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Use of sand

It seems many people use sand in their CP mix.  Why is that?  I don't understand how the sand helps.  I heard that it keeps the mix light and aerated.  This doesn't make sense to me.  It seems sand would compact down quite easily.  So what is the purpose of having sand in the mix?  I'm making a mix for my pygmy gemmae (they should arrive in a week  
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 ).  How much sand should I use?  Thanks.
 
I'm no expert on this so get others opinion, but this is what I use. I use 1/2 sand and 1/2 peat sometimes I throw in a little dried sphagnum moss.
I can't answer the technical questions about the sand and drainage but if you mix 50/50 peat/sand it looks and feels just like the sand that most cp's naturally grow in, including vft's some sundews and some pitcher plants.
Take this mix and pour in some water, you should see water coming out the bottom of the pot immediately. Then you know it has good drainage.
I hope this answers some of your questions.
 
Sand does make the mix quite heavy but water flows through it quite well. Of course you must remeber the grade of sand you use determines how fast water will flow from it. Fine grade= quite slow water drainage. Med. grade equals better water drainage and Coarse or Large grade means fast drainage.
 
It depends on the pygmie species that you are growing to determine the amount of sand they prefer. Some like alot of it, and some prefer a little more peat than that.

COle
 
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