Is Beach Sand Good For Plants? (Gardening Experts Comment)

For your plants to grow strongly, you’ll need to make sure that you are getting the right soil. The good news is that beach sand is easily available, which can make it a tempting choice for some gardeners. But how will plants respond to the beach soil?

Beach sand is not good for plants because it contains salt that will kill your plant. Beach sand will absorb a lot of water and won’t provide it to the plant. It also does not contain much nutrients for your plant.

Just because you can use sand for plants doesn’t mean that you should. Keep reading to learn more about this soil type and how it might impact your garden. 

Is beach sand good for plants?

Though beach sand is cheap and easily available, that doesn’t mean that it makes a good choice for your garden. One of the biggest problems that you will encounter is the high salt content. This can be a major problem. Many plants won’t be accustomed to this high level of salt. 

Sometimes, the plants will have a mechanism that allows them to react to these conditions. They will produce more sugars. However, this can limit the amount of growth they get. As a result, you will need to get plants that have adapted to this type of harsh environment. We’ll talk about some of them a little later.

Beach sand shouldn’t be used for any plants except for those that grow at the beach. Beach sand can have high amounts of salt in it. The salt can damage plants that grow in other environments. – Brian Walker, Founder, The Landscape Tutor

Also, the high salt content means that the sand will absorb the water. As a result, the plants won’t be getting the water that they require to survive. 

Another issue lies in how the sand is shaped. It is known for being small and smooth. As a result, it can become tightly packed together. When this happens, there is a risk that the water won’t be getting through to the plants. Without this flow of nutrients, the plant can die off. 

What plants grow well in beach sand?

The harsh conditions of beach sand won’t be suitable for most plants. However, if you get the right type of plant, it can grow well in sandy soil. Here are some species that you might want to consider: 

• Succulents 
• Cacti
• Sandy grasses
• Lavender
• Butterfly weed
• Wormwood

It can be a good idea to visit your local beach. Look at some of the vegetation that is naturally formed in the sand. As we’ll discuss later, you can mix clay with the sand. This will create an environment that will suit a wider array of species. 

Yes, but usually in moderation.  Healthy soil is composed of equal (or near-equal) amounts of sand, silt, and clay.  Beach sand is great to use as a soil additive, especially if you’re making your own potting mix.  Sand alone isn’t a great idea because it has too much drainage and will not hold water or nutrients. – Shelby DeVore, Founder of Farminence

How do you clean beach sand for plants?

One of the best ways to reduce the risk of beach sand is by washing it out properly. This will remove a lot of the salt. It will also get rid of any pests which might harm your plants. Here are the steps you’ll need to follow when cleaning the sand: 

1. Get a bucket with a small hole in the bottom
2. Place the sand on the top of the bucket, mixing it with a lot of water
3. Let the sand fall through the hole in the bucket
4. As you are doing this, monitor the salt content. You can do this using a salt meter, which you might find at local hardware stores or you can buy one online.  
5. Keep doing this until the salt content in the sand has dropped to more manageable levels. 

Does beach sand have nutrients?

Beach sand is low in nutrients. Even if you add in nutrients using a fertilizer, it won’t retain the nutrients as well. Watering the sand will leach out the nutrients. Beach sand has a high amount of salt, which can be detrimental to your plants.

Can you add beach sand to soil?

You should not add beach sand to soil because it is low in nutrients and contains too much salt. The beach sand will also absorb moisture and not drain well.

When you are purchasing soil mixes from the hardware store, it’s common for them to contain some sand. Often, this won’t be beach sand. Often it will be specially made silica.

This isn’t included in the mix to provide any nutritional content. Instead, it will be included to increase the drainage of the soil, allowing the water to get to the roots of the plants. 

You can use this at home, as a way of improving compost. It won’t be very beneficial for any other type of soil. These soils are known for having some problems with drainage.

Adding some beach sand can be a good way of solving this issue, as long as you have washed the beach sand first, to remove as much salt as possible. 

How much sand you want to add will depend on the type of compost you have. Too little and it will have no effect. Too much, and it won’t be able to hold water properly. 

While sand can be a good additive to soil to improve drainage – plants won’t grow in a 100% sand composition – there is a reason you don’t see lush vegetation on sandy dunes. Beach sand can contain salt which is harmful to plants (this can be mitigated by rinsing the sand). Other issues with using too much sand include improper water retention and lack of nutrient availability. – Robert Mercer, Director, Online Turf

Can you use beach sand in potting mix?

You cannot use beach sand in potting mix because it contains a lot of salt and lacks nutrients. The beach sand will also retain moisture and reduce drainage in the potting mix.

In most cases, you won’t need to add any sand to a potting mix. It will already have plenty of drainage and we’ve established that you won’t be adding any nutrients. However, there are a few circumstances in which beach sand can come in useful.  

First, some plants will need drier soils. This can be common with some types of herbs. Adding a little more beach sand will improve drainage. 

Another potential issue is that the potting mix isn’t draining properly. This is rarer, but might be a concern, especially if you are mixing it with homemade compost which has a high clay content. There is a simple test you can do to see if this will help your plants. You just need to follow these steps: 

1. Put the potting mix into a small pot. 
2. Add water to the top, saturating the soil. 
3. Start timing, seeing how long it takes to drain. Ideally, it should only take one to two minutes. If it takes longer, you might need to think about adding some cleaned beach sand.

Is building sand good for plants?

Building sand is not good for plants if it is too fine because adding water will harden it and prevent drainage. If you can get some coarse building sand, you can use it in your garden.

This can be a good way of increasing the amount of drainage. You should be able to find the right type of sand at most landscaping centers. 

Is river sand good for plants?

River sand is good for plants because you can use it to improve the drainage when the soil contains a lot of clay. It does not contain any salt like beach salt.

Is black sand good for plants?

Black sand is not good for plants because it may be high in zinc and copper that can cause damage to the plants.