dragging blade and it appeared nice. An hour later we got a downpour, 2" rain. Today I go out with small cub and cart, landscape rake getting it ready for grass seed. It's hard as concrete and I picked up bucket full of rock...even broken glass and sticks!
I've been here 43 years, Virginia red clay soil but rarely ever see a rock...if you do it's fist sized. I've never seen stones like this here.
First two pictures show my topsoil, reddish. This stuff turned almost white. I made a short video of wife beating it with rake!
Video is here:

I had our soil tested a few years ago and report was great, a little high in nitrogen (I fertilized everything years ago.
I can't imagine how grass seed could come up in this. Has anyone ever heard of mixing in old cement?
Anyone know how it would look pretty good at first but turn color when spread/compacted/watered?
I think I got screwed!View attachment 801000

 

[Mud2Money]

Yeah that looks like high clay content. Screened topsoils I still get some rocks and glass 3/4” and under. I also expect some from where ever they scoop it up. Last loads I got had a lot of clay and did the same thing. Spread it and rained that night. It all packed down and settled. Once dry I could tell it was more clay content.

 

[ruffdog]

"I think I got screwed!"

Yeah, I would say so. I bought a quad axle worth of sifted black dirt to finish off part of the yard and it didn't have any rocks and grew grass like crazy. It was very nice stuff.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I'll have to get another load of something to put on top. Seed couldn't penetrate that! Off the truck and filling wife's containers it seemed almost like Miracle Grow, very loose, and apparently rocks were at the bottom. The short video is where it was dumped. To me that's not topsoil!

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

"I think I got screwed!"

Yeah, I would say so. I bought a quad axle worth of sifted black dirt to finish off part of the yard and it didn't have any rocks and grew grass like crazy. It was very nice stuff.

That's what I thought. This junk wouldn't grow grass. I don't see how it changed from what it looked like off the truck!

 

[jaxs]

"I got screwed". Maybe so but I'd talk to the trucker and ask him to give my money back or come get it and bring what I ordered.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

around here we call that ditch scrapings and it goes for about 1/3 price of what they charge for 3 or 4 way screened mix.

I can see why you not be happy and feel for you. I wouldn't want to have paid $600.

i recently ordered 4 triple axle dump trailer loads of 4 way mix for separate projects at 4 separate time. 3 I was please with one was so so. I decided a few extra dollars from the bigger supplier was going to be my go to going forward.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I texted guy I got it from, no reply, called and he was "ticked"...finally told me who he got it from (who I actually know of...80's guy)...he installs septic tanks! I called him, he said it's from apartment complex that was going in, sold 100 loads no complaints. He's refunding $600 I paid.
County I called said they would have stuff analyzed.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

It was good he returned some money. Definetly not screenings as you were 100% right on that one. Sh@ty now you have to live with the extra rocks and clay and stuff when you wanted clean stuff. Sure not top soil.

 

[ddbackhoe]

I texted guy I got it from, no reply, called and he was "ticked"...finally told me who he got it from (who I actually know of...80's guy)...he installs septic tanks! I called him, he said it's from apartment complex that was going in, sold 100 loads no complaints. He's refunding $600 I paid.
County I called said they would have stuff analyzed.

He didn;t have any options to offer? Compro maybe? Lots of “topsoil” being sold around here (Fredericksburg to Culpepper to north of Baltimore) is a blend of sand, clay and wood mulch. Look at most of the new home construction, for the majority its sod over crap. All of this corner cutting is taking the “buyer beware” saying to a new height.