Sand for potting mixes
ds429@frontier.com (Sat, 15 Nov 2014 14:19:45 PST)
So, I suspect that calcium carbonate sand might change the pH, and that is why it is undesirable for potting mixes?
Dell
Sent from Windows Mail
From: penstemon
Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2014 5:07 PM
To: Pacific Bulb Society
I have heard for years that one needs to use “silica sand” for bulb potting
mixes. I wonder how “silica sand” differs from other sand. I try to find
very coarse sand because it is not as likely to compact. The best stuff I
found was from a stream bed. But was it “silica sand?” Isn’t sand generally
a silicate mineral anyway?
I would have said yes, but a quick check of the apparently-omniscient
Wikipedia says that silica sand is the most common form of sand, followed by
sand from calcium carbonate (aragonite).
The sand I use is the stuff called "paving sand"; comes in bags. The grains
aren't uniform in size.
Bob
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