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Applying Sand to The Garden - Friend or Foe?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ส.ค. 2016
- Does applying sand to the garden help? Let's find out! For most people
I would not recommend adding sand to the garden since it can hurt, but
in some cases it can really help! We use sand and have seen amazing
results, so let's go through the benefits and costs of using sand in
the garden.
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I learned in the early 90s, about mixing sand with clay. I had a habit of collecting sand from every dune field I encountered out West (like, by the bucketful). Eventually, I got the urge to mix some of it with my soil for a cactus in a pot. It's bad enough when you use coarse sand, but desert sand is already pretty fine to begin with. Yeah, I got orange concrete. NOW, in my raised beds that are 95% organic matter (I do have some clay that got mixed in with charcoal and ashes from the burn pile and run through the blender), I had no problem adding some stuff I found on the side of the road. It's 50 gallons of road sand and oak leaves that have mulched down over a decade or so. Good drainage, and I brought home dozens of earthworms with it, which I am happy to say are reproducing like rabbits.
this channel is also one of the best on YT especially for beginner gardeners.
Highly recommend this channel.
Also remember to grow big or go home!
Filled my new raised bed with vermicompost I made over the winter. Really good stuff plants love it, the problem though it holds moisture so much that the plants then die from too much moisture. I was getting the idea that I needed sand to help with drainage. this video confirms my thinking. This may cost me a season of growing really good veggies with no added fertilizer. I try very hard to spend as little money as possible in the garden to make it worth doing dollar wise.
Sand has definitely helped me. When I first broke ground for my garden I was thinking it was heavy clay because of the way it compacted then dried out and cracked in the heat of summer and kept adding more compost. Good for my plants but didn't break up the soil as expected. Then I did a simple soil composition test. Get a quart jar and put in about 1 to 1 1/2 cups soil then fill with water leaving enough air space to shake it up well to break up the soil. Let sit for a day or two. The sand will settle to the bottom first, then the loam (organic material) then the clay will settle on top. The lines will be well defined. This is how I found out I had heavy loam with almost no sand and little clay.
That's a cool idea. I've never heard of that before.
Add sand compost etc
Awesome idea, I'm going to go do that.... now!
I've always added sand to clay soils along with compost and peat or coconut coir to lighten soil. There's a balance to be had. No thing is all or nothing. Thanks
for the tips.
You're both right. You can't mix just sand and clay, for the reasons he explained. But if there is other stuff involved (like organic matter), then it's a different story. Then it becomes a discussion of having the right ratios. The trick is to keep the clay component less than everything else, so that it is dispersed and the particles don't interact. Sand+compost >> clay. I'm willing to bet 10-30% clay for a raised bed would be perfect.
I agree with fire7side. I added a significant amount of sand to my clay soil and have had the best growing season I have ever had!
How much sand?
Luke great clip seen a bunch of them but first time commenting. I'm a MI garden and grew up on a farm. Parent's house in on a clay pan and there garden has always been water logged. We have been transitioning them to raised beds and because they already have a high organic content in the soil a little sand from my house has helped a lot.
I also wanted to thank you for your great harvest videos they really have inspired me to continue to expand my home garden and my parents. Thanks again and keep up all the hard work.
Some say sand is good to break clay and some say don’t
Who to believe
I added some sand to my clay soil and it seems a lot better to me. I couldn't grow carrots and grew some Danver half longs this year that are probably 4 or 5 inches long and a couple inches across. Onions also look pretty decent and they used to just rot. I do mulch, which keeps the clay from getting as solid, but I'm quite happy with the results and plan to continue. In combination with mulching it works the best so far for root crops.
How much sand? What type of sand?
@@lovehorses2669 It takes quite a bit. It's best to do it in a raised bed garden. You'll probably notice a difference if it's about 10 percent sand but 15 or 20 is more ideal. Any coarse sand will work.
i add a scoop of sand directly to the area i plant carrots and radish. i do mean a scoop per 8' row and really mix it in. seems to really help lighten my clay up!
