A substitute for silica sand?

[Spectabilis73]

Hello,
     on friday the pygmy drosera gemmae arrived from tamilin (Thanks for sending them! ) , and I don't have any silica sand, only regular sand. (I'm pretty sure pygmys need silica sand) can I substitute regular sand for silica sand? Thanks,
Spec73

 

[Dionaea Enthusiast]

Certainly you can.

Also good is perlite, which I'm starting to warm up to.

But what exactly do you mean by regular sand? It should not be too large, and it should be washed before use.

 

[Spectabilis73]

just regular "cp" sand

 

[Tamlin Dawnstar]

I am not so sure: all sand is not ok for CP. Beach and river sand may contain other mineral grains detrimental to CP culture. Sand composition varies greatly in different parts of the U.S. so there is no way to know what yours is like. Silica sand is white, like sugar.

Silica sand may be found in construction supply centers where it is sold as "sandblasting" sand. This is a fine grade of silica sand. Also companies selling swimming pool supplies sell silica sand which is used in pool filters. This is a coarser grade, and is what I go for.

Best of luck with your efforts!

Whatever course you decide on, take the time to rinse the sand