Mixing sharp sand into compost?

I do it all the time to help with drainage.
Some multipurpose can be a bit claggy, also JI can be a bit muddy.

Bear in mind it lowers the nutrient content though.

 

I've been using 10% (by volume) Perlite for some time, because otherwise the compost sets solid, often a boggy mass, and gets algae / moss / muck on the top. This tends not to matter for fast growing things, like Tomatoes, but slower seedlings get overcome by both the competition and the frequently-too-wet-feet syndrome

The bags of compost I buy are 60-70 Litres, ish, so I tip 1/3rd of the bag onto the potting bench and scoop a 2L pot in the bag of Perlite

Sharp sand would be fine in place of Perlite.

I find that multi-purpose compost bought in the Autumn is much more "open" than Spring-bought. Perhaps the harvesting of the peat is better is Summer, and composting of whatever-else-goes-in happens better in Summer. Also I think that bags in the Spring have been stored for longer, so more compressed under the weight of pallets, and more time for outdoor storage to allow ingress of water (maybe ingredients are stored outside)

 

I use sharp sand in my compost as well for my containers. For my baskets I use perlite , its a bit expensive for general use. I use a 4:1 or 3:1 mix for both
Now the $64,000 question is ( its been discussed several times on here )
I get my sharp sand from the builders department in B n Q , £1.86 a bag . If you walk over to the gardening section they have "Horticultural Sharp sand " at about £5.80 a bag !!! Nobody has explained the difference . I am assured the builders sharp sand is salt free .

 

If you are worried it might not be salt-free open the bag, make a few drainage hoels in the bottom, and leave it outside for a wet winter!

Some of these things are worth buying in bigger-bulk. Perlite is really light, so not hard to handle a large bag (unlike sand!). I buy 100L bags at just under £14, and a 1,000L Builders Bag (if you have room for it! / can share with a neighbour and can order it with some other building materials) is about £60 I would guess.

I try to avoid using high ratios, except for cuttings when I use 50:50, as they drain too fast and need watering (and feeding) more often, but I'd be interested in other folk's views.

Like most of these things it needs a side-by-side test and none of us have got time, nor space, nor opportunity for that!

 

I think there was a time when builders yards used to have sand, ballast etc. in large heaps, and they used to measure it out in boxes.
If it hung around it started to grow a few weeds, so the odd bit of weedkiller was often applied, as it didn't look good.

A good check to see if all is OK is to try a few cress seeds, if it grows, all is well.

 

I find that compost alone, in a container (hanging baskets for instance)tends to be ok at first, but soon 'glazes' over. So, subsequent watering becomes problematic, with that water just running down the sides, and away. Adding something like sharp sand will definitely aid this situation. I used 'regular' (from the builders section in B&Q) sharp sand for the first time this year, and I had no problems with it. Given the cold summer we've had, I can't say my baskets were the best I've ever had, but I've had a LOT worse in better conditions. As for ratios, I guess it's about trial and error, but obviously, the more sharp sand, the more nutrient will need to be regulated, imo.

Cheers...Freddy

 

Freddy just add a small drop of washing up liquid to one of the waterings, its a wetting agent.

 

I would agree with the others. I always mix 1 part sharp sand to 2 parts multi purpose compost for everything - except for things that I know want something different. I always buy it from a builders merchant.

I borrowed a book, some time ago from the RHS library. It was published by an American university and was comparing seed growing for many different types of seed. I noticed that they too used 1/3 sharp sand for all their experiments.

 

Kristen where do you get your perlite from?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

Ah, I'm with you now

Two thoughts: use John Innes instead of sand - that will help re-wetting a lot. Mind you ... that will probably make the cost of even Horticultural Sand look cheap!

Secondly, this year I have put a sawn-off (i.e. the bottom end) 2L Pop bottle in our tubs (height adjusted to be as tall as possible, but not to show). With the normal spout rammed into the soil the Pop bottle doesn't empty very quickly, but I have also made about 4 pin-sized holes around the shoulders of the Pop bottle so more water can drip out. Filling this, which then takes quite a long time to empty - 30 minutes, maybe an hour - stops the water running out of the bottom because the container has time to absorb / capillary-action the water

One of these days I'll get around to plumbing in a drip irrigation system for all my containers, and then I can just let them get on with it instead of spending half an hour wandering round with buckets!

I was alls et to do it this year, and then it turned WET so I postponed ... and then I never started of course, and for the last month I've been persuading myself that it won't stay dry - but it has!

 

JFC Monro [Perlite link]

Tend to get my pots, liquid seaweed fertilizer, potting bark from there too and weed suppressing membrane sometimes

Why do phones / phone manufacturers feel the need to tack that junk onto every message I wonder?

 

Thats a cracking idea Pete I have just watered my chilli plants and the top half inch MPC on one is so dry it floats and does not wet ! Now can you buy a cheap detergent without any additives ?