Sand on lawn?

squibs

I've just had an outside building job done and have about half a tonne of sand left over that I need to dispose of. I was thinking of spreading it on the lawn which is clay, drains poorly and tends to grow a lot of moss.

Will the sand do any harm?
Will it help discourage the moss?
How should I spread it (a shovel will be too imprecise)?
Should I mix it with something?
I'm a bit clueless when it comes to the great outdoors...

Irish Gardener

Hello squibs.
Is it sharp sand or smooth sand (plastering).
I ask because smooth sand will be useless for spreading on your lawn.

squibs

I believe it's sharp sand - it was used to make concrete and cement. So am I good to go?

Irish Gardener

If it is sharp sand with no added lime it can be brushed into the lawns surface after the lawn has been spiked.
You can spike the lawn with a garden fork.
Spiking the lawn will enable some of the spread sand to quickly reach the grass roots.
You can spread the sand at 1/2 kg to the sq metre.
If the sand is very dry it can be spread using a small push lawn seed spreader.
If it is damp you will have to resort to the shovel or by hand
Brush the sand in, to avoid sand sitting on the grass blades.

The addition of sand to a heavy or sticky soil will aid drainage and help prevent moss

squibs

Excellent - my unwanted litter problem turns into a solution for another problem. Appreciate the advice Irish Gardener.

Lex Luthor

make sure it gets a good even light spread. My kids have a sand box out the back garden and all around the edges that the sand falls off in large quantitoes, the grass is all yellow. That was a few months ago, but since the hot weather has eased off and the rain is back, it has improved again.

Sonnenblumen

Irish Gardener wrote:

If it is sharp sand with no added lime it can be brushed into the lawns surface after the lawn has been spiked.
You can spike the lawn with a garden fork.
Spiking the lawn will enable some of the spread sand to quickly reach the grass roots.
You can spread the sand at 1/2 kg to the sq metre.
If the sand is very dry it can be spread using a small push lawn seed spreader.
If it is damp you will have to resort to the shovel or by hand
Brush the sand in, to avoid sand sitting on the grass blades.

The addition of sand to a heavy or sticky soil will aid drainage and help prevent moss

Sharp and/or plastering sand contains lime which you should know should be used very carefully on grass areas. Too much and scorching will result, prolonged yellowing or even bald patches. There is a special lawn sand available but again this is usually mixed with soil and not as a top dressing.

Also sharp sand will have no significant impact on improving drainage in heavy soils. There are better solutions eg a traditional but very effective method is to apply lime and leave dormant over winter months. This will have a profound effect on breaking down heavy soils. For a more immediate remedy one can add coarse grit and/or other fibrous materials such as well rotted manure, compost etc and rotovate such into the heavy soil to improve texture and consequently drainage.

Irish Gardener

Sonnenblumen wrote:

Sharp and/or plastering sand contains lime which you should know should be used very carefully on grass areas.

Sonnenblumen wrote:

There are better solutions eg a traditional but very effective method is to apply lime

Sonnenblumen wrote:

Too much and scorching will result, prolonged yellowing or even bald patches.

Is this too much?

Irishgardener wrote:

You can spread the sand at 1/2 kg to the sq metre.

Sonnenblumen wrote:

There is a special lawn sand available but again this is usually mixed with soil and not as a top dressing.

"Lawn sand" is a combination of sulphate of iron, sulphate of ammonium and sand. This is used as a fertilser and a moss / top growth weedkiller.
The sand is added to add weight to the fine sulphate of iron powder, this aids even spreading and prevents the sulphate of iron blowing everywhere.
"Lawn sand" is applied to the top of the lawn. Heres 2 informative links.... http://www.gardenhealth.com/product_range/lawn_treatments/lawnsand.php
http://www.lawnandmower.com/lawn-sand.aspx

Sonnenblumen wrote:

For a more immediate remedy one can add coarse grit and/or other fibrous materials such as well rotted manure, compost etc and rotovate such into the heavy soil to improve texture and consequently drainage.

In fairness, the OP has a lawn already. He may not want to rotovate it up. But sure you know best Sonnenblumen.

squibs

Oops - didn't mean to start a barney

Thanks for the updates. I think I'll do a few square meters first to ensure it isnt full of lime.

Sonnenblumen

Irish Gardener- a little knowledge goes a long way, don't confuse the apples with the oranges, and like I said, who would use builders sand to improve heavy soil?? An amateur perhaps?

Who would advise someone to put builders sand on an existing lawn? Look that up in your chemistry book!! Spiking and adding limey sand is nothing but tinkering, if there is a problem tackling the cause not the symptom is the solution.

And if something is worth doing, do it right first time, but not all require/have high standards.

Irish Gardener

Sonnenblumen wrote:

don't confuse the apples with the oranges

or the lemons, especially the bitter kind.

ircoha

Sonnenblumen: You say "Sharp sand contains lime"

IMHO,that is a BLOB.


squibs I believe it's sharp sand - it was used to make concrete and cement. So am I good to go?

FYI squibs, concrete is made from sand plus aggregate plus cement.

Hope the lawn looks well