I have some bags of building sand left over from a construction project
and SWMBO want to know if it would be OK to use that instead of
horticultural sand for mixing with compost, soil improvement, etc.

--
Mike Barnes

Mike Barnes wrote:
I have some bags of building sand left over from a construction project
and SWMBO want to know if it would be OK to use that instead of
horticultural sand for mixing with compost, soil improvement, etc.

I've used leftover building project stuff (sand and decomposed granite)
for plants, and never had any problems with it.

Mike Barnes wrote:
I have some bags of building sand left over from a construction project
and SWMBO want to know if it would be OK to use that instead of
horticultural sand for mixing with compost, soil improvement, etc.

Definitely yes.

There is usually a relatively high (iron oxide? ) anyey teh thing that
makes the sand stain yellow, in builders sand, but it does no harm.

Sharp sand is best, but plain old builders sand is pretty good .

I laid a lawn over a pile of it. Dies dry out a shade quick, but apart
from that its fine.

On 3 Sep, 14:18, Mike Barnes wrote:
I have some bags of building sand left over from a construction project
and SWMBO want to know if it would be OK to use that instead of
horticultural sand for mixing with compost, soil improvement, etc.

--
Mike Barnes

can't see why not -if it was ok to build with can't imagine what might
be in it that would harm plants...

cheers
JimK

Mike Barnes coughed up some electrons that declared:

I have some bags of building sand left over from a construction project
and SWMBO want to know if it would be OK to use that instead of
horticultural sand for mixing with compost, soil improvement, etc.


I'd say so. It's pretty harmless, being sand, maybe some clay and some iron
oxide.

My garden has taken that, gypsum, cement, stopgap 300 and emulsion washings
everywhere and seems to be mostly still alive.

Mind you, the SBR/cement washings have made the lawn a bit "firm" in one
place, but the grass is still growing!

On Sep 3, 2:18*pm, Mike Barnes wrote:
I have some bags of building sand left over from a construction project
and SWMBO want to know if it would be OK to use that instead of
horticultural sand for mixing with compost, soil improvement, etc.

The one issue is salt content, but it seems to be ok in practice


NT

NT wrote:
On Sep 3, 2:18 pm, Mike Barnes wrote:
I have some bags of building sand left over from a construction project
and SWMBO want to know if it would be OK to use that instead of
horticultural sand for mixing with compost, soil improvement, etc.

The one issue is salt content, but it seems to be ok in practice


NT

I doubt if soft sand will improve the soil structure, but it probably
won't do any harm either.

NT wrote:
On Sep 3, 2:18 pm, Mike Barnes wrote:
I have some bags of building sand left over from a construction project
and SWMBO want to know if it would be OK to use that instead of
horticultural sand for mixing with compost, soil improvement, etc.

The one issue is salt content, but it seems to be ok in practice


Even sea sand is pretty low on that, and builders sand usually isnt from
the sea.

Our local stuff is alluvial, and a by product of gravel digging..or is
it tother ways about?



NT

Stuart Noble wrote:
NT wrote:
On Sep 3, 2:18 pm, Mike Barnes wrote:
I have some bags of building sand left over from a construction project
and SWMBO want to know if it would be OK to use that instead of
horticultural sand for mixing with compost, soil improvement, etc.

The one issue is salt content, but it seems to be ok in practice


NT

I doubt if soft sand will improve the soil structure, but it probably
won't do any harm either.

It will if its pure clay. The particle sizes in clay are very small
indeed. Amy sand works.

"Mike Barnes" wrote in message
...
I have some bags of building sand left over from a construction project
and SWMBO want to know if it would be OK to use that instead of
horticultural sand for mixing with compost, soil improvement, etc.

--
It really needs to be quite gritty for soil improvement etc.

mark

The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Stuart Noble wrote:
NT wrote:
On Sep 3, 2:18 pm, Mike Barnes wrote:
I have some bags of building sand left over from a construction
project and SWMBO want to know if it would be OK to use that
instead of horticultural sand for mixing with compost, soil
improvement, etc.

The one issue is salt content, but it seems to be ok in practice


NT

I doubt if soft sand will improve the soil structure, but it probably
won't do any harm either.

It will if its pure clay. The particle sizes in clay are very small
indeed. Amy sand works.

I don't know about Amy's sand but as a soil scientist, I agree with the gist
of the post.

mark wrote:
"Mike Barnes" wrote in message
...
I have some bags of building sand left over from a construction project
and SWMBO want to know if it would be OK to use that instead of
horticultural sand for mixing with compost, soil improvement, etc.

--
It really needs to be quite gritty for soil improvement etc.

mark



I notice B&Q sell 25kg bags of "soil improver". To be fair, it's the
same price as sharp sand though.

mark wrote:
"Mike Barnes" wrote in message
...

I have some bags of building sand left over from a construction project
and SWMBO want to know if it would be OK to use that instead of
horticultural sand for mixing with compost, soil improvement, etc.

--

It really needs to be quite gritty for soil improvement etc.

mark



Unless you're growing carrots :-D
Don

--
Bold is Brown with the People's Purse.

"Stuart Noble" wrote in message
om...
mark wrote:
"Mike Barnes" wrote in message
...
I have some bags of building sand left over from a construction project
and SWMBO want to know if it would be OK to use that instead of
horticultural sand for mixing with compost, soil improvement, etc.

--
It really needs to be quite gritty for soil improvement etc.

mark

I notice B&Q sell 25kg bags of "soil improver". To be fair, it's the same
price as sharp sand though.

Were you able to see what the 'soil improver' was?

mark

mark wrote:
"Stuart Noble" wrote in message
om...
mark wrote:
"Mike Barnes" wrote in message
...
I have some bags of building sand left over from a construction project
and SWMBO want to know if it would be OK to use that instead of
horticultural sand for mixing with compost, soil improvement, etc.

--
It really needs to be quite gritty for soil improvement etc.

mark
I notice B&Q sell 25kg bags of "soil improver". To be fair, it's the same
price as sharp sand though.

Were you able to see what the 'soil improver' was?

mark



Yep. Sharp sand. Same bag, different lettering