Benefits Of Adding Sand In The Garden Soil

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Have you ever struggled to get anything growing in compacted or clay soil? It’s next to impossible! Remember the frustration and the overwhelming feeling of helplessness? I remember having this issue a few years ago and seeking advice from a few of my green-fingered friends. Through their guidance and my research, I discovered the simple and affordable solution of using sand in the garden. Although initially skeptical, I decided to use sand in my garden, and the results were impressive.

Sand enhances vegetable gardens in multiple ways. It is visually appealing, helps repel pests like snails and slugs, improves drainage and aeration, promotes plant growth, and extends the growing season by keeping the soil warm. Additionally, sand reduces root compaction and diseases by facilitating access to nutrients, water, and air. 

There’s no question that there are many sand varieties, each having its unique purpose in gardening and improving soil fertility in your green space.

Through my personal experiences, I’ve found the best sand options for my garden, and in this article, I’m thrilled to share what I learned, along with some potential risks of using the wrong kinds, ensuring you’re fully informed every step of the way. So, let’s roll up our sleeves and get after it!

Benefits Of Using Sand For Gardening

Using sand in your backyard garden has several primary advantages, including:

• Improved Drainage
• Enhanced Soil Structure
• Absorbs Heat
• Weed Control

Improved Drainage

Sand is a crucial component in improving soil drainage throughout your growing area. First, the small sand particles added to your garden help increase soil porosity by breaking up clay that may have compacted over time. 1

Additionally, sand allows more air circulation within your soil while keeping moisture levels consistent and temperatures moderate. Also, the spaces, or gaps, between sand particles enable excess water to drain from the soil, helping to prevent waterlogging, which can lead to many unnecessary and avoidable issues.

Enhanced Soil Structure

Sand is one of the best options for quickly enhancing soil quality and structure. Sand helps aerate and loosen the soil, making it easier for roots to take hold and flourish. Sand enhances soil structure by providing a favorable environment for fibrous-rooted plants and root crops, including beets, carrots, radishes, and turnips, to name a few.

Heat-Absorbing Properties 

Sand offers several benefits in the garden, including its ability to heat up faster in the spring, aiding in the warming process of garden soil. This heat helps promote early plant growth by creating a warmer environment that seeds and starts enjoy. 2

Moreover, sand can absorb and retain heat, promoting a much more viable and fertile garden environment during colder seasons, especially fall and winter. Sand can be particularly advantageous for extending your growing season and providing a more favorable climate for heat-loving plants.

Weed Control

Surprisingly, sand can also help control weeds in the garden, as sandy soil limits weed germination and growth. The sandy soil creates a desert-like environment unfavorable for weed development while discouraging weed seeds from taking root. Any weeds that may appear in the sand are easily noticeable and can be quickly removed.

Types Of Sand For Gardening

All sand is not created equal, and there are several options for your backyard garden. Several popular sandy types include: 

• Horticultural Sand
• Play Sand
• Builder’s Sand
• Beach Sand
• Aquarium Or Silica Sand

Let’s look at these common sand variations to help you determine which may be best for your thriving foliage. 

Horticultural Sand

Horticultural sand, also known as coarse or sharp sand, is a rough-textured sand used explicitly in gardening and horticultural applications. Horticultural sand has many benefits, such as improved soil aeration and drainage due to its gritty texture and sharp edges. Adding sand to clay soil prevents compaction, reducing the need to frequently till the soil and allowing water to flow and drain freely. 3

Play Sand

Play sand, often labeled “sandbox sand,” is designed for recreational purposes like building sand castles and keeping the kids happy outdoors. Play sand is typically finer and softer in texture compared to the horticultural type mentioned above. 

And while play sand isn’t specifically intended for planting or horticultural use, some gardeners may use it for certain applications, such as within soil mixes for particular plants or as a decorative element in lawn arrangements. 

Builder’s Sand

Builder’s sand is commonly used in construction and building projects but may also be helpful for gardening purposes. This sandy variation is typically characterized by its coarse texture and larger grain size than other sand types. 

Builder’s sand is often less expensive than specialized horticultural sand. If cost is a significant factor, choosing this type of sand is an excellent alternative as it is a more budget-friendly option, especially for larger projects requiring a considerable quantity of sand. 4

Beach Sand

Using beach sand for gardening is generally not recommended, primarily if it is sourced from coastal areas directly adjacent to the ocean. Beach sand may contain high salt concentrations and other minerals that can harm and stunt plant growth. However, if you live in an area that sells beach sand, it is often inexpensive, making it an attractive option for gardeners on a tight budget.

Aquarium Or Silica Sand

Silica is prized for its beauty. It can have different appearances when wet or dry, adding to its visual appeal. Although silica is often used in aquariums to purify water and create a natural and attractive habitat for aquatic creatures, it can also benefit garden plants by helping to improve soil aeration and drainage. Moreover, it can help your soil retain water and preserve nutrients, promoting healthy foliage throughout your garden.