How big is the scoop?
Sand is absolutely the most frustrating topic in the gardening realm. I keep hearing contradicting information regarding beach sand/coarse sand/silica sand/builders sand, and then on top of it, different regions call them all different things, or the same thing but another grade. Ai Yai Yai.
Same feeling
I hear ya, thinking about trying it….👍
@@charliehenderson38 have you tried adding sand to clay? Could you please share the results?
@@lovehorses2669 no I haven’t but I will definitely try it
Just don’t mix it into clay and wash out the salts
DO AN ADDING GYPSUM TO THE GARDEN FOR CLAY SOIL EPISODE!!!!!
Clay is a charged particle. Sand and silt are inert. So clay is necessary for the Cation Exchange Capacity in a soil. Adding organic can increase your CEC. You are correct that adding sand to a soil is a bad idea but you are wrong to say you add gypsum to break up a soil with a lot of clay. Gypsum has value in reducing the SAR and also with increasing Ca in the base saturation. Other than that it doesn't magically break up a clay soil. Also clay isn't alkaline. Soils which consist of sand, silt and clay in the mineral portion can be either alkaline or acidic. In alkaline soils free lime can be either present or not present. A quick easy test is to drop some acid onto the soil. If it fizzes then you have some lime in the soil.
This is super interesting! Ty so much for covering this topic! Man, your channel is super amazing and valuable. Thank you again for being here for us all.
Watching this sitting next to bag of sand I recently purchased to fill holes in my clay soil. Thanks so much for the info and warning!
You should have got an umbrella and a beach chair to do this spot Luke! lol.
Good information my friend.
Chuck
I had success with using sand and topsoil mixed with clay. I planted watermelon seeds and covered with straw as a pest deterant. They did fine even not realizing I should have started the seeds inside in containers, This year I am nuts with my melons and also with the garden variety to!
Thanks for the pros and cons, I kept searching for information on the use of sand in my Hibiscus plant pots and you really helped me out. Awsome tips! Thanks for sharing.
I found something called perlite sand. I assume it's the fine fine perlite. It seems to help grow carrots well.
I really enjoyed the butterflies in the background. Says a lot for your skills
Thank you. I have clay soil. I was going to add sand.
I had the sand misconception. Thanks for steering me away and toward gypsum.
I did too lol almost just did it glad i researched it first
@@relyk226notnroht4 many people use coarse sand to improve clay soil and they recommend it too.
Thanks but how much sand do I use in my compost?
I garden in raised beds, one box is half compost/ half sand. I grow the best carrots there!
Solid scientific explanation. Awesome video. You can't mix just sand and clay, for the reasons you explained. But if there is other stuff involved (like organic matter), then it's a different story. Then it becomes a discussion of having the right ratios. The trick is to keep the clay component less than everything else, so that it is dispersed and the particles separated. Compost+sand has to be much greater than clay. I'm thinking 10-30% clay in a raised bed would be perfect as fill material. And then 10% sand. And the rest organic matter.
It takes 1:1 ratio of sand + clay to stop the soil from turning into a concrete. If you only use sand + compost, then a smaller ration is safe.
What if mixing sand with peat moss and compost, is that good? Because in the country I live in we have mountains of sand and I want to use them to plant trees in containers . What do you recommend ?
The higher grade sand has very little if any weed seeds. Playground sand is loaded with dormant weed seeds.
Good to know. I occasionally used play sand in the past.
I agree with you about sand in clay soil but if someone is building a garden and wants to add sand, they should add the sand with Leaf mold, two or three year old wood chips and other compost materials and till it all together in the fall of the year, then cover with corrugated boxes, then about 16 inches of fall leaves, followed by more boxes, then a 5 inch layer of old wood chips.
It will take a couple of years for everything to compost and become a good garden soil but it will happen.
So it is all according to the recipe you are using whether sand is bad or not.
