Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: PennyS on March 25, 2010, 07:57
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Not happy with my compost at all!
I have always used John Innes No. 1 for seeds but this year decided to go peat free so after research went for Which? Best Buy peat free.
Result - absolutely nothing I've sown in it has come up. Well that's not quite true, 2 of the 32 roottrainers have a tiny cabbage. And that was all sown 3 weeks ago.
No broad beans at all.
All the stuff I planted in the last of my old John Innes has come up beautifully.
Arrgh. Trying to be green but really regretting it >:(
Think I'll be doing a lot of sowing this weekend - and I'm certainly going to try a different compost!
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Oh eck...
That's not good at all. I used a cheapo Wilkinson's seed compo and almost everything has come up - worth a try?
Actually, I doubt it was peat free, so maybe not such a helpful comment, sorry. :wacko:
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Yes, ive noticed you get worse germination rate in peat free. I generally use either JI or peat based potting compost (really, works a treat).
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i used the asda one cos i had my fingers burnt before, peat free is fine for potting on tho but would never use it again for seeds.
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I've stopped using peat free it was full of lumps and rubbish.
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I just use B & Q bog standard 3 for 2 compost never had any trouble :D ::)
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You could try Munty's trick (sorry new people, he is a living legend on this site). Old grow bag compost with some horticultural sand and a little bit of blood, fish and bone.
This is not necessarily peat free but you are using it twice, so it's slightly better, and cheap.
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You could try Munty's trick (sorry new people, he is a living legend on this site). Old grow bag compost with some horticultural sand and a little bit of blood, fish and bone.
This is not necessarily peat free but you are using it twice, so it's slightly better, and cheap.
Theres no reason you cant keep reusing compost, as long as you replenish the nutrients and rotate crops in it so it doesnt get diseases. I use old compost as a bulker in the compost heap.
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Well I suppose it's all an experiment isn't it. I was trying to be green but to be honest with my seeds I won't bother again :(
Off to the garden centre this weekend for some nice peaty compost and some John Innes No.1 !! - and some more broad beans.
I will probably just sow these direct now...
:D
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Complain to them...its the only way that they have to start to listen to the consumer/buyer. Peat free is the way its going to be, so we as gardeners need to make sure that we dont have to put up with rubbish but pay over the odds for an inferior product
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I'm sure it's fine for containers etc - but obviously doesn't do the trick for cabbage seeds. Surprised about the broad beans though, I thought they were tough old things.
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I agree - John Innes No.1 is definitely the best for seeds. I only use Homebase multi-purpose for cuttings (with a bit of sand) and for potting on. It is easier to avoid drying out with John Innes, and I always mix in a fair bit of vermiculite or perlite. I got a couple of bags half price in Homebase the other day as they had got wet but you wet it anyway so I think I had got a bargain. Vermiculite is a bit pricey but then so are some seeds and it really helps with soil aeration and water retention.
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i tried peet free and got the same! useless stuff... i did write and complain,, my mother in law actually wrote the letter (well they are better at complaining) i did,nt get a reply. i chased this up with another letter and an email and still waiting for the reply.. nearly 12 mths now..
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I use J. I. seed compost as there is only a small amount of nutrient in it which is supposedly better for germination. Having said that, I have used multipurpose before and it's been ok. I am finding this year that quite a few things are very slow to germinate so maybe wait and see? :wub:
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I have to admit I've never had great success with John Innes No 1(holds onto too much moisture and rots the seeds) It obviously depends on your light and temperature and other growing conditions such as fluctuations in temperature.
I have to admit that B&Q bulk bales and ordinary multipurpose compost works fantastically, but I dont have a branch near me at home, so I use a multipurpose compost that has John Innes mixed in with it(mine is a Arthur Bowers brand- but I think others do it too). It just gives it a bit of oomph to hold onto moisture but is reasonably free draining so soes't keep the seeds too sodden.
I think vermiculite is cheap. A big bag lasts a year or more. I put the seeds on the compost and cover with a thin layer of the vermiculite.
The compost works really well for potting on, hanging baskets and pots etc
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I use JI seed, because its made to a peat free recipe and therefore consistent and the same year after year. You can buy a bag of JI and another bag from someone else next year and they will be identical.
Also you dont have to screen it like multipupose to get it fine enough for small seeds, although i do use M/P + JI for broad beans and big seeds like that sometimes.
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I've seen a huge variation in compost this year. One bag I bought looked and felt like a mixture of clumps of hair and wood chips. Is it the recession forcing manufacturers to use whatever comes available?
Last year I made my own seed compost but OH got a bit cross when she found me sterilising sand in the oven while the Sunday roast was cooking. :D
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I use half and half leafmold and coir ( without nutirents added). The coir isn't eco friendly from the point of view of miles transported but is a waste product. The leafmold does take several years to rot down but if you have a spare corner of garden that's maybe unsuitable for anything else and have paths full of leaves in autumn it's well worth doing.
