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Multi Purpose Compost
Hi,
Can anyone recommend a good quality Multi Purpose Compost other than J. Arthur Bowers. We've found this to be rather inferior & not as good as it used to be. Kind regards mrcpea |
Multi Purpose Compost
"mrcpea" wrote ...
Can anyone recommend a good quality Multi Purpose Compost other than J. Arthur Bowers. We've found this to be rather inferior & not as good as it used to be. I think that is a problem we are all having, always used Levingtons but the last lot of that I bought had mouldy bits in it, non-sterilised composted waste I suspect. Used a "John Innes" this year and it's worked better although I have mixed it with other stuff depending on what I'm potting up. -- Regards Bob Hobden W.of London. UK |
Multi Purpose Compost
On May 28, 8:07*am, "Bob Hobden" wrote:
"mrcpea" *wrote ... Can anyone recommend a good quality Multi Purpose Compost other than J. Arthur Bowers. We've found this to be rather inferior & not as good as it used to be. I think that is a problem we are all having, always used Levingtons but the last lot of that I bought had mouldy bits in it, non-sterilised composted waste I suspect. Used a "John Innes" this year and it's worked better although I have mixed it with other stuff depending on what I'm potting up. -- Regards Bob Hobden W.of London. UK I find that B & Q Multi pourpous Compost, (with peat) is good |
Multi Purpose Compost
Dave Hill wrote in
: On May 28, 8:07*am, "Bob Hobden" wrote: "mrcpea" *wrote ... Can anyone recommend a good quality Multi Purpose Compost other than J. Arthur Bowers. We've found this to be rather inferior & not as good as it used to be. I think that is a problem we are all having, always used Levingtons but t he last lot of that I bought had mouldy bits in it, non-sterilised composted waste I suspect. Used a "John Innes" this year and it's worked better although I have mixe d it with other stuff depending on what I'm potting up. -- Regards Bob Hobden W.of London. UK I find that B & Q Multi pourpous Compost, (with peat) is good A silly question maybe, but how does a person grade a compost? To be honest I use what is available and fits my budget. Is it a flower and shrub thing because I only grow vegetables and any old thing I buy is as good as the rest. Having said that, I have been asked to grow some chrysanthemum and would like to make a go of it if I am going to do it. A new thread to start? Baz |
Multi Purpose Compost
A silly question maybe, but how does a person grade a compost? They say a general purpose compost contains enough nutrients for x number of weeks, but I grew a bumper crop of spuds in nothing but the B&Q stuff, so that really doesn't add up. Presumably it breaks down like any other vegetable matter, although perhaps more slowly. |
Multi Purpose Compost
On Sat, 28 May 2011 01:25:10 -0700 (PDT), Dave Hill
wrote: On May 28, 8:07*am, "Bob Hobden" wrote: "mrcpea" *wrote ... Can anyone recommend a good quality Multi Purpose Compost other than J. Arthur Bowers. We've found this to be rather inferior & not as good as it used to be. I think that is a problem we are all having, always used Levingtons but the last lot of that I bought had mouldy bits in it, non-sterilised composted waste I suspect. Used a "John Innes" this year and it's worked better although I have mixed it with other stuff depending on what I'm potting up. -- Regards Bob Hobden W.of London. UK I find that B & Q Multi pourpous Compost, (with peat) is good If I remember right, Which? published a review in January 2010 which said that B&Q multipurpose (with peat) was the best and also the cheapest of those that it tested. I don't use multipurpose any more but in the past my own experience was that Westland was generally the best. Cheers Jake |
Multi Purpose Compost
Jake wrote:
On Sat, 28 May 2011 01:25:10 -0700 (PDT), Dave Hill wrote: On May 28, 8:07*am, "Bob Hobden" wrote: "mrcpea" *wrote ... Can anyone recommend a good quality Multi Purpose Compost other than J. Arthur Bowers. We've found this to be rather inferior & not as good as it used to be. I think that is a problem we are all having, always used Levingtons but the last lot of that I bought had mouldy bits in it, non-sterilised composted waste I suspect. Used a "John Innes" this year and it's worked better although I have mixed it with other stuff depending on what I'm potting up. -- Regards Bob Hobden W.of London. UK I find that B & Q Multi pourpous Compost, (with peat) is good If I remember right, Which? published a review in January 2010 which said that B&Q multipurpose (with peat) was the best and also the cheapest of those that it tested. I don't use multipurpose any more but in the past my own experience was that Westland was generally the best. Cheers Jake You are dead right - I subscribe to Which? and they reported lots of tests and founbd B&Q multipurpose best for all sorts. JIP |
