Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 08:21:18 -0600 From: "John Green" <HPJGREEN@ihc.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg1574$foo@default> Subject: Re: Sand Types: which best?
>I have several types of sand available: coarse river sand,
>which is in fact quite fine, but very dirty. After several
>rinses, the water still turns brown/black from suspended
>clay particles. Sharp sand, which is quarried from some
>local dunes. I am concerned that due to its proximity to the
>sea, and its marine origin, and is spite of being quarried from
>pleistocene deposits, it may be too rich in salts, esp. NaCl.
>Fat sand (trade term here) which is a quarried sand as well,
>from the same location, but coarser and rich in iron (yellow
>red, from a layer deeper in the horizon which has had iron
>accumulation). Finally, washed river gravel. This one is very
>clean, pure quartz fine gravel, but contains no sand. it ranges
>from about half rice grain size to pea size, I consider it too
>coarse. Any thoughts on the matter? the sharp sand is clean
>and white, but being from coastal dune deposits, I am
>concerned about the salt. Should I just wash them myself?
I've found silica sand in garden centers and nurseries, but usually in
very small bags for a pretty high price (2 lbs for US$2.50). The
important thing to know is that silica (quartz) sand is generally used
for sandblasting, so your best bet to find it is in the large
hardware-type stores that do a lot of business with contractors and
construction-type people. But, realize that you'll probably have to buy
a lot of it (100 lbs for around US$5 here). If that fails (and I'm no
expert), I'd guess that the sharp sand would be your best bet, but it
may depend upon what you're growing. I recall that several people on
the list have said that VFTs and many Sarrs grow in the coastal plains
where a higher salt content in the soil is common. But I'd still
recommend that you soak and rinse the sand to make sure it's not overly
high in salts.
Good luck,
John Green
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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