My dad used to add sand all over his garden once in a while, here and there but not in heavy amounts. He did fine and it eventually loosened up his soil. He had tons of clay dirt.
Where did you get that picket fence around your garden?
They call it wood snow fence at our local tractor supply it's a pretty good price on 50'-100' rolls
soil in my case always get insects , no matter what i do. i guess i will buy compost but not the one based in ground or animal poop because those are full of insect as well. tell me if im wrong. specially with thos insects that eat the plants roots and leafs. - btw im speaking about inside my appartment garden, like growing some tomatoes, strwberries, and maybe something bigger.
Mixing grounded charcoal helps
Then what do you do if you plant seeds say "prefers sandy soil" ?
How about washing sand that’s why I came here. Thanks for warnings about mixing with clay. I had my doubts. Builders merchants say that plastering sand is washed. Now I am on the hunt for Gypsum
Can I use "Quikrete All-Purpose Sand" for my vegetable garden ?
oh wow... i'm a know-it-all and i didn't know this about clay + sand. thanks for the gypsum tip! i'm in illinois (not far from you guys) and i deal with a lot of clay soil.
Great video. But I would suggest use river sand (or construction sand which you advised against because of price) but beach sand will be high in salts. You need to clean that off before using beach sand. Salty sand is not what you want in your mix
There’s also fine, medium and coarse. Stay away from fine sand. Use coarse! It’s ideal for propagation too
Agreed. I just wrote the same above. If I'd just read your comment I would not have written mine just to say the same years after.
MIGardener's Sandy beach is on a Great Lakes shore. Therefore, no salt in it. Don't use ocean beach sand.
Everything said here is great info except for the beach sand part, I think beach sand contains way too much calcium salts (too calcareous because it comes from coral and marine animal shells). I'd try to use river or lake sand instead which is mostly silicates which are chemically neutral. That is also construction and play sand. Beach sand does not work well as a construction material either for similar reasons.
Beach sand tends to be almost entirely silica based sand. With that said, sea shells break down very slowly and don't provide much available calcium, even bone meal takes decades to break down fully into absorbable compounds.
i added coarse sand and scoria to my cactus/succulent garden. Am worried now that I have killed the garden
How is it now? I think course sand does not harm the soil
I do not agree with the statement about sand and clay. Sand is a common amendment for clay soils, and organic matter is important, but not always as part of the mix. I am building raised beds for avocado trees because my garden is heavy clay. I'm using a 50-50 ratio of sand and garden soil and then adding the organic matter on top, to get slowly broken up and leached down (as avocado's prefer not to have organic matter around their roots)
How much do you use per square feet
What do you think of the SFG's raised bed mix of equal parts of Peat Moss, Compost and Sand?
Great topic u discuss ..since very few video regarding this topic on youtube & finally helpfull ..
I just added playbox sand to my pot garden I have elephant ears planted in pots palm trees planted in pots black-eyed Susans as well I put the sand on the top layer of the soil about 2in thick just to make it look pretty should I dump it out of all my pots. I knew I should have looked it up before I went and bought sand. I just thought I would give it a more cleaner look but if it needs to come out of there I'm dumping it someone please let me know
This truly helped a lot! Thank you !
Are you talking about play sand we get at big box stores
Good video you seem very knowledgeable.
What about using sand to prevent weeds around plants? Would a 2-3 in layer of sand prevent weed growth in planters?
No, sand will not stop weeds from growing. Even though sand does not hold water or nutrients, it still won't prevent weeds from growing.
What I see people do is use a layer of newspapers below the soil - if you’re using a raised bed, herbal planter bed, or a mound of raised soil. Using mulch as a cover can prevent weeds from growing as well. Epsom salt, vinegar, and other methods work as well. Weeds will generally grow when you’re not taking care of your soil.
hi i live in MI. i have clay soil so i do big containers 3x20 for all of my garden i want to grow Walla Walla onions can you tell me what kind of dirt to put in the container for them
You want a loose soil without big chips of wood or anything like that, something you can squeeze tightly into a ball in your hands and then very easily break apart.
Perlite, vermiculite and sand added to good black dirt are my go to for things like onions, potatoes and other tubers.
I'm so glad I watched this. Side note, clay soil is the worst
We have black soil so how much sand I should add sand to my horticulture farmland
You can not just add sand to clay. You need to mix in a lot organic matter, Gypsum into the sand. Then put into the clay.
Skip to 1:00 for info
Great info , very informative . Man i hate looking at my garden and seeing those white moths flying around . The cabbage worms they lay have destroyed many of my cabbage and broccoli plants and I have to spray BT constantly as it doesn't last long enough on the plants . Love your channel and have watched all of them . Love your garden brother .
MIgardener, what are your thoughts on a raised bed with a layer of masonry sand on the bottom and then a layer of cardboard and then a layer of raised bed soil?
This advice is different than your old video "Gardening Terms Explained, pt. 1" It seems pretty clear that sand and clay are a bad thing together (without a lot of extra compost).
I use regular soil in my pots and I was thinking of taking your advice to mix gypsum with it to improve drainage but should I use gypsum in a soil mix for citrus threes as they need acidic soil and gypsum reduces the acidity of the soil?
Thank you for this info. I just want to add some builders sand to my compost so Looking for pros and cons
Does any know if you can plant an Aloe Vera plant in sand only!
can you add gypsum on top of the soil after the garden has been planted or does it need to be tilled in before planting?
Anyone mix sand with biochar before applying to soil?
Are you able to use sand instead of soil to plant tulips because I actually like planting them in the fall before the winter kicks in so that way in the spring they will back and usually the bulb for the tulips because for some reason tulips like cooler weather but it cant be too cold so if its in the ground it keeps is from over freezing and over heating so that way in the later fall or early spring the tulips like weather between 40 and 50 degrees when it gets to the 60s the tulips start to slowly go back into the ground but before that happens the buds on the tulips start to fade color and darken up a little bit and than the buds start falling off one by one and than it start going the the ground to get cooler due the warmer temperatures so it doesn't burn to death and if it is too cold the plant knows not to start grow out of the soil or the sand because its still too cold so plants have a mind of its own i don't know if sand is better for certain plants but i was told for tulips it is excellent year around.
pay attentionb to particle size.
all sand is not the same...
builders sand and beach sand is usually large particles.
River sand is often smaller...
Its better to have different sizes together, but, if you want drainage, use the larger sizes.
my house is built on river sand, which is so small, its almost clay.
speaking of clay.
if you turn your soil over, and mix in something to plant
sand will help, but, i would say adding compost would help a lot more.
nothing wrong with adding both, since sand is much cheaper than compost.
the BEST way to break up clay (without physically using a pitchfork etc...)
is to add fish emulsion and molasses.... then pput compost and/or woody mulch on top
(both if you can afford it)
use it double to triple strength every 2 weeks (3 to 4 applications).
bacteria and fungi start to work on the fish/sugars/proteins...
those microbes off-gas, and when they die, other microbes eat them etc...
the process of off-gassing breaks the molecular bonds, and creates channels
to let in air and water.
it will take a couple of months, but then you will have excellent, fertile soil.
clay is full of minerals.
The compost and woody mulch have microbes that eat the fungi and bacteria
( amoebas, protozoa etc...) those microbes will filter down into the clay when it rains
then larger guys eat them... etc... etc...
eventually you get the dinosaurs of the soil... WORMS !
worms really loosen the soil and create air pockets and channels for water.
then...
plant tillage radish or rye grass.
both have roots that go down 10 feet or more.
, then let them die and rot. (do not pull up)
the dead roots will provide food for more worms, microbes, plants etc...
Thank you for the video. I found the information very thorough and easy to understand. Have you ever heard of sand being used as a snail or caterpillar deterent?