Multi Purpose Compost
On Sat, 28 May 2011 11:25:51 -0500, "JIP"
wrote: Jake wrote: On Sat, 28 May 2011 01:25:10 -0700 (PDT), Dave Hill wrote: On May 28, 8:07*am, "Bob Hobden" wrote: "mrcpea" *wrote ... Can anyone recommend a good quality Multi Purpose Compost other than J. Arthur Bowers. We've found this to be rather inferior & not as good as it used to be. I think that is a problem we are all having, always used Levingtons but the last lot of that I bought had mouldy bits in it, non-sterilised composted waste I suspect. Used a "John Innes" this year and it's worked better although I have mixed it with other stuff depending on what I'm potting up. -- Regards Bob Hobden W.of London. UK I find that B & Q Multi pourpous Compost, (with peat) is good If I remember right, Which? published a review in January 2010 which said that B&Q multipurpose (with peat) was the best and also the cheapest of those that it tested. I don't use multipurpose any more but in the past my own experience was that Westland was generally the best. Cheers Jake You are dead right - I subscribe to Which? and they reported lots of tests and founbd B&Q multipurpose best for all sorts. JIP I've heard that Which? are running (or have run) another test on compost this year, with twice as many brands/types as in the 2009/10 one. Is this true, do you know? Might be worth the £1 temp subscription to the web site to get hold of a copy of the results. |
Multi Purpose Compost
On Sat, 28 May 2011 17:32:36 +0100, Jake Nospam@invalid wrote:
On Sat, 28 May 2011 11:25:51 -0500, "JIP" wrote: Jake wrote: On Sat, 28 May 2011 01:25:10 -0700 (PDT), Dave Hill wrote: On May 28, 8:07*am, "Bob Hobden" wrote: "mrcpea" *wrote ... Can anyone recommend a good quality Multi Purpose Compost other than J. Arthur Bowers. We've found this to be rather inferior & not as good as it used to be. I think that is a problem we are all having, always used Levingtons but the last lot of that I bought had mouldy bits in it, non-sterilised composted waste I suspect. Used a "John Innes" this year and it's worked better although I have mixed it with other stuff depending on what I'm potting up. -- Regards Bob Hobden W.of London. UK I find that B & Q Multi pourpous Compost, (with peat) is good If I remember right, Which? published a review in January 2010 which said that B&Q multipurpose (with peat) was the best and also the cheapest of those that it tested. I don't use multipurpose any more but in the past my own experience was that Westland was generally the best. Cheers Jake You are dead right - I subscribe to Which? and they reported lots of tests and founbd B&Q multipurpose best for all sorts. JIP I've heard that Which? are running (or have run) another test on compost this year, with twice as many brands/types as in the 2009/10 one. Is this true, do you know? Might be worth the £1 temp subscription to the web site to get hold of a copy of the results. The library will have Which? -- And they probably need as many bodies through the doors as possible. I bet the various brands vary quite a bit from year to year. For specialists and connoisseurs the difference may matter, but I think that for most of us the cheapest will do perfectly well. Morrisons, last time I looked, were knocking out 40-litre bags of multi-purpose at two for five pounds. That's six and a quarter pence per litre, which is growbag price. It's very peaty, though: presumably "30% peat free" is dishonest commercialese for "70% peat". In a moment of inattention I bought four, and feel a bit guilty about it...my tomatoes, however, don't. -- Mike. |
Multi Purpose Compost
"mrcpea" wrote in message ... Hi, Can anyone recommend a good quality Multi Purpose Compost other than J. Arthur Bowers. We've found this to be rather inferior & not as good as it used to be. Kind regards mrcpea We are using Wicks peat free with some soil and slow release added this year, happy with results so far. -- Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella and Lapageria rosea cvs http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk |
Multi Purpose Compost
On Sat, 28 May 2011 19:10:12 +0100, "Charlie Pridham"
wrote: "mrcpea" wrote in message .. . Hi, Can anyone recommend a good quality Multi Purpose Compost other than J. Arthur Bowers. We've found this to be rather inferior & not as good as it used to be. Kind regards mrcpea We are using Wicks peat free with some soil and slow release added this year, happy with results so far. Many thanks for all valued replies. mrcpea |
Multi Purpose Compost
Mike Lyle wrote:
On Sat, 28 May 2011 17:32:36 +0100, Jake Nospam@invalid wrote: On Sat, 28 May 2011 11:25:51 -0500, "JIP" wrote: Jake wrote: On Sat, 28 May 2011 01:25:10 -0700 (PDT), Dave Hill wrote: On May 28, 8:07*am, "Bob Hobden" wrote: "mrcpea" *wrote ... Can anyone recommend a good quality Multi Purpose Compost other than J. Arthur Bowers. We've found this to be rather inferior & not as good as it used to be. I think that is a problem we are all having, always used Levingtons but the last lot of that I bought had mouldy bits in it, non-sterilised composted waste I suspect. Used a "John Innes" this year and it's worked better although I have mixed it with other stuff depending on what I'm potting up. -- Regards Bob Hobden W.of London. UK I find that B & Q Multi pourpous Compost, (with peat) is good If I remember right, Which? published a review in January 2010 which said that B&Q multipurpose (with peat) was the best and also the cheapest of those that it tested. I don't use multipurpose any more but in the past my own experience was that Westland was generally the best. Cheers Jake You are dead right - I subscribe to Which? and they reported lots of tests and founbd B&Q multipurpose best for all sorts. JIP I've heard that Which? are running (or have run) another test on compost this year, with twice as many brands/types as in the 2009/10 one. Is this true, do you know? Might be worth the £1 temp subscription to the web site to get hold of a copy of the results. The library will have Which? -- And they probably need as many bodies through the doors as possible. I bet the various brands vary quite a bit from year to year. For specialists and connoisseurs the difference may matter, but I think that for most of us the cheapest will do perfectly well. Morrisons, last time I looked, were knocking out 40-litre bags of multi-purpose at two for five pounds. That's six and a quarter pence per litre, which is growbag price. It's very peaty, though: presumably "30% peat free" is dishonest commercialese for "70% peat". In a moment of inattention I bought four, and feel a bit guilty about it...my tomatoes, however, don't. I don't use enough of it to be able to do my own comaprisons, but in the Which trials there were some that they advised AGAINST buying - virtually half the germination rate of the best buy. One example was the B&Q peat free multipurpose, whereas their other general purpose one was best buy for planting seeds and for growing on. I don't know if they are doing further tests - they only announce what they are going to report on about a month in advance. |
Multi Purpose Compost
On May 28, 7:07*am, mrcpea wrote:
Hi, Can anyone recommend a good quality Multi Purpose Compost other than J. Arthur Bowers. We've found this to be rather inferior & not as good as it used to be. Kind regards mrcpea This compost business is all crap, Get down to your local recycle centre and see if they sell it there. Our's sells it for £2/ big bag. It's rough stuff full of little bits of wood etc. However, I riddle it and add sand as neccessary. Works out at a fraction of the cost. I get a ton bag of sand from the builders merchant, lasts for years. If you want to get really technical: http://gardener.wikia.com/wiki/John_Innes_compost |
Multi Purpose Compost
"harry" wrote in message ... On May 28, 7:07 am, mrcpea wrote: Hi, Can anyone recommend a good quality Multi Purpose Compost other than J. Arthur Bowers. We've found this to be rather inferior & not as good as it used to be. Kind regards mrcpea This compost business is all crap, Get down to your local recycle centre and see if they sell it there. Our's sells it for £2/ big bag. It's rough stuff full of little bits of wood etc. However, I riddle it and add sand as neccessary. Works out at a fraction of the cost. I get a ton bag of sand from the builders merchant, lasts for years. If you want to get really technical: http://gardener.wikia.com/wiki/John_Innes_compost .................................................. .................................. That's interesting. How big is your Big Bag for £2.00? Our local council do a 1 ton builder's bag for £35.00 delivered Mike (I think it may have gone up recently not sure) -- .................................... Remember, a statue has never been erected to a critic. .................................... |
