What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Sand.

In almost all of my plants I use perlite and SPM. I went to a garden center and asked for sand once and they gave me a bag of top dressing sand for cacti. It is very fine stuff and I'm not sure it is OK to use. I doesn't say what it is composed of, I thought I read that you should use silica sand. Is the sand you buy for kids' sand boxes OK?

D. Buck.
 
It is what I have always used and I have never had any problems with it.

Pyro
 
A test is to put a few drops of vinegar on the sand, and observe it for fizz. If it fizzes, it flunks the test.

Another good source for coarse silica sand are swimming pool supply shops: the sand is used in pool filters.

A rule of thumb is if it's white, it's alright. (Still, checking is always best)
 
Sorry Tamlin, but I found a bag of white sand one time that was pure calcite, highly soluble and most likely ok for high pH desert plants but would have droped my CPs dead in their tracks, thankfully I noticed the difference in the physical structure of the grains and checked it before I used it! White and glassy, irregular grains, OK (quartz), white and glassy with flat sides on the grains, NO (calcite). White and opaque, NO (Seashells). Like Tamlin said, test it! You also might try masonery supply stores for filter sand or silica sand blasting sand.
 
Where did I put my thumb...oh yeah there it is next to my foot in my mouth, black and shriveled, not too green....good call Greencrunch(!), and another example of what might be true for you might not be true for all.
Really is is best to test, and always remember cultural advice is only good advice under similar circumstances. Take it with a grain of, eerrr, salt.
 
Make sure the bag says 'Lime free' and 'Horticultural'. Sharp sand which says this on it is best.
 
Back
Top