"Charlie Pridham" wrote
"Bob Hobden" wrote
"Broadback" wrote

I use a lot of compost every year, 4-5 large bags. the last 2 years of so
it has been a PITA. It is so compressed that I am spending more time and
energy loosening it it using it. Has anyone else experienced this? Is
there a commonly available make that is not usually compressed, of have
you some easy way to loosen it? TIA

Yes that has happened to me too, big lumps that need you to get your
hands in to break up, also I found last year when I had a couple of bags
stored over winter that the next spring I had lumps of fungus in the
compost which I had to remove bit by bit. They keep telling us that peat
free is the way to go but I do wonder if these modern composts are fit
for purpose if you actually want to grow plants as apposed to using in
patio troughs etc.

OK, firstly the problem of compressed compost is due to its transport on
pallets so it won't matter which brand you buy if your bag was low down on
the lorry it will be solid, trick is to drop the bag on each of its 4
edges, repeat as required!

Peat free compost is crap, get used to it! its all you will have in just a
few years more, here the trick is to mix about one third soil with it and
add slow release fertilizer, fine seed compost is more of an issue, may be
worth making your own from leaf mould. We have been running peat free now
for around 15 years and grow a huge range of plants, we still struggle with
some things.


Dropping the bag on it's corners does break up the mass but there are still
lumps that need to be broken up by hand, indeed one compost I tried I had to
sieve out the lumps because they would not break up. Not wasted as I used
them in my orchid compost together with bark chips.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK