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Favourite bought Compost?

 
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celestialspore



Joined: 27 Jul 2010
Posts: 26
Location: Aberdeenshire
PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 12 4:23 pm    Post subject: Favourite bought Compost? Reply with quote
    

I'm curious if anybody here has a favourite compost? If so, what is it?


The reason I as is that I bought a big bag of J Arthur Bowers last year, and nothing would grow in it! Perhaps it was just a bad batch, but I don't really want to chance it again. I've also tried a few different brands of John Innes, but it seems to be like sand, and I get puddles on it when I water. I understand the reasons for using the peat free kind, but nothing seems to compare with the hight peat content stuff. Is there any alternative that works just as well?

Bebo



Joined: 21 May 2007
Posts: 12590
Location: East Sussex
PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 12 4:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

What are you using it for? Different composts for different circumstances

If its for sowing seeds, I go for any bog standard multipurpose for big seeds. For little one usually john innes no2, sometimes mixed with a bit of vermiculite sometimes with some sieved multi-purpose. I agree about the soil based seed composts, they seem to compact to much and go rock hard on the surface.

Finsky



Joined: 10 Sep 2011
Posts: 847
Location: Notts.
PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 12 4:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

This in the 'hot' debate of the gardening world..and its been so for few years now.
Bowers compost has got lot of negative feedback from many fellow gardeners around country..apparantely people keep finding glass, plastic, wood pieces..all sort fromt their bags.
Last year I found Wickes cheap(ish) compost quite good for the price. I use it as a base for my own mixes. I like their top soil too.
Clover is not been bad neither..odd bag has been bit lumpy but I haven't found anything in them what should not be there...and plants been growing well too.
I trialled some peat free alternatives last summer..and in each case my plants struggled to grow.. ..untill I gave them additional lime and fertilizer. In the end I just had to top all containers with peat based compost.. What a waiste of effort that was..some of the composts had lumpy pieces of wood and what looked like shredded white coated melamine..
Until manufactures get their peat free mixtures right and I hear some more positive feedback..I shan't bother with them anymore.

cassy



Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Posts: 1047
Location: South West Scotland
PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 12 5:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I've used New Horizon for about 15 years now. For seed sowing, I sieve it and add the woodier pieces to potting compost. I add slow release fertiliser when potting up for the season i.e. when it's not going to be planted out later.

However, I know a *lot* of people really don't get on with it. Things like wetting/water absorption vary widely with materials and I wonder if different habits are necessary for different composts and people prefer to work with what they know.

My only complaint about New Horizon is that it's not as easy to get hold of as other composts.

Tavascarow



Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall
PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 12 5:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I mix my own in an old cement mixer.
Different seeds & plants require different conditions to grow.
I use peat & fine grade composted bark at a proportion of 3 to 2 & add lime & fertilisers to suit what I'm growing.
I might vary the proportion of peat to bark for different plants.
For cuttings I mix at 50/50 with no fertilisers.
For sowing seed like hellebores & hardy cyclamen I mix my compost with John innes no1 about 50/50. some seeds need some soil & don't do in a peat or peat substitute compost.
Soil based composts like John Innes require lighter but more regular watering which IMHO is why you are getting puddles.

OtleyLad



Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 2737
Location: Otley, West Yorkshire
PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 12 5:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I used to use New Horizon but had a few bad batches and it seemed to run out of nutrients quickly.
Been using compost from Westlands 'Instant Organic Planter bags for a year and these have been good so far.

sueshells



Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 690
Location: North Bucks
PostPosted: Sat Feb 04, 12 7:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I had lots of problems with New Horizon last year too. In addition to lack of growth on the plants the structure of the compost seemed to deteriorate and I found it was sifting out through the drainage holes. I won't be using it again. I'm desperate to find a decent peat-free but, on the other hand, I need my veg seedlings to actually grow!

LynneA



Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Posts: 4893
Location: London N21
PostPosted: Sat Feb 04, 12 7:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

B&Q peat free, sieved, then add hort sand & coir.

The chunky bits I sieve out get saved to be used as drainage for sowing the larger seeds such as squashes and runner beans.

Luath



Joined: 03 Dec 2009
Posts: 761

PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 12 1:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Can't believe people are using peat in their composts..................

Just my thoughts.

Tavascarow



Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall
PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 12 6:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Luath wrote:
Can't believe people are using peat in their composts..................

Just my thoughts.
I use peat because after testing the alternatives I find them lacking in many ways, primarily water retention & rewetting.
The peat I'm using is Baltic rush peat & AFAIA not from a threatened environment, at least that's what the manufacturer is saying.
It is a renewable commodity if not abused after all.
I stopped using moss peat years ago but IMHO when the gardening industry started getting loads of flack for habitat destruction the Irish power generating industry was, & still is mining peat by the millions of tonnes to make electricity so gardeners are scape goats as far as I'm concerned.
From Wiki.
Quote:
In Ireland, large-scale domestic and industrial peat usage is widespread. Specifically in the Republic of Ireland, a state-owned company called Bord na Móna is responsible for managing peat production. It produces milled peat which is used in power stations. It sells processed peat fuel in the form of peat briquettes which are used for domestic heating. These are oblong bars of densely compressed, dried and shredded peat. Briquettes are largely smokeless when burned in domestic fireplaces and as such are widely used in Irish towns and cities where burning non-smokeless coal is banned. Peat moss is a manufactured product for use in garden cultivation. Turf (dried out peat sods) is very commonly used in rural areas.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 12 7:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We used to use the peat free composts, often with disappointing results. I then thought about it and decided was it worth avoiding all peat to raise food crops when so many people are still using huge amounts of the stuff just to have a few annual flowers.

And as Tav says, I wonder what amount of peat is actually used by veg growers compared to the other uses?

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 12 8:29 am    Post subject: Re: Favourite bought Compost? Reply with quote
    

celestialspore wrote:
The reason I as is that I bought a big bag of J Arthur Bowers last year, and nothing would grow in it! Perhaps it was just a bad batch, but I don't really want to chance it again.


I was going to suggest the Which? best buy but that's the one you used. Which? even said it all the bags they tested performed well.

Did you get a fresh bag when you bought it? I avoid buying old looking bags early in the season, as they may have been laying around for several months, and try and buy from a fresh pallet at a well used store.

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