graded and screened so less chance of nasties, but interested how it turns outIt depends a little bit on how much you use, and whether it was <"JI No3 etc">. A lot of people have used the <"potting soil they sell for Water Lilies"> etc successfully. I've not tried it, but I think <"Westland Aquatic Compost"> is the preferred option. @Tim Harrison is your "go to" <"source for soil based tanks">.
Personally, I'm like @Affinis and it is <"mole hills for me">. The rationale is that the moles are after earthworms and earthworms aren't going to be abundant in polluted soil.
Should be fine, the matrix holding the sand grains together might be soft, but the grains themselves are quartz and really hard.
Just don't add much in.
If I'm honest it may not be comprising of sandstone, I think it's just because further up stream there's a sand stone bridge and I'm putting 2 and 2 and getting five.
Where is it? I know you are in W. Cumbria, so you have <"sandstone deposits"> at the coast.
It could be where it <"crosses the sandstone">, or it might be water worked glacial till, or possibly loess (or other aeolian deposit) from periglacial conditions.
My thoughts as well, you honestly couldn't live in a better place for pyo decor. You've got complex geology, with a lot of different old hard rocks, glacial deposits with erratics etc., some huge storm beaches with driftwood, heather moorland and trees like Junipers and Oaks.
There's a pub at the bottom of my hill called the Distressed Sailor which seems like an odd name for a boozer so far inland, don't know how true it is but apparently it was called this because ships used to be able to sail from Whitehaven Harbour to St Bees along that route. The water was drained out when the Harbour was built and gates were put on. Probably is about right though, the valley between the harbours is extremely prone to flooding, a few years ago someone forgot to open the gates and flooded the entire area. There's house built in that valley called Mirehouse. Clues in the name
Always been a bit cagey with wood, very difficult for the layman to know what tree it used to be and some like pine I hear a no no. The sand is good though other than its reddish colour, doesn't look dissimilar to builders sand. In fact when you work in construction round our way you tend to find most of the concrete slabs or in founds are made up of pebbles rather than stone. Some of the larger construction companies own the rights to quarry off designated beaches.
Probably sea sand then, but it doesn't sound like it has much maerl or shell in it. I wouldn't have any reservations about using it.
Any bits of wood that don't smell resiny and/or have lost their bark should be fine.
Just to clarify mate the river I was collecting from is nowhere near that area, it's a lot further inland. What you said first is probably right, the river banks upstream are sandy so it probably washed down from there and settled on the bend forming a beach areas. i wouldn't like to dig in the banks further up because of the fact birds are nesting in them. I assume they're birds anyway. Not sure what other animal would dig holes out of the sand banks.