Thanks for yours sand information 🙏
Ours is mostly sand so we have literally nothing in our soil and it's alkaline. This year we had a small garden and bought compost & some good soil but some things are not doing that great but it's a start.
Hey Luke, I was wondering what your opinion is on wood chips as mulch. I used it this growing season but i don't see how you can fertilize throughout the season with thick woodchip mulch like i used and also when you get ready to amend your soil how do you get up all the mulch without mixing half of it into the soil???
Stunning update thank you for sharing have a blessed day
I added sand to my FLOWER bed. I now have some kind of lily pad looking vine growing. What is it and how do I get rid of it? I have pulled and pulled and pulled and they keep coming back.
It's convolulus, you have to dig every bit of roots out or it keeps regrowing, leave a tiny bit & it will return
What kind of gypsum would you recommend?
Great information, thank you!
I think I need to rewatch. I got no sand unless there’s a lot of compost?
I have question about mixing. Its is good if i mix soil 70% and sand 30%? And how about mix soil 70% and cocopeat? Or i can mix them all for better result maybe? I only have 2 type for now.. Good soil and sand. Cocopeat i still dont have. Just wondering if i can get nutrition for mixing with only 2 type. I also have lot of tea bag and leaves also. So any suggestions? I just start my little garden in front of my house.. So i need someone expert to teach me how to combine it. Your reply will help me alot. Ths. Sry about my english
so essentually if we take lots of sand from the ocean and but it on the clay on land it will turn into rock and actually build earth? wow.. florida and california might wanna look into that..
BetterYouBetterWorld V you don't want to use ocean sand because the salt will make your soil hard but course sand mined from rivers are good for gardens, helps with drainege and will help keep soil from packing so hard, just have to keep trying until you get the right mixture acording to your soil.
I live in a river basin, lots of clay, I guess you just saved me alot of headache.
So glad I watched this...
Add coarse sand and do not worry. Hard clay is worse than hard clay sand mix.
My local hardware store has "Tube Sand". Would that work for cactus soil?
Probably not. That's generally very coarse sand, almost like tiny pebbles rather than sand.
I like to combine a fine sand with seed starter mix for cacti. By fine I mean the type you find at the beach where the waves are lapping, basically more fine than table salt but not that sludge like consistency of very fine sand.
@@harrypeterson9287 I thought you wanted to use coarse sand, everything i've read says don't use fine sand.
@@dadude6619 I'm just telling you what worked for me.
Also, I don't mean silt or very fine sand but more the consistency of something similsr to or slightly finer than table salt.
In my experience tube sand is extremely coarse with some grains being about 4 or 5 millimeters in size.
what about the salt in beach sand?
Where I live, the soil is purely just sand. It has literally no organic matter, and it doesn't hold water very well, which, when combined with the hot Dubai weather, forces me to water everyday. Is there any way I can improve my soil?
wood chips, wood chips, and more wood chips. I don't know how available they are in your region, but you might need 2ft +of mixed wood chips (including ground stick and leaves).
What type of sand would you use is builders ok great Video 👏
What about my papayas?
You are right sand and clay makes good bricks.
You just saved me from making a big mistake I've got a clay garden looks like it's jypsum for me then
OvO
Gypsum I need to look for that
Thank you for this video!
Hi. Should i add sand to my potting sand for indoor plants? I just want to improve the drainage a little more. I was thinking about 1 part sand to 8 part potting soil. What are your thoughts?
Pro-Mix potting mix for cactus has a little bit of sand so it definitely can be done. Just do not put too much, sand is very heavy and that will promote compaction affecting the aereation. The Pro-Mix mix is awesome from my experience and it has many good reviews, why don't you buy some?
Or you could just put more perlite?
So I backed my pickup truck in to the playground down the street and started shoveling in sand from the sand box. All was fine until I accidentally shoveled a neighborhood child into the back of my pickup. JK. Love your channel. Keep the videos coming!
Thanks for the info, I almost added sand to my clay soil in the garden.
