Topic: Builders sand

[Normie]

Hi,

I'm having an extension built at the moment and it looks like there will be over 1/2 builders bag of sand left over. My recently acquired allotment is very heavy clay and hasn't been worked in over 10 years. I've seen suggestions for using sharp sand to help with clay soils, but could I make use of the builders sand in my roots bed? Could it  do any harm or be a waste of effort?

Any thoughts to make good use of it?

Cheers,
Normie

[cambourne7]

not sure as sometimes they add extra stuff to the sand....

[Slug_killer]

Err,  Yes and No.

What you really need is organic matter to open out the clay soil, and break down the crumb size.
Sand will just combine with the clay and disappear.

Saying that, little benefit is still better that no benefit at all  :)

It just depends on how much effort it will take to get the sand down on to the lottie.

[ACE]

Builders sand is usually washed to get rid of the salts, it will not hurt, but it goes really sloppy when it is wet. I would find another use for it. Sell it at a £1 a barrowload, loads of people need just a small amount to finish a job. Buy a nice plant with the proceeds.

[powerspade]

I would`nt put it on  my plot It will ruin the soil as a lot of builders sand is washed in sea water

[ACE]

I would`nt put it on  my plot It will ruin the soil as a lot of builders sand is washed in sea water

So is seaweed and that does not hurt. Good builders sand is washed clean of salts, otherwise the white marks would come out in the mortar courses and stain the bricks.

[cacran]

Oh, that could be what has stained my bricks then, perhaps some sand is washed better than others!!

[Tee Gee]

As some have hinted builders sand is very much a case of where it has been quarried.

In areas near the sea it can have a high salt content, in inland areas it might be as a a result of eroded sandstone and in areas in between it can have a high clay content.

To find if it has a high clay content put some in a bottle of water, shake well and let the contentents settle. Once the sand has settled the clay will be suspended in the water and the darker the colour the higher the clay content.

The salt stains is called effloresence and is caused by the reaction of the salts on the alkaline cement which is basically a form of lime.

To finish I wouldn't put any of them into my soil!

[Trevor_D]

I think I'd use it to level off paths, then cover with membrane & bark. Or if you're building a pond, line the banks with it.  As ACE says, it goes sloppy when it's wet: not what you want in the soil. Sharp sand, on the other hand....

[Normie]

Thanks for all the replies.

In summary, don't add to the soil.

Cheers,
Normie

[Deb P]

Interesting reading, I had a small bag of sand left on my plot when I took it over last summer, I bunged it in an old tin bath for lack of knowing what else to do with it, and shoved some rhubarb crowns on top that I had split up in the winter to get frosted (ha!).

Last month I rediscovered them, and the rhubarb had produced masses of fine white roots and had rooted into the sand! Must have been a well washed batch.... ;)

[Normie]

May be I could use it as a winter store for root veg? Any thoughts?

Cheers,
Normie

[Jeannine]

Well this is strange because all my raised beds are 1 part builders sand and three parts potting soil with manure added. We have been building them for 5 years and add a couple every year.They are a foot deep. I grow super carotts and my asparagus and strawberry beds are very prolific. I have one as a salad bed, one has beets in and a couple have potatoes, This year I have my shallotts and garlic in one and they are growing very well. I also have one full of peas and I usually grow my gherkins in one. Maybe there is a difference in sands in areas.

Good job I didn't read it before

XX Jeannine

[Palustris]

Just to put my pennyworth in. Agree very much with the possible high clay content, if so do not use on a clay soil. Easiest way to tell if it is any good for the garden is to build a sand castle with it. If it makes good ones even when dry then it is no good for adding to soil. If it falls to pieces (the castle that is) then it is ok to add to soil. The salt content is also easy, taste it!

[mc55]

oh dear, I wonder if I have made a mistake. 

Today I emptied the old soil from the bed in the brick greenhouse and then lined the base with plastic.  It was my intention to get some gravel and then set up my ring cultures, but my neighbour suggested I use my builders sand as I have a few bags left over.

I was intending to put my cucumbers (crystal lemon) in there - but maybe I should remove the sand ?  or should I just add some gravel as well.

I watered it and it has gone very 'sloppy' - not quite what I imagined.  What do you all think ?

[Jeannine]

I have to correct an error, John has just read this and said he bought sharp sand not builders sand,  XX Jeannine.

I thought they were the same thing!!

[STHLMgreen]

I think its kind of funny, but here is what happens at my allotment site...

The municipality has an agreement that when it emptys the playgrounds sand and changes it, they leave it in a huge pile at our site. Our site has a lot of heavy clay and you wouldn't believe the scramble for the sand. I talked to one guy who puts 50-100 wheelbarrows full of sand into his allotment every year. Everyone does it.

They recently made a common area into a half allotment for a couple in their 90's who couldnät use a whole plot. This was 1/4 sand and the rest soil.

This isn't sharp sand, just regular sand. It goes against what a lot of people write on here but I figure there must be a reason. I'm still adding organic matter into my clay soil, so no sand yet, but that many people can't be wrong. Some have been on the site for years and years.

[quizzical1]

There is a vast difference between builders sand, and the sand they use for sandpits, whether for kids play or for jumping into.
Builders sand is very fine, but dirty, and would stain clothes, and is meant to cling together. Play sand on the other hand is very clean and doesn't stain, but is quite soft, and stays separate, mainly due to it being fine, otherwise it would be no good for jumping into (as in long/triple jump).

[cambourne7]

...currently my raised beds are heavy clay with compost dug in and more on top but the clay is still big clods as i cant break it up to much with my back.

In July-Aug i plan on adding another board to each of the raised beds and once the beds are empty and before i plant any overwintering crops i plan on adding more soil. We get plenty of free compost on site but once its dry it hard to re-wet so my plan was to get 2 ton of farmyard manure delivered and one ton of builders sand which i will have delivered on top of 2 pallets and the farmyard manure will go on one each.

The idea being that i will add some plastic sheeting to the first pallet under the sand and fork holes in the bottom of the bag when its lifted into place ( just a few ) and i will order these about 2 weeks before needed. I was going to throw pour water over the sand to wash any salt away and the plastic sheet will catch any sand that comes though the holes.

I am also going to be getting a ton bag of leaf mulsh but this will be comming free in the next few weeks and i am going to leave it in a one ton bag till i need it. When i fill the raised beds with more soil its going to be one part sand 2 parts farmyard manure and one part compost with a layer of shreaded paper and leaf mould between the old and the new soils.

This should give me a nice rich bed...

Beds i am not planting over winter i am going to be covering with something to stop the weeds seeding and growing. I was going to but some layes of newspaper and black plastic???