Proper Usage Of Sand In The Garden

Understanding the different varieties of sand is one thing, but knowing how to use it in your garden correctly is quite another. There are three main uses for applying sand in your green space, including:

• Incorporating sand as a potting soil amendment or within mixtures
• Using it as a mulch or topdressing in your garden
• Being a vital component within container gardening soils 

Potting Soil Amendments And Mixtures

Clay soil is heavy, challenging to work with, and tends to stick together, creating an inhospitable environment for your crops. Fortunately, this condition can be fixed by adding sand and gypsum to the soil to dilute the clay concentration. 

By mixing sand and gypsum into your native clay soil, particles are separated, resulting in a more crumbly texture that allows for better root penetration and drainage. And while sand doesn’t replace the benefits of organic matter like compost or aged manure, it serves as a temporary fix for heavy soils, enhancing drainage and promoting robust plant growth. 5

The Holy Grail of a healthy garden is a balanced soil composition. Mix equal amounts of sand and silt, and incorporate around 20% of native clay soil to make a loam-like structure. Loam soil is often considered the ideal soil type for gardening and agriculture. 6

However, if you’re already using sandy soil and want to improve it a bit more, you can simply use one part sand and one part soil (add more sand to your soil if needed to change the soil texture further). Remember, while sandy soil can help promote better garden drainage and aeration, it lacks vital nutrients your plants demand and struggles to retain moisture. 7

As the video below explains, incorporating sand into your garden has pros and cons based on your soil type. And while sand may be an excellent aid to help particular vegetable plants and promote drainage, it’s important to remember that adding sand works when you already have organic matter, like compost, mixed thoroughly within your soil.

Mulching And Topdressing

Using sand as mulch is a unique approach that can offer amazingly unique benefits in your garden. Sandy mulch helps retain soil moisture by reducing evaporation and preventing rapid soil surface drying. It acts as a protective layer, shielding the soil from direct sunlight, reducing weed growth, and insulating soil, moderating temperatures. 

When adding sand to your mulch, spread approximately 1 to 2 inches evenly across the surface and water. Unlike organic mulches such as wood chips, sand does not break down over time, eliminating the need for frequent replacement, making sand a practical and low-maintenance option.

Container Gardening

Leftover sand can be used and repurposed to create a suitable potting medium. To transform sandy soil into a more favorable growing habitat, incorporate organic amendments like soil conditioner and compost in equal parts. 

Mixing in an appropriate ratio of sand and clay, such as bentonite clay, enhances the properties of garden soil for better moisture retention and nutrient availability. Additionally, using a granulated wetting agent helps overcome water repellency. 8

Why You Shouldn’t Add Sand To Garden Soil

Some factors should be considered when determining whether sand should be added to garden soil. One reason why sand should be avoided is that it tends to absorb and retain heat, which can be problematic in extremely hot and arid climates. Excessive heat retention may affect delicate plant roots and hinder growth and development. Additionally, the uniform color of sand can make any foreign material or debris more noticeable, requiring extra cleaning and maintenance.  

While adding sand to some soil types can create a hardening or concrete-like effect inhibiting aeration, a more serious issue may be when excess sand creates a leaching effect. This process is when water carries away nutrients from the soil. The more sand found within the soil can expedite this process, necessitating more frequent fertilization or applications of compost, resulting in a waste of money, time, and effort on your part. 9

Overall, understanding the specific needs of your garden and soil type is essential in determining whether sand is a beneficial addition to your garden. Perform a rapid, at-home soil test to assess your soil quality and nutrient density, or send a sample to a local community college or gardening extension in your area. Once you have your results, you can take the next appropriate steps to amend your soil. 10

Conclusion

Adding sand to your garden soil can have benefits and drawbacks. On the positive side, sand can improve soil drainage, especially in heavy clay soils, allowing excess water to flow more freely. It can also help to loosen compacted dirt, making it easier for plant roots to penetrate, spread, and grow. 

Conversely, it’s important to note that adding sand to garden soil is not always recommended. In some cases, it can worsen drainage issues and hinder the soil’s retention of nutrients and moisture. Additionally, if the sand used is incompatible with the existing soil composition, it can create an imbalance within your garden and affect plant health. 

Fortunately, there are different variations of sand from which to choose, including horticultural sand, play sand, beach sand, and silica, each retaining unique benefits. 

Because many growers opt to incorporate sand in their gardens as a soil amendment, mulching alternative, or within pots and containers, using it in your space requires an initial investment of time, effort, and resources. Therefore, a thorough evaluation should occur before adding sand to gauge your gardening situation’s cost-benefit.

Do you currently use sand in your garden? We’d love to know your success story with this undervalued medium. Let us know your sandy garden story in the comment section below! 

SOURCES

1. Utah State University, Yard And Garden Extension – Gardening In Sandy Soils
2. ResearchGate – Sandy Soil: Advantages And Disadvantages
3. Wikipedia – Sand
4. University Of Florida, Extension – Homemade Potting Mix
5. Clemson University, Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center – Soil Conditioning – Establishing A Successful Gardening Foundation
6. Royal Horitcultural Society – Soil Types
7. University Of Arkansas, Division Of Agriculture Research & Extension – Will Adding Sand Help My Clay Soil?
8. Penn State University, Extension – Homemade Potting Media
9. The National Gardening Association – Don’t Treat Your Soil Like Dirt
10. University Of Saskatchewan, College Of Agriculture And Bioresources – Adding Sand To Clay Soils Is Not Recommended

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