Under certain conditions, sand can be advantageous for plants or for plant soil. Many a hobby gardener or plant lover wonders whether bird sand can serve the same purpose. A general answer cannot be given, because it depends on the plant varieties and their demands on the soil. The expert explains when bird sand is usable and what it can bring to plants.
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bird sand ingredients
It is usually made from quartz sand, which is important for the mineral supply. While normal sand consists of relatively neutral ingredients, the sand for bird cages mainly contains lime. This is an important nutrient for birds and is often supplied by crushed mussel shells. Crushed grit is considered an aid to the digestion of birds. These are the smallest gravel particles. Furthermore, numerous bird sands contain anise mainly as oil.
effect in the soil
- Quartz sand: loosens the soil, makes it more permeable to water, is ideal for drainage
- Lime: promotes loose soil structure, vital for soil organisms, nutrient, acts as a catalyst for numerous soil functions, supports the binding of atmospheric nitrogen to roots, raises the pH value, can make fertilizer work better
- Grit: minimal soil loosening and promoting soil permeability
- Anise: keeps some pests at bay
Bird sand for plants
The sandy birdcage covering is only conditionally suitable for plants due to its ingredients. Above all, the lime contained plays an important role here, because it is passed on to the soil.
Although it brings numerous advantages, there are numerous plant varieties that are intolerant to lime or can react sensitively to it and/or cannot tolerate the resulting higher pH value of the soil.
Anyone who wants to use this type of sand for plants in principle, because it promises a loosening of the soil and improved water permeability, is often disappointed with the result. Because the sand is usually one of the fine-grained types with a grain size between 0.1 millimeters and about 0.7 millimeters, it can provide a slight optimization at most in very loamy and/or clayey soils in combination with grit (fine gravel).
When to use bird sand?
Vogelsand should only be given to plants that thrive in soil with a higher pH value and tolerate or even need lime.
Consequently, the sand can be used by birds if the pH of the soil is too low. The lime contained increases the pH value and brings it to an optimal level. However, experiments should be avoided. This means: a bird sand application should always be preceded by a measurement of the pH value, so that the soil does not get too alkaline.
Suitable plants – Mediterranean herbs
Mediterranean herbs are those that need a lot of sun and prefer occasional drought and lean soil. As a rule, they are lime-tolerant. The sand also leads to an emaciation of soil and substrates. Before planting or transplanting, you should enrich the soil/substrate with a little bird sand. This is particularly beneficial for Mediterranean pot herbs. Every six months you can lift the sand underground again for birds.
Lime-tolerant herbal plants include:
- Rosmarin (Salvia rosmarinus)
- Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
- Savory (Satureja spec.)
cacti
Cacti with leaves generally do not tolerate lime – thorny and hairy cacti, on the other hand, do. Experts even recommend incorporating lime peels. Since cacti love sandy soil structures, bird sand with lime is almost ideal. However, this should never completely replace the normal soil/cactus soil, because it could quickly be too much of a good thing. If the cacti show an unnatural paleness, too much lime has been put into the soil. Repotting is required quickly here, with more soil in a significantly higher ratio to lime sand than before.
lawn
Lime, one of the ingredients in Vogelsand, provides the lawn with an ideal base before fertilizing if the soil is too acidic. Here, too, it is advisable to check the soil pH value before administration so that the pH value does not rise above an optimal value between 6.5/7.0 as a result of the bird sand application. Administration should be avoided if the pH is above 5.5.
Bird sand with lime can improve the fertilizer effect if the soil is too acidic by stimulating the fine roots to absorb it. Moss and some weeds like to form between the grass on soil that is too acidic. Thanks to the special addition of lime using bird sand, these can be reliably destroyed.
Bird sand for pest control
Regardless of the pH level, sand for bird cages can be used for pest control and/or repellent – provided aniseed is one of the ingredients.
The smell of anise reliably keeps aphids at bay. Fungus gnats also give anise a wide berth and as a result are prevented from laying eggs in the potting soil.
It is only important that the plants are at least a little lime-tolerant, because at the latest when watering, this will pull out of the sand into the earth.
Here’s how:
- Buy regular sand for birds with anise added
- Spread a thin layer of sand over the surface of the earth
- Soil must be well dried on the surface
- Ensure that the entire upper soil area is covered
- Warmth/sun intensifies the anise smell
Antiseptic anise effect
Potted plants in particular are at increased risk of mold growth. Bird sand with added anise destroys putrefaction bacteria and accordingly prevents mold growth. If a plant shows the first signs of mold growth, an antiseptic short-term therapy with the aniseed from Vogelsand is helpful for lime-tolerant plants by generously mixing the calcareous sand into the soil. Once the plant has recovered or the mold has dissolved, it should be transplanted into fresh soil to reduce the increased lime content.
