Sandstone for cacti

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ElieEstephane
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Sandstone for cacti

Post by ElieEstephane »

I was in the line of oil and gas before moving to cement and back then, finding oil or gas in a sandstone formation was the best thing you could ask for. That's because sandstone is very porous and more importantly very permeable (porosity is connected). Now suddenly it seems to me that due to these qualities and due to being inert, sandstone grit could be a very good and cheap soil component for growing cacti (ot any other plant for that matter).
I will have to get some sandstone grit and do some experiments. In the meantime, has anyone tried it?
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a) :mrgreen:
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TimN
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Re: Sandstone for cacti

Post by TimN »

The only issue I see is that sandstone will dissolve in acid. Well, the carbonate bonds that hold the quartz sand grains together will dissolve, the sand itself is pretty durable. If you're acidifying your water it will turn the sandstone back to sand, if you're not, it might work. I've never seen sandstone grit, but I haven't really looked, either. Keep us posted if you decide to experiment.
Disclaimer: I'm in sunny Arizona, so any advice I give may not apply in your circumstances.

Tim
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ElieEstephane
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Re: Sandstone for cacti

Post by ElieEstephane »

TimN wrote: Fri Jan 19, 2018 5:57 pm The only issue I see is that sandstone will dissolve in acid. Well, the carbonate bonds that hold the quartz sand grains together will dissolve, the sand itself is pretty durable. If you're acidifying your water it will turn the sandstone back to sand, if you're not, it might work. I've never seen sandstone grit, but I haven't really looked, either. Keep us posted if you decide to experiment.
Well it's not grit per se, but i'll get a bunch of rocks and reduce the size. That should be easy. Of course, i'll look into trying to acquire smaller particles first.
I will keep this thread updated as i go along.
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a) :mrgreen:
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ElieEstephane
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Re: Sandstone for cacti

Post by ElieEstephane »

Found what i was looking for
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There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a) :mrgreen:
DaveW
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Re: Sandstone for cacti

Post by DaveW »

I would test the PH of the sandstone since Wikipedia says sandstone is cemented together by:-

"The most common cementing materials are silica and calcium carbonate, which are often derived either from dissolution or from alteration of the sand after it was buried."

And S. American cacti generally don't like alkalinity.
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ElieEstephane
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Re: Sandstone for cacti

Post by ElieEstephane »

Good point Dave. It must have slipped my mind. But cementimg agents are present in very small wt% so i don't imagine the pH would be too high. Nevertheless, i will be experimenting
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a) :mrgreen:
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