Do not use beach sand as it is full of salt. Builders sand available at any builders supply or Home Depot or Lowes. Al

Beach sand is also worn and rounded, not sharp. The particles need to have sharp edges so that pore spaces are formed. There is no reason why you cannot find a bag of builder's sand at any hardware or building supply store.

The people who install tile and grout have several sizes of 'silica sand' or 'sharp sand'. It is avaible at builders supply as calistoga noted above. Furthermore it is quite clean and is not expensive and comes in sturdy sacks.

When looking for sand you must have COARSE sand, called sharp, but I never had luck finding it so I improvised. Go to any Lowe's or Home Depot and get some "leveling sand" used for leveling paving stones. Use some regular window screen (you can get that there as well)and wash the sand in a flat with sides and the screen on the bottom. What you will end up with is perfect for misting/rooting plants. Let me know how it works, I've been doing this for a few years and it works for me. Bob MaplesNMore@aol.com

You can also use med or large chicken grit available at feedstores.

Go to a local builders supply place (not necessarily a big box like Home Depot). The smaller kind that have big piles of sand, gravel, etc...sitting on the lot somewhere. Our local chain is called "Webbs Concrete & Building Supply" but most towns have something similar. I can buy a half ton of coarse builders sand (they also sell finer masonry sand which is not what you want) for only $13.00 and they load it on your truck with a tractor or bobcat. A full ton is priced around $20. A 1/2 ton is all my little pick up can haul without breaking an axle lol. I have an intermittent mist propagation bed that is 8' x 5' and about 8" deep and a 1/2 ton is more than enough to fill it.

Good luck with your system! Sincerely, Squirrellypete