Chick grit (or chicken starter grit) is the fine (smallest) grade. The bags are usually labeled "starter" or "fine", for chicks, not chickens. This is the size often used as a seed topping, if you are mixing into the sowing/growing medium to improve drainage you could go one grade up but not necessary.

50#, if you are using to top seed pots, is going to last you a VERY long time :) My local farm store sells by the pound, my choice of how much.

I'll weigh in with morz8 on both the size and the amount. I've used 1 lb. so far on 800 containers. Unless you have a secondary use for the other 49 lbs., that's a lot to find space for storing.

Thank you, I got it.

What do you need the grit for?

Trudy, it will help to make good soil contact for those seeds that need some light to germinate. Helps to prevent mosses and algae from growing on top containers you know are going to take a long time to germinate and be with you a while - some even until next year. It will even help to prevent overly wet seeds, they aren't covered with a soggy medium but a quick drying material that doesn't soak up moisture instead. Same goes for seedlings that are sensitive to excess moisture (I have to be pretty careful of that in my climate)...the material around the developing seedling crown is dry.

And where many of my containers are open to the weather (which may well be location specific to my climate), it keeps the seeds from being moved around by a gully washer rain :) I don't know how important in other parts of the country but I find grit helpful in mine.

And I apologize for the 'Trudy' - I know better, know it's not "Y". My mothers best friend spells her name with y and I had addressed and mailed her Christmas card today :)

Thanks for the info on the grit, I assumed it was something to do with seed stabilization. Don't worry about the name, I have more than a few acquaintances that call me Judy. LOL. Funny thing is that Hub's name is Steve but most folk call him David, he says "I don't care what they call me as long as they don't call me late for dinner."

Several years back I used to sow some kiddie pools each winter. It was a big do to get them filled with soil, sometimes it was a somewhat chippy mix, slightly barky. The soil would filter itself with the heavier particles moving down and the barky flakes rising to the top. When it all started to germinate most of the time the seedlings would push up the barky flakes, but some of them were hunks not flakes and needed to be lightly swept away with my fingers. I can see how a top dressing of grit might help in keeping things in place.

Fine horticultural vermiculite seems to do the same, and it can be bought in 1 lb. bags at nurseries. I've been using the same bag for years.

Karen

Some really good ideas here.

ladyrose65 - I don't recall where I first read about it but it made sense and, judging by the truly amazing germination I get, I'll continue to add the step just before sticking the label in and closing the jug.

{{gwi:346747}}

Keep in mind that if you've bought too much, you can use grit (which is typically ground granite or other hard stone) in other ways.

As an amendment to potting soil as you're repotting house plants.

Mixed into birdseed for your winter birdfeeders--the real commercial intent is to help poultry "grind" corn and seed material into palatable nutrients.

For those of you with farm neighbors who have poultry--you can often ask for a scoopful for nothing. Poultry owners generally have it on hand. Saves $$ buying it for a gardening purpose.

I bought #50 lbs of it, the only place i could find it within a reasonable distance since I have no wheels and have to get rides.

Do I still need to cover with soil too? I guess a little bit.
Thank you Gardenweed for your photo illustration makes it so much easier to visualize. My grit looks a little more coarse than yours, the store said it was the one used for chicks (the smallest they had) so I bought it. It costed 9 dollars. If I asked them to split it into 25lbs they only took off aobut a buck and a quarter, so bought the whole lot.

I do like all the benefits mentioned by morz8

Well here goes nothing
going to sow my first container today,
a bit nervous.
On how much soil to cover seeds with,
I'll probably cover with aobut 1/8 of finely ground soil and a tsp of grit.
Micki

Micki - you don't need to cover the seeds. They'll make contact with the soil/growing mix over the course of the winter same as they would if they fell on the ground. Mother nature doesn't cover them except with falling leaves (maybe) and snow.

For anyone wanting a small amount of fine grit, I just buy the small boxes of budgie gravel, for sale at pet supply stores or grocery stores. It works great. Love it. Even a small box lasts me a long time if sprinkled lightly over the soil surface after sowing.

In my area Walmart has Hartz brand Gravel 'n Grit 1#14oz about the size of a box of powdered sugar. There's a picture of a blue parakeet & a zebra finch on the box.