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[OfCows]

Hi all,

I live in central London and so have had problems sourcing decent sand to add to my cactus growing mix...

Recently, I found myself on a beach here (lovely weather but not quite the Tropics!), where I found a handy carrier bag and lugged a load of sand back home. I've found the below technique for desalinating and generally cleaning the sand, but I wonder if anybody else here has experience with this? Will the below remove enough salt for usable sand that won't damage my plants, or not? All feedback welcome!

• Sift sand to remove unwanted rocks and debris.
• Rinse out organic matter and other unwanted particles - fill a bucket halfway with fresh water. Gradually stir the sand into the water, mixing for a few minutes, then slowly dump out the water. Repeat until the water runs clear.
• Remove salt from sand by simmering it with water. Pour beach sand into a large pot, then add enough water to cover the sand. Heat the pan until it simmers and reduce heat or add more water if it starts to boil. Simmer for a few minutes to dissolve the salt, then remove the pan from heat and use a large coffee filter to collect the sand. Try attaching a coffee filter to a large wide-mouth jar with a rubber band. The coffee filter will strain the sand from the saltwater. Be careful handling the hot pot, and let the water cool until it's safe to touch.

Cheers,

OfCows

[Psylocke]

Sounds like a lot of work, but if you don't have any other source it may be worth the effort. I don't think the filtering part is necessary. What you are after are the larger and particles which will settle out quickly. So you should be able to just decant off the dissolved salt and fines.

Here in the states a good source of sharp sand is paver sand from hardware stores. Maybe you can find something similar.

Cacti are generally tolerant of high salinity, so I think your washing method would be more than sufficient.

[geezer]

I'd be surprised if it took more than a couple rinses with fresh water

[OfCows]

Hey both,

Thanks for the feedback, greatly appreciated!

I realise it's going to be some work, but it seems like it'll take me less time than actually finding some sand to buy in my neighbourhood. Ridiculous! I'm going to have one last look at the few hardware stores, but I'm steeling myself for a lot of sieving and filtering...

[MorningDew]

Hi OC.  How bout pool supply store.  Pool filter sand works great, i believe its silica sand.  Might be wrong there, but it drains excellently

[nobody]

Look around construction sites, builders sand is usually pretty clean.

nobody

[OfCows]

Cheers for all the assistance guys! I believe I've found a large bag weighing down a fence in the park, so may go and liberate a few fistfuls to tide me over...