For my cacti I was advised NOT to use beach sand! It is supposedly way too fine, and salty aswell... Would you recommend beach sand indoor and/or in any pots?
Well our sand isn't located on an ocean, so it isn't salty at all.
+MIgardener | Simple Organic Gardening & Sustainable Living Thanks, good to know!😊 Is it very fine as ours is?
Beginner trying to learn more, I bought play sand but after a couple searches I find "coarse sand" is better for gardening than play sand? It says play sand may not drain well and cause more trouble? Thanks for any and all answers...Trying to grow mango and avocados by the way.
Coarse is better than fine. Fine will be heavier and it will be bad for aereation and drainage. Mix the sand with generous amounts of compost and/or bagged garden soil (I'd do 1/4, 1/3 sand). More than that will stop the benefits and create trouble.
Share your experience, please.
Good info!Thank you!
“Say SAND again.” - Summer from Rick and Morty.
If you add enough sand ANY soil becomes good.
Great video
Clay is alkaline ?? Sorry, but you'll have to be more specific as to what kind of clay is alkaline. I live in a land known for its apples and how easy they grow. Strawberry, too. It is all native clay... And it is all acidic...
Yep he is absolutely incorrect about his claim there also using just any sand or why it compacts. Clay is clay because of particle size period. Has nothing to do with ph or mineral content..kime or not etc.. He has experience with HIS regions clay and salinity content It much different in many other places and is usually low ph with low lime content.
He is spot on with gypsum though. But it does also leach out beneficial minerals. But it does remove sodium add calcium. Also leachs aluminum which is good . But its effect is transient last about one growing season.
He is wrong about type of sand also. His sand works because his organics are so high any would work. But the ideal sand is course sharp edged sand like builders sand Infact the kind he recommends is the worst type. Its smooth with very small grain size. Thats why its soft smooth feeling water polished it.
I really wish people would not state things as universal FACTS as is done here as it spreads incorrect info as people believe everything as fact without bothering to source check and confirm So many are desperate to be spoon fed and just want a answer any answer. Just someone tell me what to do. Total lack of wanting responsibility or control. Just look at the mimicking of sheep with covid directives.
Ideally you want silver or horticultural sand but cost to effect IMO is not worth it. Builder construction sand filtered washed is fine. Its cheap enough to have delivered.
Organic matter is key though.
I had actually wrote a even longer respond when he published the video but decided to not post as so many get offended and I did not want to deal with it. After all its individuals responsibility to ensure the validity of what they choose to believe 5 min on google would have gotten them the same info you mention and I posted.
Interesting how a number of comintators added sand to clay without organics yet somehow did not report concrete beds like you see parroted all over the net. Wonder what happened to that lime based chemical hardening / bonding reaction??
Its actually simple you ideally want a ratio of 4:3:2 to 4:3:3 Clay:Sand: Organic (compost etc) organic is key. You can grow decent without the others. But ideal is all 3 and as diversified organics as you can produce and add. Use natural mulch and never leave soil exposed for any extended period beyond needed for initial sprouting. Stop tilling once you have your initial beds formed amended. Just add organics end and beginning of seasons. Check ph before season as its so cheap to even send a sample for full a n analysis why not have the trending.
Thanks so much... would have loved to see what ratios to use with sand and compost. I'm planting carrots
Nice great video
Beach sand is it salty?
Michigan beach so just by the lake
Great video. Like you said, there's a lot of misinformation out there about sand :-)
Gypsum?
To do or not??..... it needs, before to check te soil... for to now thess structur... and put it correct if posible!!!...By
What about sand an chicken nanure
Sand and clay makes a loamy soil perfect combination. It will NOT make “concrete”. Sand balances the clay soils by adding drainage and easing cultivation and weed removal. Use coarse sand for good results. Not the best video really a disservice to gardeners due to misinformation by supposedly informed educated individual. Imo.
How much coarse sand should be added to clay to loosen it up?
About 1:1 ratio is good. 👌