Horticultural sand is sand that has the properties a gardener needs to improve garden or potting soil for better drainage. The sand has a coarse texture, unlike beach or sandbox sand which has been polished and made soft. The grittier, sharper texture means that the particles will create more and larger gaps within the soil mixture for water, nutrients and gases to pass through. It has also been created by crushing types of stone that do not alter the soil's pH or release salts that could harm plants.

Courtesy of NYBG Plant Information Service