# Sand Analysis



## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

@cbagz - you had a nice writeup on Sand/Sieve analysis - any thoughts on this stuff?

I reel mow and just want to make sure I'm about to put the right stuff done.

Any sand/soil nerds out there can chime in as well - much appreciated!

TIA!


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

Just a heads up for those following and waiting for potential answers - I drove by the yard to check it out. Looks like good sand to me. Hopefully it gets the job done with leveling!


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## viva_oldtrafford (Apr 4, 2018)

I would seek clarification on the Fine %. We have 5 types of sand - very coarse, coarse, medium, fine, very fine (aka silt). They don't give you the VC - ok, not the end of the world, VC is hard to come by in a decent mix...however, they're saying you have 36% fine...but no very fine??? Makes no sense. Did they not have that sieve? We consider VFS to be silt, so if they're missing out on VFS, your silt number could be much, much higher. That's no good.

I dislike this sand due to its very high Fine content. Anytime we topdress, I'm looking for a mix that is at minimum 70% in coarse and medium combined...the higher the better, so 80% would be great too. Personally, I would steer clear of this mix...but sometimes you just have to make lemonade.


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

viva_oldtrafford said:


> I would seek clarification on the Fine %. We have 5 types of sand - very coarse, coarse, medium, fine, very fine (aka silt). They don't give you the VC - ok, not the end of the world, VC is hard to come by in a decent mix...however, they're saying you have 36% fine...but no very fine??? Makes no sense. Did they not have that sieve? We consider VFS to be silt, so if they're missing out on VFS, your silt number could be much, much higher. That's no good.
> 
> I dislike this sand due to its very high Fine content. Anytime we topdress, I'm looking for a mix that is at minimum 70% in coarse and medium combined...the higher the better, so 80% would be great too. Personally, I would steer clear of this mix...but sometimes you just have to make lemonade.


Thank you for the response!

Interesting take - all along I was worried about trying to get the finest sand for topdressing. Didn't even think about it needing a certain % of medium/coarse to actually get into nooks and crannies to level the lawn!

It states 1.1% under silt/clay.

They had utility sand right next to the mason sand - I should have checked that out but already put my order.

I'm taking the sieve Analysis with a grain of salt because it's from 2020...I will say that the sand was very fine when I checked it out today. Again I thought that was a good thing. You live and learn!


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

For those following or interested in this topic.

https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/course-care/green-section-record/57/9/light-and-frequent-topdressing-programs.html

Just going for "mason sand" isn't always ideal, however, using that is better than not topdressing at all for various purposes noted in the article.


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## lawn-wolverine (Aug 15, 2021)

I wonder what "play sand" is. I have been told to steer clear, but like with almost anything, "like a box of chocolates, ya never (exactly) know what your gonna get".
I have seen fairly DIFFERENT "play sand" from the same store and same packager. Two bags were clean as can be and another had small pea gravel mixed throughout.
This play sand that I sorta liked and did use some to top dress was a medium color (not whitish) and to my uneducated feel by hand, sort of medium (not real coarse, but definitely not that powdery beach sand we hand encountered on some, well, beaches)!!


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

lawn-wolverine said:


> I wonder what "play sand" is. I have been told to steer clear, but like with almost anything, "like a box of chocolates, ya never (exactly) know what your gonna get").
> I have seen fairly DIFFERENT "play sand" from the same store and same packager. Two bags were clean as can be and another had small pea gravel mixed throughout.
> This play sand that I sorta liked and did use some to top dress was a medium color (not whitish) and to my uneducated feel by hand, sort of medium (not real coarse, but definitely not that powdery beach sand we hand encountered on some, well, beaches)!!


haha - well said. I know it's topdressing season up North - I may have opened up a can of worms here! Everyone ask their sand supplier for a sieve analysis ASAP and report back - :lol:


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## lawn-wolverine (Aug 15, 2021)

JerseyGreens said:


> lawn-wolverine said:
> 
> 
> > I wonder what "play sand" is. I have been told to steer clear, but like with almost anything, "like a box of chocolates, ya never (exactly) know what your gonna get").
> ...


Great response and may I take this opportunity to THANK you for all of your outstanding contributions to this board !
Ya know…in our little semi-rural community of Escanaba (U.P.) Michigan, if I asked the local "sand supplier" for a sieve analysis ASAP and report back…I kinda know what the response would be…and it would NOT be 'pretty.' Something like "Go POUND SAND !!"🤣


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## JerseyGreens (Aug 30, 2019)

lawn-wolverine said:


> JerseyGreens said:
> 
> 
> > lawn-wolverine said:
> ...


Man I tell you what - being in Jersey I thought I was going to get Wacked Sopranos style for asking such a question but they emailed it to me right away.

And for the contributions - I'm just passing back the knowledge given to me here with my own little twists.


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