Multi Purpose Compost
Sacha wrote:
That's not compost though. *That's soil improver, if that. And highly variable too :-| I've seen some that is OK, but I've also seen other stuff that is truly 'crap' and not fit for anything. As for growing on plants in containers, if you aren't particular about the quality of what you're growing then go for the cheapest potting compost you can find. If you want to grow a really good plant that performs well and makes the effort of growing it worthwhile, then you need to either make a well-balanced compost or buy a decent one. The latter is the least expensive and easiest option. All multi-purpose composts 'run out of steam' after 6-8 weeks, so they need to be supplemented after that, but reluctantly I have to admit that the best all rounder is the B&Q multi-purpose. It has beat the others in trials by Garden Which? for 2 years running and I like its open, airy, root-promoting texture. I use it as a base, adding perlite and slow release for certain plants and use it 'neat' for others. I've never had anything other than very good results. |
Multi Purpose Compost
On May 30, 11:24*am, Dave Poole wrote:
Sacha *wrote: That's not compost though. *That's soil improver, if that. And highly variable too *:-| *I've seen some that is OK, but I've also seen other stuff that is truly 'crap' and not fit for anything. *As for growing on plants in containers, if you aren't particular about the quality of what you're growing then go for the cheapest potting compost you can find. *If you want to grow a really good plant that performs well and makes the effort of growing it worthwhile, then you need to either make a well-balanced compost or buy a decent one. *The latter is the least expensive and easiest option. All multi-purpose composts 'run out of steam' after 6-8 weeks, so they need to be supplemented after that, but reluctantly I have to admit that the best all rounder is the B&Q multi-purpose. *It has beat the others in trials by Garden Which? for 2 years running and I like its open, airy, root-promoting texture. *I use it as a base, adding perlite and slow release for certain plants and use it 'neat' for others. *I've never had anything other than very good results. B&Q's multi pourpous compost has been the Which best but for around 10 years now. I pass it through a 1/2 inch seive and mix pearlite at 1 to 8 for seeds and cuttings, I add some fertilizer for potting on and for larger stuff I add 20% steralized topsoil (With thanks to the moles who prepare it for me). B&Q are around 3 miles from me and they have 1 to 2 artic loads of compost a week so I know it is always fresh. I buy around 8 bales at a time (on a Wednesday, so I get the 10% discount), It saves me storage space and I don't have to lay out cash in advance. I tried their Peat free compost last year and it was impure rubbish. David Hill |
Multi Purpose Compost
All multi-purpose composts 'run out of steam' after 6-8 weeks But I have proved to my own satisfaction that this is fundamentally untrue. What you're supposedly left with after the nutrients have been used is never explained. All I can say is that every flower I've grown in "spent" compost has flourished, and must be feeding on something. |
Multi Purpose Compost
On May 30, 8:41*am, harry wrote:
On May 28, 7:07*am, mrcpea wrote: Hi, Can anyone recommend a good quality Multi Purpose Compost other than J. Arthur Bowers. We've found this to be rather inferior & not as good as it used to be. Kind regards mrcpea This compost business is all crap, *Get down to your local recycle centre and see if they sell it there. Our's sells it for £2/ big bag. It's rough stuff full of little bits of wood etc. *However, I riddle it and add sand as neccessary. *Works out at a fraction of the cost. I get a ton bag of sand from the builders merchant, lasts for years. If you want to get really technical:http://gardener.wikia.com/wiki/John_Innes_compost I made that mistake a few years ago. Bought some from my local Council Recycling Centre to improve the soil for my runner beans. I then got a virus, (Verticillium Wilt) in my beans that ruined them and is impossible to cure according to expert at my local Horticultural Merchants. The ground is now permanently infected. As there is access to the recycling centre for many commercial growers in the Evesham area I reckon someone dumped a load of virus ridden runner beans there and they got composted. Composting does not get rid of virus. I cannot grow runner beans at all now. Everything gets infected, ground, tools, boots. Wont use it again. Bookworm |
