By Nigelallam
United Kingdom 
I want to plant my new cranberries and need to apply a layer of coarse lime-free sand after planting to make sure the bed doesn't dry out. Nobody can confirm if generally available garden coarse sand is lime-free and I cannot track down any product that says it is lime-free. Can you confirm if garden friendly coarse sand is lime-free?
3 Feb, 2011
The only thing to do is test it yourself, Nigel. The piles of bags of sand, compost or whatever in garden centers usually have one that has burst open. Stick a handful in a bag and shove it in your pocket (ask permission if you feel guilty).
I get my sand direct from the local quarry and I know that we are in a lime free area. Check out your local geology and see if the same applies to you.
3 Feb, 2011