SWC and using sand as the medium

16 years ago

After trial and error of trying out pre-made container mixes and making my own using recipes like gritty mix. I found a common problem what to do with all that used and broken down soil material. For a test I decided to try out a primary sand mix in a homemade SWC. I figured that that once a year I could pull the plant out and wash out the soil and use a majority of the sand again.

My only concerns were that the sand was not going to drain properly or dry out to fast. However this problem seems to be addressed with the SWC design and wicking action.

What I did was take a hardy kiwi and planted it in a 18 gallon tote in the late fall. I added a little lime and did a mix of about 90% sand and 10% compost. I simply used the play sand from Lowes (I washed my sand before use to remove smaller particles). I then topped the container with a nice layer of pine bark.

The results show a very vigorous and healthy looking plant. The kiwi in the SWC with sand is more vigorous compared to other kiwis (the other kiwis are in a premium soil mix and a standard container). However, I do not have comparative results with the same variety in a similar setting with a different soil mix.

I just wanted others to know that you can grow a plants in a container with just mainly sand, and get great results. I did this test to mainly cut down on costs associated with container mixes. I believe this mainly sand mix would work better in plants that like there roots drier between waterings (citrus and avocados).

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Comments (7)

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
16 years ago
How long have you been experimenting?
Do you have any comparative pics to display your results?

Josh
nullzero
Original Author
16 years ago
I have been testing it for about 9 to 10 months now. All the plants are on the same fertilization schedule. The differences however are the size of the container and variety. All kiwis are hardy kiwis however they are all different varieties.

This is by no means a scientific comparison. Its just observing results and what is performing better then its peers. The factors on what makes the kiwi more vigorous and healthy could be a combination of; larger container, self watering system, variety, and use of sand.

I would also like to note that this kiwi was in the same size container and same soil mix, until I transplanted it in the fall. I noticed immediate results this season doing this and I plan to move the rest of my kiwis in 18 gallon SWC totes with primary sand mix.

The only issue with sand is the weight (I would recommend using sand mainly in a 5-10 gallon size). The weight is manageable for me, however I am a male in my 20s. I would possibly recommend putting wheels on the bottom of the homemade SWC container (for ease of movement).
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nullzero
Original Author
16 years ago
I forgot to add, I can take pictures to show the difference of the same age kiwi plants. I will have to dig through my pictures to see if I can find good pictures showing my kiwis last year.
gardenathome
16 years ago
Hi, Nullzero! :-) We've been using sand in our own mix as well. While we would prefer perlite and all the goodies, it wasn't as economical for us and so we started using sand.

Initially, we also shared the same concern you had as to whether it would drain fast enough. So we started with 30% in our mix, then 50%. Looks like, we can start increasing the volume for our new plants and trees. :-) It has been a good alternative for us and the plants are taking a liking to it. :-)

The 2 ingredients in this mix are readily available which is another advantage for us. The weight can be managed as you mentioned with wheels beneath the containers. I surely can't move the pots myself! :-)
nullzero
Original Author
16 years ago
gardenathome,

Good to hear others are using similar mixes. Do you use a SWC container? If you don't I would recommend looking into creating one to use with sand.
gardenathome
16 years ago
Hi, Nullzero! No, we're not using SWCs yet but we want to. :-) How are yours like? :-)
nullzero
Original Author
16 years ago
I will take some pictures of the container and plants later today.