Sand in potting mix?

Fire

I have had some large bags of horticultural sand in the shed for ages. It seems that grit is more useful for promoting good drainage than sand in a mix. Does anyone use sand for potting or planting mixes? Do you keep sand to hand for regular tasks? Thanks.

Pete.8

Sharp sand is an ingredient for all John Innes mixes as per the recipes here-
https://www.proctorsnpk.com/t/howtomakeyourown and I'd guess it's there to help with drainage.
So you could use it in similar proportions if you make DIY compost

Fire

True, @Pete.8  but there always seems to be a lot of discussion on the forum as to how effectively sand really helps drainage (relative particle size etc).

Palustris

I have always used sharp sand (from Builder's Merchants) as an additive to potting compost. If nothing else to bulk it out as it is a lot cheaper than potting compost. I have grown a very large number of plants over the years too.

didyw

I use it in my cuttings mixes.

shane.farrell

One use is to pile it up on e.g. hostas as they emerge. For me it reduces early damage. Might even improve drainage a bit in that area but that's secondary. I use grit now in the mix rather than sand.

halenajulie42

Pete.8 said:

Sharp sand is an ingredient for all John Innes mixes as per the recipes here-
https://www.proctorsnpk.com/t/howtomakeyourown and I'd guess it's there to help with drainage.
So you could use it in similar proportions if you make DIY compost

I dint know why but I didn't use sand. This video is really helpful.  

yarrow2

I've mixed sharp sand with compost and some grit for all my tulip pots this year.  Haven't done tulip pots for years and I was using up bits of everything I had left hoping it would be a decent mix.   No doubt I'll find out come Spring!