[Grasshopper]

I know you can't dig in compost where you're going to sow next years roots but I have some leaf compost that I wanted to dig in to improve my very heavy soil. Can it be added without affecting the roots or will they still fork?

[alfman]

Can't see it doing anything but good Grasshopper. It'll improve your clay soil and I can't see it having the same effect as compost.
                                                                                 Alfman Cottingham

[gobs]

I think Alfman meant to compare it to manure there. Quite right, too.

I grow a lot of my roots in compost, nothing to worry about that.

[Pete C]

So, you don't manure beds for roots then? (steep learning curve here)

[DD.]

Nope - makes them "fork".

[Pete C]

Thanks DD

[Grasshopper]

Thanks everybody, I'll get on with that today

[robbodaveuk]

Is it the lumpy bits in manure that makes them fork, or is it just too rich and produces excess growth?

  Robbo.

[gobs]

The richness of the manure is accused but lumps in the soil can cause it too and so a number of other things.

[Ice]

Think I saw something on tv that said if the soil is too rich the carrot won't bother going downwards to look for nutrients but will branch out where it is to take advantage of the food available.  Could be wrong, but it sounds right.  That and the stones too.

[alfman]

Another no-no about manure is don't put it on daffodils. It'll stop them flowering. Maybe other flowers produced from bulbs but not sure about that.