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I brought some reduced peat compost from tesco(2 small bags for £3) as id run out and was having a panic at not having sown anything yet but boy did i get a shock when i opened the bag it looked more like a bag of sawdust mixed with a little bit of peat i was kicking myself but as it was all i had i thought id give it a go anyway after about 5 days it went mouldy on top but a day later they have all germinated look good and healthy at moment but am expecting them to damp off maybe im being pesamistic i just cant get over how rubbish it looked will keep you posted as to progress :wacko:
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I couldn't get any JI at Homebase on my emergency trip there this weekend, so got a Homebase growbag. I've never seen compost quite like this - it looks like it has lots of wood or paper fibre.
I'll see how it goes, it might be terrible, it might be useless!
Is it me or do varieties seem to have more variation this year? I've bought this same (supposedly) compost several times before but it used to look completely different!
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I couldn't get any JI at Homebase on my emergency trip there this weekend, so got a Homebase growbag.
Why is that stores like Homebase and B&Q always run out of John Innes No.1 and 3" pots and the like at this time of year? Are none of the staff gardeners - don't they realise there will be a run on things like that in spring? The garden centres are more savvy but they are usually more expensive. Last year I couldn't get a bag of farmyard manure anywhere - everyone said they had run out but were expecting a delivery 'any moment' - just when you've got a perfect day for planting or digging your bean trench!
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best to borrow a trailer and go to a farm with a few empty compost bags and dig it yourself for free ;)
most farmers are just happy to get rid of it
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I've seen a huge variation in compost this year.
I made the same complaint somewhere on here last year too and remarked on the rises in price down the local garden centre this year. It's a combination of things talking to the two gardeners at the local garden centre (yeah, real old time trained gardeners who can grow things and sell them too).
They say that with the suppliers having to use less peat, they are scrapping the barrel to find stuff to put into the bags. This runs alongside the fact that grow your own is all the rage now so there's more demand for the stuff. Throw into the mix that more composts now includes 20% green waste - stuff that is composted for/by the councils and you have an interesting brew.
We had a long and interesting conversation on contaminated manure and grass cuttings treated with Verdone + along the way.
But there you go. Just a few comments from the coal face.
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I have been using multi purpose compost form Humax for a few years now. This year I have had a lot of problems with it. As this years supply is now full of bits of wood and other bits and pieces.
So I now have 40 bags of compost that is no good for seed sowing as it is too bitty to go into plug trays without riddling it first.
I now need new compost that has a nice smooth texture that dose not need to be riddled first.
Any one got any ideas for new compost that will be suitable for seed sowing in plug trays.
Thank you :)
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I have been using multi purpose compost form Humax for a few years now. This year I have had a lot of problems with it. As this years supply is now full of bits of wood and other bits and pieces.
So I now have 40 bags of compost that is no good for seed sowing as it is too bitty to go into plug trays without riddling it first.
I now need new compost that has a nice smooth texture that dose not need to be riddled first.
Any one got any ideas for new compost that will be suitable for seed sowing in plug trays.
Thank you :)
LEVINGTONS :)
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You could try Munty's trick (sorry new people, he is a living legend on this site). Old grow bag compost with some horticultural sand and a little bit of blood, fish and bone.
This is not necessarily peat free but you are using it twice, so it's slightly better, and cheap.
Theres no reason you cant keep reusing compost, as long as you replenish the nutrients and rotate crops in it so it doesnt get diseases. I use old compost as a bulker in the compost heap.
ARE YOU SURE :blink:salts build up will be a major problem to start with.
i'll stick with the old use it once and scatter it on the beds tradition.
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They say that with the suppliers having to use less peat, they are scrapping the barrel to find stuff to put into the bags. This runs alongside the fact that grow your own is all the rage now so there's more demand for the stuff. Throw into the mix that more composts now includes 20% green waste - stuff that is composted for/by the councils and you have an interesting brew.
This has been my experience too - the quality of compost this past 2 years has been simply awful. Scraping the barrel sounds about right - half of the stuff is woody, fibrous with stones thrown in. The addition of council composting waste is worrying :(
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LEVINGTONS
their multi purpose last year was the worst I've had in years and it wasn't cheap either :ohmy:
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I had some good stuff from B&Q that soon ran out!
Got second batch from Morrisons it needs to be riddled to get out woody bits but it seems to work OK. I'll check out B&Q again today but I think it's take it when we've got it with them.
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Last year most of my seeds were sown in a seed bed. a lot less hassle and there was no differance between them and the ones i raised early in the kitchen.
no hardening off required, thin as required and only one transplant required.
squashes, peas and beans can be sown in final postion with the aid of plastic bottle clotches or small poly tunnels.( coat hangers and plastic sheet )
my seed beds are 4 small raised beds 4ft x 2ft, easy to cover just in case weather dose take a freakish turn. or the birds and mice get hungary.
