new turf

[liam]

I watched someone today laying turf using building sand i use a washed sand if i am turfing, will this building sand have affect on the turf i kow the fines are bad as they stop good drainage I would like to read your views please.LIAM

[Stonehenge]

Hi Liam,

I'm not familiar with using sand for laying sod (in the US, we tend to call rolls or squares of turf "sod" - not sure why). Is it spread over the existing soils to provide a bedding layer for the turf? We do that here as well, but we tend to use a more loamy, black soil (if/when it's available).

And I don't even know what building sand is - is it like a fill sand? Maybe sand just taken from a sand pit, unrefiend, and used as a topping for a turf area?

[liam]

yes building sand is as you say we use this for making cement we to use a loam but sometimes if the soil is not good a layer of washed or horticulture sand is used to aid drainage and the roots of sod will bind into it easily abit like a sand sports pitch/

[TrickyDick]

As far as drainage sand is pretty much sand. Nothing called sand that I've ever seen had true fines in it. I would think it would be fine.

[liam]

i don't want to diagree but why would you bother buying washed sand if it is all the same.if you install a sand sports pitch you put layers of small fines to the bottem to stop the larger fines of sand falling into the drains building sand has lots off small fines which when compacted is like clay some sand pitches here have the wrong saand used and this has caused drainage proplems in respect liam