Growing In Sand ???

[Buddaluva]

Can you grow in sand as long as you still feed your plants the nuts they need ?

I live in a area where their is quite a bit of sand around and their is different types of plants and shit that still grows through it so it got me wondering if i can grow my plants in it also

thanks in advance fellas

 

[oldhaole]

Yea plants will grow in sand just fine. You'll have to be careful with the watering because sand doesn't hold water like dirt does, The plants dry out a lot faster.

 

[GP73LPC]

will grow in water and air, so sand should work too.

just gotta give the plants what they need...

 

[Buddaluva]

Thanks for the replies guys

 

[foomar]

Sharp sand or fine grit worked well in pots for me , drip fed with hydro nutes and less chance of infestation than with compost.

Check it is free draining and it does not compact solid with repeated waterings , many unprocessed sands contain a considerable amount of lime from shell debris and have a high pH.

Plants did equally well useing shattered toughthened glass from broken car windows , the 4mm cubes made an unexpectedly good and practical medium , and did not slice the roots as feared.

 

[Buddaluva]

Thanks foo

Im gonna use the sand thats outside from the creek bank

Do any of you think sand would be good for watering from bottom or should i just water from top ?

 

[Hammerhead]

If you provide the necessary nutrients and water, as in Hydroponic gardening, then you can grow healthy plants in sand or gravel. But that is not 'sand alone'.

Likewise, plants will grow well in sand that has organic material and other soil enrichers mixed into it. Again, that is not 'sand alone'.

Plants can grow in just about any medium, as long as they have water and nutrients. Unfortunately, sand doesn't hold onto water and it contains no organic material, so there is nothing for plants to use for nourishment.

As you can see at a beach or in a sand desert, some plant species have evolved to handle conditions close to 'sand alone', usually by sending roots down far enough to find water, or by growing very fast whenever there is a rain, or by absorbing the rainwater quickly and storing it for future use. However, even these plants can only survive where there are some nutrients mixed in the sand. Pure sand will not do.

 

[exploziv]

because sand is not good at sucking water and holding it, you would need to water from the top. pretty often also, but that's just a guess, as I never used sand more than as an soil amendament.

 

[Buddaluva]

So i can mix sand in my soil to use to help drainage like perlight ?

Sorry for the ignorant questions just making sure i got it covered and understand right

plus it would help save money not having to buy perlight lol

 

[exploziv]

yes. it isn't as good as perlite but it's good enaugh because it's usually free. I've used it in the past when I cound not find perlite around at a rate of up to 20% washed sand in my soil.

 

[TGT]

If using beach sand to save money it is best to cook it in the oven at say 250 for an hour or so. This will serilize it and prevent any unwanted bugs from taking over your garden. Just an idea - hope this is helpful.

TGT

 

[magiccannabus]

The Pueblo of the American South West used to grow corn in piles of sand. They would make a huge mound of it, and then water it to field capacity. Then it would hold a lot of water and they'd use fertilizers as a top dressing. This is how they fed their civilization for a long time until things got even more dry.

 

[1and1]

In the early days of indoor hydro I think sand was used a lot. The setup I saw used constant drip.

 

[foomar]

Sand from the beach is often rounded grains that can compact , longshore drift can sort from coarse to silt , larger grains with sharp edges have proved best , white specks are seashell remains and act like lime , can cause problems in extreme cases.

River bank sands and grits from granite or glacier washout are excellent and provide trace elements , a coarse sand mixed with a third the volume of compost allows for intermittent watering and the weight gives stability to large plants in small pots.

The precursor to modern hydro was ring culture in commercial and amateur greenhouses , bottomless pots of compost sitting on a bed of coarse sharp sand or grit , flood the sand and feed the pots , works as well with weed as tomatoes , plant develops two distinct root systems and a massive yield.

 

[Sensibowl]

Hmm. Never thought of this one.

I would just wonder about anything else that the sand might have in it, i.e. contaminants. But if you're getting it from a good source, I suppose this will work.

*taps chin and ponders that possibility*

 

[Ny2CaFuse]

I can remember going on some indoor boat ride at Disney World or Epcot when I was young, and they took you through this biodome type area and there were plants growing in sand. I remember it as clear as day. They said something along the lines of "Here is the future of farming... these plants are grown entirely in sand." It wasn't a mock up or fake display, it was an actual working farm entirely made of trays of sand. I'm sure if Disney can do it almost 25 years ago, pot farmers can do it today.

 

[Mantaray]

Are you growing indoors or outdoors?

You want sand that won't compact down, sand that has no clay particles in it to turn it into something akin to concrete. If it has clay particles in it, it needs to be washed until the water that comes out of it is clear.

 

[TanzanianMagic]

Can you grow in sand as long as you still feed your plants the nuts they need ?

I live in a area where their is quite a bit of sand around and their is different types of plants and shit that still grows through it so it got me wondering if i can grow my plants in it also

thanks in advance fellas

(YOUTUBE) The Little Plant That Could with Jorge Cervantes

This really shows that in a natural environment, marijuana doesn't need a huge amount of nutes, as well as the importance of sand (Silica) as a nutrient. Upto 20% of the plant is made from silica (Si). Trichomes are largely silica. Which may account for frostiness of the buds.

The reason people don't think of it as a macro nutrient, is because outdoors, it is everywhere, especially when the subsoil is made of sand and sanddust.