When the book calls for Horticultural grit or sharp sand. Will building
grit and sharp sand do instead ..I know it seen
ms to be frowned on but ordinary sharp sand is used on football
pitches...Wondered if the horticultural label was just to relieve us of
more money ?
--
Regards
Ted

sharp sand is no longer used on football pitches as it creates poor root
growth
"Ted" wrote in message
et...
When the book calls for Horticultural grit or sharp sand. Will building
grit and sharp sand do instead ..I know it seen
ms to be frowned on but ordinary sharp sand is used on football
pitches...Wondered if the horticultural label was just to relieve us of
more money ?
--
Regards
Ted

pied piper wrote:
sharp sand is no longer used on football pitches as it creates poor root
growth
"Ted" wrote in message
et...
When the book calls for Horticultural grit or sharp sand. Will
building grit and sharp sand do instead ..I know it seen
ms to be frowned on but ordinary sharp sand is used on football
pitches...Wondered if the horticultural label was just to relieve us
of more money ?
--
Regards
Ted


Odd
Our local club has just taken a couple of lorry loads for it's
pitch, this is what prompted me to ask the question.

--
Regards
Ted

Ted wrote:
When the book calls for Horticultural grit or sharp sand. Will building
grit and sharp sand do instead ..I know it seen
ms to be frowned on but ordinary sharp sand is used on football
pitches...Wondered if the horticultural label was just to relieve us of
more money ?

I was always told not to use builders sand as it can contain lime and
kill some plants. I've not been able to find any sharp horticultural
sand here in France so I use builders (yellow) sand - but it has been
standing outside in the rain for a long while, so any lime should have
leached out. Not had any problems with it.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

In message , David in Normandy
wrote
Ted wrote:
When the book calls for Horticultural grit or sharp sand. Will
building grit and sharp sand do instead ..I know it seen
ms to be frowned on but ordinary sharp sand is used on football
pitches...Wondered if the horticultural label was just to relieve us
of more money ?

I was always told not to use builders sand as it can contain lime and
kill some plants. I've not been able to find any sharp horticultural
sand here in France

Builders sand ('soft') and sharp sand from a builders merchant are
different sands.

Probably the only difference between sharp sand from a builders merchant
and a horticultural grit is the price. A builders merchant will supply a
cubic metre of sharp sand for the same price a gardening centre will
supply a 1Kg bag of 'specialised' grit

--
Alan
news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com

The message
from Alan contains these words:

Builders sand ('soft') and sharp sand from a builders merchant are
different sands.

Probably the only difference between sharp sand from a builders merchant
and a horticultural grit is the price. A builders merchant will supply a
cubic metre of sharp sand for the same price a gardening centre will
supply a 1Kg bag of 'specialised' grit

Quite right too!

--
Rusty
Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk

In article ,
says...
When the book calls for Horticultural grit or sharp sand. Will building
grit and sharp sand do instead ..I know it seen
ms to be frowned on but ordinary sharp sand is used on football
pitches...Wondered if the horticultural label was just to relieve us of
more money ?

It depends on where you are in the UK, here in Cornwall all the
horticultural grit and builders grit are the same, washed china clay
waste which natuarally has no lime and the clay has been washed out, but
elsewhere builders sand can contain lime, salt and/or clay which makes it
unsuitable
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

On 29/03/09 17:50, Ted wrote:
When the book calls for Horticultural grit or sharp sand. Will building
grit and sharp sand do instead ..I know it seen
ms to be frowned on but ordinary sharp sand is used on football
pitches...Wondered if the horticultural label was just to relieve us of
more money ?

Builder's sand and sharp sand are different products.

Builder's sand (often referred to as soft sand) has very fine particles
and is used by builders in combination with cement to make up a mortar
mix which might be used, say, for laying bricks. You might also come
across it in children's sand-pits.

Sharp sand, on the other hand, has larger (though still small)
particles and offers good drainage as water can easily percolate
through. For this reason it is often used in a horticultural sense to
'open' up claggy clayey soils or added to a potting-up medium to assist
drainage. Builder's soft sand will not do that.

Horticultural grit.. now what is that? Suspect that it might in
reality be just ordinary sharp sand (or similar) but which will cost you
3x the price!!

Just go to your local diy store and buy plain ordinary sharp sand. If
you are worried about contaminants then just wash it several times in a
bucket of water decanting between each wash.

Ed

In message , Ed
writes
On 29/03/09 17:50, Ted wrote:
When the book calls for Horticultural grit or sharp sand. Will
building grit and sharp sand do instead ..I know it seen
ms to be frowned on but ordinary sharp sand is used on football
pitches...Wondered if the horticultural label was just to relieve us
of more money ?

