What is horticultural grit?

I live in Sweden, watch Gardener's World, and have asked various gardening sites over here what horticultural grit might be, and where can I buy it. Problem is, over here, they've never heard of it - google translates it to "trädgårdsgrus", which is basically the gravel you put down in walkways. 

I think it'd be great to have some to lighten up the soil, but please, can someone explain what it is, where it comes from, and how I might get some over here in the lovely land of the swedes...

I'll be happy to hear from him!

To my mind horticultural grit is just fine grit to aid drainage-have you looked in garden centres or failing that the equivalent of builders merchants?

Or send him a message............

Figrat: I love the quick responses! I just signed up an hour ago, so I didn't know I could "call" Swedboy, but I will try that now. 

Sotongeoff: When I go to garden centers, they just show me the walkway stuff, which is often hard material, rounded sea pebbles or crushed granit. It doesn't look like the stuff in the videos, which looks more like sandstone or something sedimentary, doesn't it? I think it might just att weight to the soil, rather than increase porosity and water runoff. 

Ah well, thanks ever so much for the replies so far, and I will repost shortly with a call in for Swedboy. 

Cheers!

A small size gravel of between 1 and 6mm used as a soil improver

Crushed granite is often used as Horticultural grit, as is crushed limestone. Depending on what you want to use it for and how acidic or alkaline your soil is you can use one or the other. Small sea pebbles (rounded grit) is not really much use as an aid to drainage, the material should be angular so that there are many faces on each individual piece.

Thanks! I will try the gravel that they sell here then. 

I couldn't get hold of horticultural grit either (normally out of stock at my local b&q), so I've used sharp sand in it's place, and it seems to be OK - used to improve drainage & keep slugs away from my lilly bulbs.  Maybe you could see if you can use that instead?  I got it from my local builder's merchants, and it was a fraction of the price of horticultural grit.  I'm just a beginner though, I don't know if any more experienced gardeners would recommend this.  My tree lillies are starting to poke their heads through the soil though, so *I think* it's working.

Hi Julie,  Yes, sharp sand is fine (like horticultural grit, it is made from crushed rocks, hence the 'sharp' bit in the name.)  It can be a bit variable in grain size so I grade mine using a sieve with holes about 5mm - the stuff that doesn't fall through goes into my grit bucket, the rest mixed with compost for general use.  As you say, it's much cheaper as you can get it from a builders merchant.

I just found a new builder's merchant with a great selection and good prices, so I will run along there and collect some!