Adding Sand To Topsoil

[Derrick Hughes]

Will adding sand to topsoil help it drain and prevent compaction or make it worse
Heavy land , lot of clay , not seen any stone , or would mixing gravel in help , its only a small area that gets used a lot

 

[Muddyroads]

Gypsum would be more effective. Can’t beat a good bit of flocculation.

 

[Billboy1]

Will adding sand to topsoil help it drain and prevent compaction or make it worse
Heavy land , lot of clay , not seen any stone , or would mixing gravel in help , its only a small area that gets used a lot

fym

 

[deleted user 837354]

Is this for a garden or something?

If it is for a garden, I would get the stuff removed to a sensible depth and buy in some proper decent topsoil.

 

[Devil's advocate]

Drains, lime, fym, narrow trenches of gravel at right angles to the stone covered drains. Always plough at right angles to the gravel trenches.

 

[M-J-G]

Will adding sand to topsoil help it drain and prevent compaction or make it worse
Heavy land , lot of clay , not seen any stone , or would mixing gravel in help , its only a small area that gets used a lot

All soils can suffer from compaction as it's mainly caused by abuse.

More sandy soils handle it slightly better but aren't immune for the issue.
How is it for mag? It tends to determine compaction more than soil type will.

Removing cores and filling with sand is common practice on pitches etc.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Is this for a garden or something?

If it is for a garden, I would get the stuff removed to a sensible depth and buy in some proper decent topsoil.

To big an area to do that ,it sticks to your boots like glue one day and like concrete the next , ive put drains in , the soil is good qualtity , just to sticky , like a good wife

 

[PSQ]

“Adding sand to fine clay particles is no different to adding sand to cement powder, you’ll end up with concrete either way”

 

[Bogweevil]

Adding grit and sand to clay is tricky - the clay particles being tiny, with vast surface area, dominate so heroic quantities of sand/grit needed (to lower the clay content to less than 30%), typically 2500 tonnes/Ha, and then much work to incorporate. If insuficient used the clay acts as cement and a concrete-like texture results in dry weather. Experiment on a small scale first?

In agriculture fly ash from coal fired power stations has been used to alter soil texture, but as it is rather high in arsenic the practice stopped.

Makes me smile to see Monty Don et all adding a few handfuls...the dolts In garden more cost effective to make raised beds for veg, plant hedges, shrubs,trees on ridges/mounds, choose wet soil tolerant plants, but turfing on a 7cm layer of coarse sand can be very effective - how some golf greens are made.

Bought in soil is usually an unlucky mixture of quarry overburden, municipal waste compost and fertiliser - it will usually do the job I suppose but cannot compare to natural soils. I assume this is your Sussex venture, Bourne Amenity based in the Weald can supply better quality soil, they do the big London landscaping projects: https://bourneamenity.co.uk/

 

[Yale]

Gravel Mole Plough

NEW Gravel Mole plough or gravel tunneller,suitable for use with tractor3 point linkage mounted, with gravel hopper,cutting disc for work in grassland,hydraulic operated door on hopper, adjustable door for control of depth of stone.was designed with the aid of computer aided design

mccordmachinery.com

 

[DrWazzock]

I’d tend to agree that sand added to clay can produce a cement-like soil. We did this when we took clay to sand to stop it blowing and obviously brought sand back to clay to keep levels right using an 80 ton scraper box.
Best results we’ve had is using horse manure that’s got loads of sawdust/wood shavings in it. Opens the clay up and doesn’t breakdown very quickly so keeps the clay open.

 

[CPF]

To big an area to do that ,it sticks to your boots like glue one day and like concrete the next , ive put drains in , the soil is good qualtity , just to sticky , like a good wife

We need to know the primary use if it’s a lawn area or vegetable patch or flower bed everyone, you can do a different method to If it’s a lawn you will not want to be digging it up so this is why I am asking this question?

 

[yoki]

Will adding sand to topsoil help it drain and prevent compaction

Yes, as any greenkeeper/groundsman will tell you.

But it takes a lot of sand, and a lot of time.

You however will have the benefit of the worms to help you whereas they kill them!

 

[onthehoof]

Love to read about when the Fens were first drained, the peat soil was fine and free draining and would simply blow away when dry so they used to dig the clay up from below often several feet down and mix it with the topsoil, known as ‘claying the land’

 

[onthehoof]

 

[ladycrofter]

We were taught:
"Put sand in clay, throw money away. Put clay in sand, money in hand".

 

[Dave W]

Will adding sand to topsoil help it drain and prevent compaction or make it worse
Heavy land , lot of clay , not seen any stone , or would mixing gravel in help , its only a small area that gets used a lot

Most sports pitches are made up of a sand soil mix so yes it’ll improve drainage

 

[CPF]

I’d tend to agree that sand added to clay can produce a cement-like soil. We did this when we took clay to sand to stop it blowing and obviously brought sand back to clay to keep levels right using an 80 ton scraper box.
Best results we’ve had is using horse manure that’s got loads of sawdust/wood shavings in it. Opens the clay up and doesn’t breakdown very quickly so keeps the clay open.

Mixing second quality green waste the woody bit into the soil keeps its aerated.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

We need to know the primary use if it’s a lawn area or vegetable patch or flower bed everyone, you can do a different method to If it’s a lawn you will not want to be digging it up so this is why I am asking this question?

Part lawn part market garden part campsite , part free range hens for starters

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Would there be any advantage or disavantage then of spreading sand on top ,
And if sand wont work what about adding 1nch to 2 inch stone