Builder's sand and sharp sand are different products.

Builder's sand (often referred to as soft sand) has very fine particles
and is used by builders in combination with cement to make up a mortar
mix which might be used, say, for laying bricks. You might also come
across it in children's sand-pits.

Sharp sand, on the other hand, has larger (though still small)
particles and offers good drainage as water can easily percolate
through. For this reason it is often used in a horticultural sense to
'open' up claggy clayey soils or added to a potting-up medium to assist
drainage. Builder's soft sand will not do that.

Horticultural grit.. now what is that? Suspect that it might in
reality be just ordinary sharp sand (or similar) but which will cost
you 3x the price!!

Just go to your local diy store and buy plain ordinary sharp sand. If
you are worried about contaminants then just wash it several times in a
bucket of water decanting between each wash.

Ed





Hort grit, silver sand are larger particles and hence better fro
breaking up heavier soils and improving drainage. You pays your money
......
--
hugh
It may be more complicated but is it better?

I've used builders sharp sand for years bought from the D.I.Y stores. Never had any problems, but I suppose there could be a first time.

Bigal

In message , Bigal
writes

hugh;836121 Wrote:
In message net, Ed
lid writes-
On 29/03/09 17:50, Ted wrote:-
When the book calls for Horticultural grit or sharp sand. Will
building grit and sharp sand do instead ..I know it seen
ms to be frowned on but ordinary sharp sand is used on football
pitches...Wondered if the horticultural label was just to relieve us
of more money ?-

Builder's sand and sharp sand are different products.

Builder's sand (often referred to as soft sand) has very fine particles

and is used by builders in combination with cement to make up a mortar

mix which might be used, say, for laying bricks. You might also come

across it in children's sand-pits.

Sharp sand, on the other hand, has larger (though still small)
particles and offers good drainage as water can easily percolate
through. For this reason it is often used in a horticultural sense to
'open' up claggy clayey soils or added to a potting-up medium to assist

drainage. Builder's soft sand will not do that.

Horticultural grit.. now what is that? Suspect that it might in
reality be just ordinary sharp sand (or similar) but which will cost
you 3x the price!!

Just go to your local diy store and buy plain ordinary sharp sand. If

you are worried about contaminants then just wash it several times in a

bucket of water decanting between each wash.

Ed




-
Hort grit, silver sand are larger particles and hence better fro
breaking up heavier soils and improving drainage. You pays your money
......
--
hugh
It may be more complicated but is it better?

I've used builders sharp sand for years bought from the D.I.Y stores.
Never had any problems, but I suppose there could be a first time.

Bigal




How would you know you had a problem? - it just doesn't work as well in
some situations as hort grit/silver sand.
--
hugh
It may be more complicated but is it better?

In message , Ed
writes
On 29/03/09 17:50, Ted wrote:
When the book calls for Horticultural grit or sharp sand. Will
building grit and sharp sand do instead ..I know it seen
ms to be frowned on but ordinary sharp sand is used on football
pitches...Wondered if the horticultural label was just to relieve us
of more money ?

Builder's sand and sharp sand are different products.

Builder's sand (often referred to as soft sand) has very fine particles
and is used by builders in combination with cement to make up a mortar
mix which might be used, say, for laying bricks. You might also come
across it in children's sand-pits.

Sharp sand, on the other hand, has larger (though still small)
particles and offers good drainage as water can easily percolate
through. For this reason it is often used in a horticultural sense to
'open' up claggy clayey soils or added to a potting-up medium to assist
drainage. Builder's soft sand will not do that.

Horticultural grit.. now what is that? Suspect that it might in
reality be just ordinary sharp sand (or similar) but which will cost
you 3x the price!!


The horticultural grit that I've seen looks like it has been more
carefully graded, it has usually seemed to be more larger particles, not
so much of the smaller ones, than builders grit or sharp sand, which
seems to have a wider range of particle size (Though what you get from a
BM varies around the country
--
Chris French

On Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:50:18 +0100, Ted
wrote:

When the book calls for Horticultural grit or sharp sand. Will building
grit and sharp sand do instead ..I know it seen
ms to be frowned on but ordinary sharp sand is used on football
pitches...Wondered if the horticultural label was just to relieve us of
more money ?


I was looking sharp sand in Wickes - and was hovering. An elderly
gentleman next to me asked me if I could not make my mind up. I said
I wanted it for gardening - he said he had used it for years - no
problems. I bought three bags and I am now using it. I dug some in
to improve drainage for garlic - they are all OK (at the moment!!)

Hi guys,

Appreciate with that.



Thanks

Regards
Michael Harris