Multi Purpose Compost
On May 30, 8:48*am, "'Mike'" wrote:
"harry" wrote in message ... On May 28, 7:07 am, mrcpea wrote: Hi, Can anyone recommend a good quality Multi Purpose Compost other than J. Arthur Bowers. We've found this to be rather inferior & not as good as it used to be. Kind regards mrcpea This compost business is all crap, *Get down to your local recycle centre and see if they sell it there. Our's sells it for £2/ big bag. It's rough stuff full of little bits of wood etc. *However, I riddle it and add sand as neccessary. *Works out at a fraction of the cost. I get a ton bag of sand from the builders merchant, lasts for years. If you want to get really technical:http://gardener.wikia.com/wiki/John_Innes_compost .................................................. ..........................*........ That's interesting. How big is your Big Bag for £2.00? Our local council do a 1 ton builder's bag for £35.00 delivered Mike (I think it may have gone up recently not sure) -- ................................... Remember, a statue has never been erected to a critic. ................................... About twice the size of acoal sack, (remember those?) Sounds a good deal to me. I can have a truckload delivered loose. Dunno what the charge would be. |
Multi Purpose Compost
On May 30, 9:57*am, Sacha wrote:
On 2011-05-30 08:41:04 +0100, harry said: On May 28, 7:07*am, mrcpea wrote: Hi, Can anyone recommend a good quality Multi Purpose Compost other than J. Arthur Bowers. We've found this to be rather inferior & not as good as it used to be. Kind regards mrcpea This compost business is all crap, *Get down to your local recycle centre and see if they sell it there. Our's sells it for £2/ big bag. It's rough stuff full of little bits of wood etc. *However, I riddle it and add sand as neccessary. *Works out at a fraction of the cost. I get a ton bag of sand from the builders merchant, lasts for years. If you want to get really technical: http://gardener.wikia.com/wiki/John_Innes_compost That's not compost though. *That's soil improver, if that. *We've bought something a little better to use on 'starved' soil for a customer, to make it lighter, less compacted etc. but it's not a nourisher for growing young plants. -- Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com South Devon- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Tell us all the diifference then? The recycle centre stuff comes from the shredded and rotted down garden "waste" people put in the recycle centre skip. They have huge COMPOST heaps at the place where this is done. Nourisher? Nutrients are recycled from plant waste as it rots down. Oil based artificial additives should be a last resort. |
Multi Purpose Compost
"harry" wrote in message ... On May 30, 8:48 am, "'Mike'" wrote: "harry" wrote in message ... On May 28, 7:07 am, mrcpea wrote: Hi, Can anyone recommend a good quality Multi Purpose Compost other than J. Arthur Bowers. We've found this to be rather inferior & not as good as it used to be. Kind regards mrcpea This compost business is all crap, Get down to your local recycle centre and see if they sell it there. Our's sells it for £2/ big bag. It's rough stuff full of little bits of wood etc. However, I riddle it and add sand as neccessary. Works out at a fraction of the cost. I get a ton bag of sand from the builders merchant, lasts for years. If you want to get really technical:http://gardener.wikia.com/wiki/John_Innes_compost .................................................. .........................*........ That's interesting. How big is your Big Bag for £2.00? Our local council do a 1 ton builder's bag for £35.00 delivered Mike (I think it may have gone up recently not sure) -- ................................... Remember, a statue has never been erected to a critic. ................................... About twice the size of acoal sack, (remember those?) Sounds a good deal to me. I can have a truckload delivered loose. Dunno what the charge would be. .................................................. .................... Wow that turns the clock back ;-) ........ (and I remember bread and milk being delivered by horse and cart too!!) Coal sack or Coke sack ?????? Coke was lighter than coal so was a bigger sack for the Cwt. £2.00 for a Coke sack is good value I would say, though we make our own ;-)) Mike -- .................................... Remember, a statue has never been erected to a critic. .................................... |
