[rowlandwells]

I was reading in the September Which gardening that the government has a target of making all composts peat-free for home gardeners after 2020

 i read into this it seems  there are plans afoot to bring in compatable compost's with less peat that will be blended up to the same standards of peat based that is sold at present I have to say I'm not totally convinced that reducing peat and replacing it with what I call a peat substituted will give the home gardener the same standard  as peat based but that's only my opinion I could e wrong

there is also going to be a longer deadline for the professional grower for the use of peat based compost 
so  if one buys plants potted on in normal  peat based compost will the new formula  compost   be comparable  to grow on plants  and then there's seed compost that at present is peat based will we still get the seed same germination in this new peat free compost's  as we get in peat based?


i'm interested to hear  your comments on this topic basically are you in favour of the introduction of peat free compost in 2020 that will be a welcome alternative to the present  peat based or would you prefer to stay with peat based 

[JayG]

I just hope they manage to make sure that the quality is both consistent and the performance equal to the peat-based composts we have now. Hopefully the price wouldn't make you think twice about the economics of using it either. 

Given some of the rubbish they currently add to some peat-based composts I'm not confident, but it's clearly 'the right way to go', so fingers crossed.

[mumofstig]

I would be happier to stay with peat-based ones, as I don't think they've found a decent alternative YET,
but peat cutting isn't environmentally friendly, so we can't really carry on using it, can we?

The trouble with peat-free composts is that the composts are so variable from batch to batch that you don't know what results you will get. I've had composts that look very good, only for plants to die once planted in them. Using green waste, which many companies use in their composts, isn't a good idea either, IMO because of lawn clippings with weedkiller on them being added to garden waste bins. The results are much like we had with Aminopyralid  in manure a few years ago.

Moorland Gold produce composts that use peat strained out of lakes and reservoirs but these are so expensive that I would certainly have to think twice (at least!) if this was the only way I could get peat-based compost, but if it came to it.....

[solway cropper]

I agree with mum, it's the variability of peat-free composts that's the problem. I use them to bulk out my home-grown potting mixes but only after sieving to get rid of the twigs, bits of plastic and other detritus. I don't mind paying the extra for a proper J.I. seed compost as I know it's going to work but I would never sow seeds in any of the peat-free stuff that I've seen. This year I bought a couple of bags of Lidl peat free to add to my tomato potting mix and guess what...the plants growing in that had the stunted twisted growth you get from aminopyralid. LIke so much that comes from the government it looks good in theory but politicians seldom, if ever consider the practical implications of all the s**t they keep shovelling on us.

[rowlandwells]

yep I take on board your comments that are a very true  there is certainly an amount compost's out there especially the so called peat free rubbish that i would't even use on my garden as a mulch let alone potting i never buy that

so what'sthe alternative?

[Grubbypaws]

so what'sthe alternative?

I have been thinking on this. I buy about three 75L bags a year, the rest of the time I use my home grown stuff. Why do I buy it? Habit? Makes life a bit easier? Do my plants really need it? Maybe with a little more effort I could cope using just the compost that I make 

[Plot 1 Problems]

Conversely to some here I happily use supermarket peat free for my all my seeds and have had no problems with my plants. True you do find the odd bit of unwanted rubbish amongst the compost but it does the job.

[Yorkie]

We sell New Horizon peat-free compost in the allotment shop as well as Clover peat-based compost.  It's certainly true that more people are now buying peat-free than perhaps 5 years ago, and New Horizon was reviewed as one of the better peat-free composts.

However, it is coarser than the peat-based compost and therefore not as good for seed germination etc., and it dries out more easily.

Garden compost is also not really suitable for seed germination owing to weed seeds and the risk of damping off.

[rowlandwells]

that's very interesting info yorkie  because I to have used clover in the past and found that to be a good brand never had any probs using clover the only reason we stopped using clover was the supplier went with another brand so we went to another supplier but as they to stopped selling clover we couldn't find anyone round hear that stocked clover so we went with Erin and that has proven to be a good compost   


i mnever buy or  use supermarket compost's never buy peat free composts for the reasons you have mentioed i tend to go to the compost suppiers i know they have had some good deals this year i'm just considering what we will use as an alternative to peat free compost after 2020 i certaily will not be buying peat free unless its greatly improved to the rubbish that's sold now

[Gardener and Rabbit]

To reduce my peat usage I'm re-using compost as much as possible; first use in a seed tray, second use in tomato pots, third use to top-up tubs or grow herbs in.  I also use a thin layer of peat based compost to sow finer seeds directly into, over a base of the coarser peat free stuff.

If we couldn't use peat at all my next choice would be coir, I had good results with that a couple of years ago when a local store sold their stock off cheaply. The dry blocks are light and clean to transport and handle too.

[rowlandwells]

mmm' I tend to recycle spent compost from our toms and any pots  don't use spent compost for re-seeding or peat free stuff  have been mixing sterilised soil with peat based compost for potting on and peat based compost for seeding

like G/R we have  been giving coir a thought as an alternative to peat based if and when peat based compost is taken of the market definitely not using that peat free stuff unless its greatly improved I've looked at using well rotted cattle manure as a base  mixed with coir and sharp sand