In the spring I done away with my 5ft fish tank. I emptied over a barrow load of grit from it and dug it in around various plants and topped the strawberry bed with a good 1/2" as a slug deterrent. Any grit for aquaria will be inert so it would be ok to use and is often granite chips. It's generally quite small particle sizes though and I imagine relatively expensive. I pay £12 for 3 25kg bags at a local nursery
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I have a similar problem and was planning to post a question until I found this old thread. Will this posting get picked up as the original thread is 4 years old?
I live in Belgium and cannot find horticultural grit for potting mixes. I have found bags of lava in the garden centre which comes in different sizes ie <5mm and 6-10mm. The latter feels more like grit but is a bit coarse whilst the finer type is like a coarse sand.
As it is all I can find, I presume that it is what is generally used but I am a bit bemused by the lack of information / knowledge in local nurseries - as if grit is not used!
I see in the thread references to pumice which I guess is basically the same thing.
Does anyone have experience of using this product? Am I correct in using it as an alternative to horticultural grit?
Can you get perlite? which is almost like pumice It works in a similar fashion to grit, but whereas grit will last forever, perlite will disintegrate over a few years. Failing that, surely you can get some small gravel? - not quite as sharp as grit, but will do a similar job.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I live in SW France and haven't found grit. I've never needed it for pots, compost drains with no problem. It's more of a problem to keep it watered enough in summer.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
I must confess that I buy my horticultural grit online - on occasions through Amazon.
I buy 20kg at a time, and it's delivered to the front door.
Yes, it's expensive that way, but I basically know what I'm getting. 20kg doesn't go that far, but it saves me hassle. I don't drive, and 20kg is a lot for me to carry on the bus - and I still have to walk the last half a mile.
I get my grit in bags from our local Notcutt’s garden centre … at the beginning of the season they have it in several grades but later on you have to take what they have or they’ll order it in. They will deliver locally.
I know that pumice works well in potting mixes for cacti and succulents, and I can’t see why it wouldn’t work as an inclusion in a more general potting mix … providing its affordable.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
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I emptied over a barrow load of grit from it and dug it in around various plants and topped the strawberry bed with a good 1/2" as a slug deterrent.
Any grit for aquaria will be inert so it would be ok to use and is often granite chips.
It's generally quite small particle sizes though and I imagine relatively expensive.
I pay £12 for 3 25kg bags at a local nursery
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
It works in a similar fashion to grit, but whereas grit will last forever, perlite will disintegrate over a few years.
Failing that, surely you can get some small gravel? - not quite as sharp as grit, but will do a similar job.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
I buy 20kg at a time, and it's delivered to the front door.
Yes, it's expensive that way, but I basically know what I'm getting. 20kg doesn't go that far, but it saves me hassle. I don't drive, and 20kg is a lot for me to carry on the bus - and I still have to walk the last half a mile.
Online, the choice is convenient.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.