Multi Purpose Compost
On May 30, 11:24*am, Dave Poole wrote:
Sacha *wrote: That's not compost though. *That's soil improver, if that. And highly variable too *:-| *I've seen some that is OK, but I've also seen other stuff that is truly 'crap' and not fit for anything. *As for growing on plants in containers, if you aren't particular about the quality of what you're growing then go for the cheapest potting compost you can find. *If you want to grow a really good plant that performs well and makes the effort of growing it worthwhile, then you need to either make a well-balanced compost or buy a decent one. *The latter is the least expensive and easiest option. All multi-purpose composts 'run out of steam' after 6-8 weeks, so they need to be supplemented after that, but reluctantly I have to admit that the best all rounder is the B&Q multi-purpose. *It has beat the others in trials by Garden Which? for 2 years running and I like its open, airy, root-promoting texture. *I use it as a base, adding perlite and slow release for certain plants and use it 'neat' for others. *I've never had anything other than very good results. I've found my method perfectly adequate. Where do you suppose the shop bought stuff comes from? Not from peat any more. Gardeners over the years are responsible for enormous ecological damage with the peat thing. The reason they "run out of steam" is that the artificial fertilizers added are expended. I can always go out and buy phoprogen or something if I want. Rarely needed,I have little stuff in permanent pots anyway. |
Multi Purpose Compost
On May 30, 1:49*pm, stuart noble wrote:
All multi-purpose composts 'run out of steam' after 6-8 weeks But I have proved to my own satisfaction that this is fundamentally untrue. What you're supposedly left with after the nutrients have been used is never explained. All I can say is that every flower I've grown in "spent" compost has flourished, and must be feeding on something. No it is most certainly not "fundamentally untrue". What you're left with is a reduced level of nutrient that may be sufficient to sustain, but not promote the same level of growth or productivity. Of course there are plants that can perform moderately well on a sparse regimen, but many, many more will only grow at a very modest rate and produce fewer flowers and/or less fruit over a shorter period if not supplemented. Your idea of 'flourishing' and mine are probably completely different and I want the very best growth and productivity over the entire growing cycle. This is only achievable if nutrient levels are correctly maintained throughout the season. That is not to say they should be over-fertilised, but sensible additional feeding always gives consistently better results. |
Multi Purpose Compost
stuart noble wrote:
All multi-purpose composts 'run out of steam' after 6-8 weeks But I have proved to my own satisfaction that this is fundamentally untrue. What you're supposedly left with after the nutrients have been used is never explained. All I can say is that every flower I've grown in "spent" compost has flourished, and must be feeding on something. I've found the best re-cycle of compost is to use grow-bags (last year's were peat free, which were fine, but we couldn't find them this year, so Nick put his foot down!), then use the grow-bag compost next year for plant pots that are staying out of the greenhouse, or to throw the content onto the strawberries in the garden. A few years of emptying grow bags onto that side of the garden has hugely improved the soil! |
Multi Purpose Compost
