horticultural sand question

countrywoman

has anyone ever used horticultural sand mixed with top soil, to help with soil composition/drainage in flower beds please
many thanks

Lumen

Add organic matter, top down, like in nature.

Live at Three

Adding sand to soil makes it worse. Turns it into a cement-like substance. The only effective way to use hort sand is to have the mix at least 50% sand, unfeasible in large areas. Better to add organic matter as mentioned above, or better again, choose plants that like heavy soils eg roses, hydrangeas.

countrywoman

Thanks for your replies Lumen and Live at Three
Unfortunately I have no access to organic matter. I had been googling and saw references to horticultural sand.

My soil is clay. Right now, there is much algae/lichen and moss growing on the soil surface. The plants in the beds are doing well as they are all suitable for the conditions, but i hate the look of the lichen etc.

Would a multi-purpose compost dressing be any good (buy in garden centre?)

thanks

Lumen

Compost is a type of organic matter, so yes, that's fine.

The more broken down the compost is, the more it becomes hospitable for growing things in, including weeds. So if you're throwing it on the top as a mulch for cosmetics and to prevent weeds, you want something quite lumpy and fresh, like bark or wood chips.

Whereas if you're putting it in (rather than on) the soil, you want it heavily decomposed (composted).

Manure is also useful if well rotted - the cow's digestive system is accelerating the breakdown process.

Just avoid sand, it won't get you anywhere.

Compost and mulch delivered in bulk bags (or even better by loose load) is much cheaper than at garden centres, but you need a couple of bags to dilute the delivery costs. Depends what sort of area you're dealing with.

countrywoman

Lumen wrote: »

Compost is a type of organic matter, so yes, that's fine.

The more broken down the compost is, the more it becomes hospitable for growing things in, including weeds. So if you're throwing it on the top as a mulch for cosmetics and to prevent weeds, you want something quite lumpy and fresh, like bark or wood chips.

Whereas if you're putting it in (rather than on) the soil, you want it heavily decomposed (composted).

Manure is also useful if well rotted - the cow's digestive system is accelerating the breakdown process.

Just avoid sand, it won't get you anywhere.

Compost and mulch delivered in bulk bags (or even better by loose load) is much cheaper than at garden centres, but you need a couple of bags to dilute the delivery costs. Depends what sort of area you're dealing with.

Lumen, thank you very much for the very informative reply.
It is quite a big garden, and there are lots of beds. I will have a google for bulk bags in my area

magicbastarder

i always favour manure over general purpose compost as peat is usually a major component in those composts.

westland usually have a 3 for 2 deal on their bags of manure - i think it works out at about 12 quid for 3 50 litre bags.

Lumen

magicbastarder wrote: »

i always favour manure over general purpose compost as peat is usually a major component in those composts.

westland usually have a 3 for 2 deal on their bags of manure - i think it works out at about 12 quid for 3 50 litre bags.

That's not bad, works out at about 12.5 litres per euro.

I got 8 bulk bags of "garden mulch" (browned wood chips) for €300 delivered, which is about 26 litres per euro (at 1000 litres per bag, which I'm not sure is totally right).

gozunda

countrywoman wrote: »

Lumen, thank you very much for the very informative reply.
It is quite a big garden, and there are lots of beds. I will have a google for bulk bags in my area

Check out if there are any livery stables in your area. Some may be able to provide well rotted horse manure the very best organic matter available imo.

countrywoman

gozunda wrote: »

Check out if there are any livery stables in your area. Some may be able to provide well rotted horse manure the very best organic matter available imo.

Gozunda, none nearby unfortunately