Date: Tue, 16 May 2000 14:19:23 -0700 From: Robert Ziemer <rrz7001@axe.humboldt.edu> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg1564$foo@default> Subject: Silica Sand
> You must use SILICA sand, because it is slightly acidic, it retains
> moisture, and the mix with the Sphagnum more closely resembles the natural
> habitat of CPs.
The above is part of a recent message from "Strata, Inc."
<strata@flash.net> in a response to a question from Kit. Several times I
have read in the CP digest the comment that silica sand retains
moisture, suggesting that silica sand retains more moisture than other
types of sand. Is the "retains moisture" statement intended to suggest
that silica sand particle somehow absorbs moisture, in addition to
retaining moisture by capillary tension on the sand surface and
interstices? Moisture retention is related to the surface area of the
sand particles, which is a function of grain size and shape. Silica sand
is preferred by CP growers to other kinds of sand because it is inert
and does not weather or decompose into "soil". Silica sand is used by
sand blasters because of its hardness and resistance to abrasion. Pure
silica sand (quartz sand) is what glass is made of. What am I missing?
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