sharp sand

[hawthorns]

is sharp sand of any use in the veg garden

[darcyvuqua]

im sure i have read somewhere that it adds drainage but dont quote me

[zazen999]

Yes, it is.

[horticultural_hobbit]

Dig into soil for carrots? Used builders sand meself....

[roitelet]

I thought that builders sand contained too much salt for use on the garden but I may be wrong. Iv'e got loads and it would be good to use it on the clay soil.

Advice please.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Builders sand is usually washed and so should not have any contaminants. I use it in the deep beds and barrels I use for growing my long roots. A holed bored and filled with good compost and then seed sown. Job done

[solway cropper]

AP is right, if builder's sand had salt in it the resulting cement/concrete would be much weaker due to the salt being able to absorb moisture from the air.

[redser]

I believe slugs hate crawling over sharp sand so a sprinkle around plants might help protect them. Meant to try it but didnt get round to it

[busterboy]

There is a difference between sharp sand and builders sand as I understand it - although both types are used by builders.
Sharp sand is exactly what it says - sharp grained and rough.
Builders (bricklaying) sand is round and smoother.
If you tip a sack of each type on a smooth surface the sharp sand will tend to form a higher pile(because it is sharp) whilst the builders sand will spread over a wide area(being rounder).
In my ignorance the sharp stuff would be better for the garden.Drainage etc ?
I am happy to be corrected on this though.

[Aberdeenplotter]

In my ignorance the sharp stuff would be better for the garden.Drainage etc ?
I am happy to be corrected on this though.

Depends on what it is being used for. If being used in a mix to grow carrots in for exhibition. builders/cementing sand is the one to go for. If for drainage, sharp/concreting sand is preferable but any sand is better than no sand for this purpose

[bearded bloke]

Pretty much spot on busterboy.

Builders sand is actually better described as soft sand & generally has an amount of clay/subsoil in it

[kathycam]

I used sharp sand on a some soil which wasn't draining well, and it seems to have helped. Dig it in well, as I sometimes find sandy patches in the bed I added it.