"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"pied piper" writes:
| "Stuart Noble" wrote in message
| ...
|
| whether u agree or not is besides the point its been scientificaly
proven
| that adding sharp sand to clay root zone causes a root break.If u
was to
| look at sharp sand under a microscope u would see that the particles
are
| non porous so it will also not aid in drainage . It will also hinder
| grass growth..
|
| Surely being non-porous is what defines free-draining.
|
| The water will not drain through it and the solidity will prevent it
from
| blending with your current root zone.

The above is almost complete nonsense. The free-draining properties
of sharp sand come from the gaps between the grains, and its benefits
on clay come from the fact that it is NOT porous, and so doesn't
expand and contract as the amount of water changes. That, in turn,
causes breaks in the clay, which is what the water drains through.

But, no, being non-porous is not what defines free-draining. You
can have all four combinations.

I have no idea where you got the ideas of "clay root zones", "root
breaks" and it not blending with clay from, but I can assure you that
most clay soils include some sand and most sand soils include some
clay. They blend perfectly well, and roots grow from one to the
other perfectly well. My soil is 60% sand, 18% silt and 22% clay,
and is a very typical sandy loam.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Of course u can mix clay with sand but if u have a high clay content just
throwing sharp builders sand on it will have no benefit.If u bothered to
read the whole thread u might have learnt something as it was suggested to
dress using a 70 30 sand loam mixture.Its a fact that applying a dressing of
sharp sand will cause a root break as it will not blend in .This is not my
idea but a fact.