Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => General Gardening => Topic started by: Caretaker on May 01, 2012, 10:23
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I mix with my seed compost Agriculture sand at £4 a sack but Wickes sells builders sand for £2 a sack, can anyone tell me what the difference is.
Reg
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I sell sand, I imagine what you have been using is what we call sharp sand and it would mix very well with the soil.Building sand would be very claggy (if there is such a word :wacko:)
I think building sand would end up making a bit of a sticky mess and would form a crust on top of the pots
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if it's for seed sowing I'd carry on with the horticultural sand as it's been well washed to remove impurities.
For general potting on Wickes sharp sand would be ok.
As already said building sand doesn't help at all.
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Mum beat me to it, so I'll just confirm that Wickes and B&Q both sell sharp sand (my local ones do anyway.) :)
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Sharp sand seems the way to go, it will be for potting on.
Thanks all for your advise.
Reg
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The reason builders sand goes claggy is because it's a finer sand to be blended with mortar or whatever a builder needs it for. Rather than opening/loosening the soil, it turns it to clods especially if there's clay soil about.
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The reason builders sand goes claggy is because it's a finer sand to be blended with mortar or whatever a builder needs it for. Rather than opening/loosening the soil, it turns it to clods especially if there's clay soil about.
Far better explained than me calling it claggy ::)
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Agricultural sand is probably river or washed sand whereas general builders sand either sharp or soft is sea sand and can contain salt. Not sure if this salt has a detrimental effect on plant's though.
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Very rare that they are sea sands. Most is dug out of the ground from pits and quarries. You wouldn't really get what we call sharp sand from the sea.
Don't think salt would hurt anyway. After all a lot of people use seaweed on their gardens.
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You can use salt as a fertiliser it used to be recommended for a cube of salt around your brassicas to help them through the winter.
John