I think the most people including myself start seeds of in the green house or indoors just so they can see stuff growing early in the season, a bit of a boost to get rid of the winter blues.
The point im trying to make is, if compost is going to vary so much especaily the peat free stuff perhaps more of us will have to go down the above road, and how more organic can you get by not using any compost.
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Im blaming the quality of compost on all these people that have moved to GYO it is just not on how can they keep up with good quality compost in such a short time. :wub:
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I find that levingtons compost to be worse than what I have now.
I will have to think about making my own compost for seed sowing using peat, sand and chempak potting or seed base depending on what I’m doing with it.
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Last year most of my seeds were sown in a seed bed.
The point im trying to make is, if compost is going to vary so much especaily the peat free stuff perhaps more of us will have to go down the above road, and how more organic can you get by not using any compost.
That's a very good point. When I first got my plot, I was advised by my neighbours to sow at home and plant on when bigger. I presumed there must have have been a good reason but last year I took a chance a sowed a few things direct simply because I was running out of time and pots ... the results were much better than the planted on stuff ::) However, I would always sow my brassicas at home and pot on until they reach a good size before planting on with loads of lime - due to the clubroot riddled plot ;)
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I tried making my own this year. 2 year old leaf mould + comfrey leaves left in a dustbin to rot in the summer, then sieved and mixed with sand. Got good germination so far and it's pleasant to work with unlike some of the peat free garden centre composts.
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I have today spoken to Humax and they advise me that the compost should not be bits of wood or fibres in the compost so they are going to look into it and I have to send them a sample of what was in the compost they are going to also send me some vouchers to get replacement compost with.. :)
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my son bought 4 bags of Wickes compost for me, and it is absolutely gorgeous stuff.
There is a lot of peat in it according to the bag, which is probably why it is good, so for those of you that don't mind using peat...
try this one (http://www.wickes.co.uk/Multi-Purpose-Compost/invt/200246) :)
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I've always used New Horizon Peat Free compost and have never had any failures with it. We brought some over from England in March and it's performing much better than the French rubbish.
Not doing much for my carbon footptint though ::)
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I use godwins, used it last year as well, 10 bags last year 15 bags this year and they are all ok.
http://www.ejgodwin.biz/products.htm (http://www.ejgodwin.biz/products.htm)
I use the one in the first pic. Its cheap as well my garden centre £2.99 although they seem to be 70ltr bags this year was 75 last year.
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The trick with non-peat composts is to keep the top of the seed tray from crusting over; not just keep watering.
Sow as usual then place the whole tray in a plastic bag until you see the seedlings coming through then plasce in a greenhouse or coldframe from there - perfect results.
The problem is peat free dries out quickly and leaves the seed dehydrated.
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Im finding the Homebase grow bags is very reasonable compost this yr. They cost about £1.60 ish i think so cheap to. I buy these to empty out as i find it works out cheaper.
Wow i think this is the first time in my life i can praise homebase!
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Glad to hear that Morewhisky.
I had some truely awful compost from there last year and it wasn't cheap!
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What size are they though morewhisky please, if you still have a a bag laying around.
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What size are they though morewhisky please, if you still have a a bag laying around.
They are in my shed i will have a look later when i go to the plot. in the mean time they are the flat ones with the 3 panels u cut out if that helps. And like i said i dont use them as grow bags i just empty them out.
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What size are they though morewhisky please, if you still have a a bag laying around.
Im assuming hes referring to the 4/ £5 deal. or £1.59 each.
http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?partNumber=031324 (http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?partNumber=031324)
Website says 33L which seems to be the norm.
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Seconding new horizon peat free; it's fab stuff and have had excellent germination so far.
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What size are they though morewhisky please, if you still have a a bag laying around.
Im assuming hes referring to the 4/ £5 deal. or £1.59 each.
http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?partNumber=031324 (http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?partNumber=031324)
Website says 33L which seems to be the norm.
Yer you got it right lardman 33l , its good stuff for the price!
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ta
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I now have my replacement compost from Humax which is like what I was expecting from them nice fine compost ideal for seed trays and plug trays.
after I have used this up I will try using Singletons multipurpose compost as I have has a fair few gardening friends say that they like this compost.
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Glad that humax came through for you in the end.
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Has anyone used Fertile Fibre (Coir peat free)? its very expensive but the most fine and successful I have found among peat free composts.
If you consider the number of failed trays and plugs I have had with other composts the Fertile Fibre is actually quite cost effective thoughy pricey initially.
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I went with B and Q multipurpose for all my seeds this year after seeing the Which trial results summerised somewhere. Have not had any reason to regret it with near 100% germination and no problems like damping off. Only thing that didn't germinate well was cape gooseberries which I find notoriously difficult to get to germinate.
Link to the results:
http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?showtopic=207548&hl=compost+survey+2009
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Tried B&Q peat free compost for hanging baskets at home see how we get on. :unsure:
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start of a new year 2011