Earth & Green focuses on supporting garden professionals to achieve the best horticultural results. Following our expert guidance and know-how, gardeners can achieve more across the seasons, whether that’s creating the perfect environment to encourage healthy plant growth, crafting garden feature areas or simply improving soil conditions. Each product supports specific horticultural tasks, so to be sure which is right for your project, follow our guidance below.
Horticultural grade, Lime-free washed quartzite grit, perfect for:
Reduce the risk of stem rot by adding a deep collar of Horticultural Alpine Grit around your plants after potting or planting-up. Using Horticultural Alpine Grit also preserves moisture, reduces weed growth and supports compost from collapsing too quickly.
Alpines like well-drained soil and are used to growing at high altitude above tree level in arid conditions. When creating a rock garden, plant succulents and other rockery plants a little higher, using a 2cm (½in) deep collar of Horticultural Alpine Grit.
Dry stone walls can be built as freestanding structures or for supporting a bank. Ideally, plant as the dry wall is being built in layers. Spread out the roots and cover with 2.5cm (1 inch) soil mix in equal parts. Loam, peat substitute and Horticultural Alpine Grit would be ideal for this purpose. Before adding the next layer of stones, try placing a few pebbles around the roots to keep the joint open.
Horticultural grade, washed, lime-free grit sand, perfect for:
Add approx. 30 percent Horticultural Grit Sand to compost (by volume) to create a great, free draining potting material. Ensure you mix well to recreate a plants natural growing environment and to prevent waterlogging. We recommend you re-pot plants in Spring into a slightly larger container.
To improve drainage and aeration in heavy soils, add small pockets of Horticultural Grit Sand. Using the product in channels helps to leave a path for water, so be cautious not to mix this in, or over work it to avoid clay soils becoming sticky and compacted.
Create the perfect planting mix for Alpine and rockery plants by mixing one part loam, to one part Horticultural Grit Sand and one part coir or leafmould. If building a rock garden, we recommend using approx. 3 inches (7.5 cm.) of horticultural-grade sand as a central layer between the foundation and soil mix, since it is clean and free of salts that may harm plant roots.
Horticultural grade, washed & graded coarse granular sand, perfect for:
Horticultural Sharp Sand is the perfect choice for sowing your seeds and cuttings as it prevents over-watering and the formation of fungal diseases in your plants. To create the perfect mix, blend 1 part sand to 4 parts soil or loam. Mixing Horticultural Sharp Sand with heavy soils helps with aeration and drainage, particularly in clay as it helps to create the perfect environment for healthy plant growth. Apply one shovel of Horticultural Sharp Sand to every square metre of heavy soil.
Horticultural Sharp Sand is perfect for use on greenhouse warming benches. Use a bench at least 10cm (4 inches) deep and prepare the bed with an even, flat 2.5cm (1 inch) covering of fine gravel. Layer this with the same amount of Horticultural Sharp Sand, then lay soil-warming cables and cover with a further layer 2.5cm (1 inch) layer of sand. Finally cover the surface with soil and either plant directly into the newly created bed or use as a base in which to stand your pots on.
Horticultural grade, lime-free washed granite angular grit, perfect for:
Drainage in heavy or clay-based soils can be instantly improved by adding Horticultural Potting Grit. Adding this will allow water to freely drain away and avoid the soil becoming sticky, which promotes healthier conditions for plants to thrive. We recommend blending Horticultural Potting Grit, loam and leafmoud or coir equally (1 part each) to create the perfect planting and rock garden mix.
When germinating seeds, cover pots and trays with a fine sprinkle of grit. This enables them to retain moisture as they grow.
If you’re creating a pond, Horticultural Potting Grit is a great anchor for aquatic plants and prevents fish from stirring up the soil beneath. We recommend using a heavy loam which won't float to the surface of the pond. You can buy specialist aquatic compost or use heavy garden soil, provided that it is free from fertilisers and contaminants such as herbicide. To anchor plants, add a deep collar of Horticultural Potting Grit around plants. This is particularly useful when planting tall pond plants or when planting into flowing water.
Horticultural grade, washed quartzite gravel, perfect for:
As well as being a popular decorative aggregate, Horticultural Washed Gravel is the perfect choice for top-dressing borders, potted plants and hanging baskets, and is frequently used for crocking and drainage as well as in rock gardens. Adding a layer of gravel will minimise water loss and prevent weeds from germinating.
Gravel is also a popular choice for mulch around plants. Adding 6cm (2.5 inch) of Horticultural Washed Gravel will promote the drought-resistance properties of your garden.
Create a Scree garden by digging down and replacing soil with a mixture of crocks. Top soil for a scree garden can be achieved by blending 2 parts top soil and Horticultural Washed Gravel to 1 part Horticultural Sharp Sand. Dress with a 4cm layer of Horticultural Potting Grit and this will enable you to create the perfect environment for alpines and succulents to thrive.