Sandy Soil AbriefoverviewtokeepingtheZen
Typically, you would be able to determine whether or not you have sandy soil by simply trying to roll a handful of
moistened soil into a ball, if this is not possible, then you have sand.
Then, what is sand anyway and where is it from? Sand most commonly consists of quartz grains, (also known as silicon
dioxide), however, this does depend on the source rock. Sand is left over from erosion and weathering processes that
break down earth's rocks into smaller grains. These grains travel by water, wind and gravity, finding their way to
beaches, accumulating as sand dunes and all OVER that ice-cream you bought at the seaside.
The one thing most of us know about sand, it does not retain water very well, it is fast draining, and as a result, is
nutrient is poor. This is because sand has large particles, with sizes ranging from 0.0625mm to 2mm in diameter. A
point to note, because water and air have easy access to the spaces in between the sand grains, sandy soil warms up
really well in Spring and cools quite quickly in Autumn.
Plants do prefer well drained soil, so that in itself is not the issue, it is how well soil retains enough moisture to
remain available for plant roots to uptake efficiently. To test drainage, dig a hole about 30cm deep, fill it with water
and allow it to drain till empty. Fill the hole again and observe how long it takes for water to drain, less than 2cm per
hour is poor drainage [waterlogged soils and definitely not sand], more than 10cm per hour of water drainage
definitely indicates fast draining soils.
When considering the pH of the sand in your garden, it will depend on what materials are mixed in. Sand in its natural
state has a neutral pH of 7, which is easy to work with when selecting plants. However, sandy soils in most
environments will contain a variety of materials that influence the pH, so it will always be worthwhile to test your soil.
09 Articleby:CatherineRademan

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