Sand as a fertilizer: what is useful and how to use

Useful properties of sand

The presence of the sandy component in the soil improves its characteristics due to the following properties:

1. Drainage. Sand is often added to clay and loamy soils, which are characterized by a very heavy dense structure, low moisture and air permeability. As a fertilizer in such soil, it provides good drainage, makes the structure more loose and suitable for plant growth.
2. The ability to accumulate and retain heat for a long time. The soil with sand as a fertilizer warms up earlier in the spring, cools down longer at night. Thanks to the heat, plants develop faster in it and can be planted earlier than on other types of soil.
3. In soil with sandy fertilizer, plants feel freer, they take root faster, and their root system develops better. When transplanted from such soil, the roots of seedlings are less damaged.
4. Sand retains moisture in the soil for a long time. Even on a hot day, the bottom layers of the soil remain moist, which prevents the plants from drying out in the absence of watering.
5. Soil enriched with sedimentary rocks is easier to dig both in dry weather and after rain.

What to plant

Coniferous trees and ornamental shrubs grow well in soil with fertilizing from loose organic rocks: cinquefoil, juniper, gorse. They love this fertilizer and berry bushes: barberry, hawthorn, gooseberry, blackberry, different types of currants. These plants have a very developed root system, which also strengthens the soil.

On plots of land with a moderate content of the breed, some fruit and berry trees adapt well: apple, pear, plum, cherry. Sandy-stony soil is ideal for growing grapes – on such a soil basis, the vine practically does not get sick. Sand fertilizer is widely used for arranging alpine slides. The multilayer arrangement of plants requires constant access to moisture for the roots, and sand in the composition of the soil can retain it for a long time. From perennial flower plants in flower beds, you can plant aster, carnation, cornflowers, poppies, as well as plants with deep roots: bluebells, irises, edelweiss. Of the cultivated plants, all types of legumes and melons grow well on fertilizer. For growing watermelons and melons, it should be mixed with black soil.

Video “How to prepare the land for planting”

How to effectively prepare the land for planting, using soil, sand and loose mixtures.

Use as fertilizer

For top dressing, mainly river sand is used – it is larger and more crumbly. Sedimentary rock in itself is not a pure fertilizer, but as a constituent component of organic origin, it forms the basis of any soil mixture.

Soils enriched with sand are light and porous, oxygen penetrates into them faster, mineral and organic substances are absorbed more intensively. Fertilizer can be applied both in spring and autumn, but this is usually done when cultivating the soil. The main condition when making is not to exceed the amount of the component. Its content should be approximately 20% for land of medium fertility. If the percentage is higher, nutrients will be quickly washed out, and the soil will be depleted. Intensive fertilization is permissible only on clay soils. Depending on the condition of the soil cover, experts recommend adding sand at the rate of 20-30 kg / 1 meter.

To create a normal biological environment in clay soil, the fertilizer mixture must be supplemented with manure, or compost. Ordinary river sand often contains silt particles, so it must be washed before being applied to the soil as a fertilizer. To do this, the component is poured into a container, filled with water, mixed thoroughly, then the water is drained. If the water is very cloudy, repeat the procedure.

Soil mixes with sand

The main purpose of sand in the soil is a drainage function, therefore, as it is included in almost every soil mixture. There are three main types of mixtures:

• heavy – consists of the following components: 3 parts of crushed turf, 1 part of sand, 1 part of humus;
• medium – consists of 2 parts of turf, 1 part of loose matter, 1 part of humus;
• light – includes: 1 part of earth, 1 part of sand, 3 parts of compost, or peat.

Young plants with an underdeveloped root system need light, well-drained soil, high in loose rock and organic compost fertilizer. Large trees, shrubs with massive trunks and stems must be planted in heavier soil. The medium earth mixture has universal properties – it is suitable for growing all kinds of flowers, ornamental and exotic plants.

Video “Fertilizer with bulk mixtures”

How does the spreading of bulk fertilizers, including sand.