Proper sand to use for mix

[Joel143]

Hi everyone,

Can someone tell me if mason sand is o.k. to use as a soil mix with peat?

 

[cpsammich]

I don't know what mason sand is but you want to use silica, it should say on the bag

 

[Not a Number]

From what I gather mason sand is very fine grained sand. If the sand is too finely grained it will compact into a dense mass. This means the pots may not drain as quickly as you want. Many CPs tend to have weak root systems and too dense media may not be all that good for them.

#16 mesh sand (grains ~1mm in diameter) is what is often recommended. You want something that is chemically neutral and stable - silica or quartz sand.

 

[pappydew]

Never had a problem with anything labeled as pool filter sand, myself. Can't comment on mason sand but if it compacts then not a good idea IMO.

 

[TheFury]

Living in Brooklyn, I can't find any pool filter sand, quartz sand, sharp sand, silica sand, or whatever you want to label it as! Very annoying. Most sands I can find at garden centers are too laden with salts and/or carbonate minerals to be good for use with CPs (I learned the hard way!) But I have had good success with freshwater aquarium sand. It's a bit expensive but it's nice and coarse, it's neutral, and it's available at every pet shop.

 

[gill_za]

Living in Brooklyn, I can't find any pool filter sand, quartz sand, sharp sand, silica sand, or whatever you want to label it as! Very annoying. Most sands I can find at garden centers are too laden with salts and/or carbonate minerals to be good for use with CPs (I learned the hard way!) But I have had good success with freshwater aquarium sand. It's a bit expensive but it's nice and coarse, it's neutral, and it's available at every pet shop.

Leslies pool supplies sells good quality silica sand.

 

[Brie]

After searching all season, I FINALLY found some sand... Look in your phonebook for any sort of gravel/sand/rock supply places.. I found one here finally, lucked out at the local plant shop and a guy pointed me the right way. The stuff I got is 8 grit coarse industrial quartz, and was in a 100lb bag... But yeah, it needs to be silica or quartz.. You will also need to rinse it to get any salts/dirt/etc off from processing. http://www.growsundews.com/rinsing_peat_and_sand_for_carnivorous_plants.html This stuff, once rinsed, was nice and pretty and clear, like quartz crystal(go figure. lol)

 

[Joel143]

Im able to find pool filter sand with no problem...is there a certain grade I should use?

 

[gill_za]

After searching all season, I FINALLY found some sand... Look in your phonebook for any sort of gravel/sand/rock supply places.. I found one here finally, lucked out at the local plant shop and a guy pointed me the right way. The stuff I got is 8 grit coarse industrial quartz, and was in a 100lb bag... But yeah, it needs to be silica or quartz.. You will also need to rinse it to get any salts/dirt/etc off from processing. http://www.growsundews.com/rinsing_peat_and_sand_for_carnivorous_plants.html This stuff, once rinsed, was nice and pretty and clear, like quartz crystal(go figure. lol)

WOW that is what I'm looking for. Mesh 8 .. amazing! Do yo by any chance remember the name of the place you got this treasure from?

 

[Brie]

WOW that is what I'm looking for. Mesh 8 .. amazing! Do yo by any chance remember the name of the place you got this treasure from?

I got it a local sand/gravel/rock quarry type place... The brand/company is Unimin, which is a world wide distributor.. You'll have to call around to masonry places or something like that.. Its "industrial quartz".

 

[gill_za]

I got it a local sand/gravel/rock quarry type place... The brand/company is Unimin, which is a world wide distributor.. You'll have to call around to masonry places or something like that.. Its "industrial quartz".

Thank you!

 

[gill_za]

I believe I have found a supplier of industrial sand that might have what I need.
This company offers a range of sand for sale and sent me a product info:

So if I want the sand to be mostly mesh #12 - #14 the sand I'm looking for is #2 in the chart right? Or would you ladies and gentlemen recommend coarser sand such as #3?

What worries me is that "effective" particle size in #2 sand is only 1.3mm. Even if this is an average, judging by the particle size distribution they show in the chart, it is a bit too low. Or am I wrong?