"Sacha" wrote in message ... On 2011-05-30 20:06:27 +0100, said: stuart noble wrote: All multi-purpose composts 'run out of steam' after 6-8 weeks But I have proved to my own satisfaction that this is fundamentally untrue. What you're supposedly left with after the nutrients have been used is never explained. All I can say is that every flower I've grown in "spent" compost has flourished, and must be feeding on something. I've found the best re-cycle of compost is to use grow-bags (last year's were peat free, which were fine, but we couldn't find them this year, so Nick put his foot down!), then use the grow-bag compost next year for plant pots that are staying out of the greenhouse, or to throw the content onto the strawberries in the garden. A few years of emptying grow bags onto that side of the garden has hugely improved the soil! We do that here with peat bags used for rowing e.g. our own tomatoes, or indeed, any large quantities of compost used for raising seedlings or plugs. It's a great soil improver. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon I spread and rotovated in several bags of last years compost from pots at home into my allotment beds today. Maybe the nutriants are gone, but it improves the heavy clay soil. -- Pete C |
Multi Purpose Compost
In article , Charlie Pridham
writes We are using Wicks peat free with some soil and slow release added this year, happy with results so far. -- Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella and Lapageria rosea cvs http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk Speaking to a compost company owner who was on the Hillier stand (he was giving out coupons for Westland plus) Westland plus is giving a mixture of JI and ordinary compost a try, so it's grittier thank goodness. I find Westland very variable, some bags really good but other bags containing huge lumps of wood and bits etc. Janet -- Janet Tweedy |
Multi Purpose Compost
On May 30, 8:47*pm, "Pete C" wrote:
"Sacha" wrote in message ... On 2011-05-30 20:06:27 +0100, said: stuart noble wrote: All multi-purpose composts 'run out of steam' after 6-8 weeks But I have proved to my own satisfaction that this is fundamentally untrue. What you're supposedly left with after the nutrients have been used is never explained. All I can say is that every flower I've grown in "spent" compost has flourished, and must be feeding on something. I've found the best re-cycle of compost is to use grow-bags (last year's were peat free, which were fine, but we couldn't find them this year, so Nick put his foot down!), then use the grow-bag compost next year for plant pots that are staying out of the greenhouse, or to throw the content onto the strawberries in the garden. * A few years of emptying grow bags onto that side of the garden has hugely improved the soil! We do that here with peat bags used for rowing e.g. our own tomatoes, or indeed, any large quantities of compost used for raising seedlings or plugs. *It's a great soil improver. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon I spread and rotovated in several bags of last years compost from pots at home into my allotment beds today. Maybe the nutriants are gone, but it improves the heavy clay soil. -- Pete C- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Get a truckload of sand and rotovate that into the clay. The benefit is permanent. I have long agricultural hedges. I shred all the cuttings up and compost them too. Takes me several days. |
Multi Purpose Compost
On May 30, 8:06*pm, wrote:
stuart noble wrote: All multi-purpose composts 'run out of steam' after 6-8 weeks But I have proved to my own satisfaction that this is fundamentally untrue. What you're supposedly left with after the nutrients have been used is never explained. All I can say is that every flower I've grown in "spent" compost has flourished, and must be feeding on something. I've found the best re-cycle of compost is to use grow-bags (last year's were peat free, which were fine, but we couldn't find them this year, so Nick put his foot down!), then use the grow-bag compost next year for plant pots that are staying out of the greenhouse, or to throw the content onto the strawberries in the garden. * A few years of emptying grow bags onto that side of the garden has hugely improved the soil! Doesn't everybody do that? |
Multi Purpose Compost
In article , Bob Hobden
writes I think that is a problem we are all having, always used Levingtons but the last lot of that I bought had mouldy bits in it, non-sterilised composted waste I suspect. Used a "John Innes" this year and it's worked better although I have mixed it with other stuff depending on what I'm potting up. I have come across some dreadful stuff in the last couple of years, including Bowers - frequently mouldy with large bits of something very odd looking. Westland multi-purpose seems good this year (where I get it from, anyway. It looks very similar to moss peat and is a good consistency - but I don't know if this is because it has a lot of peat in). But I tend to then mix it pretty much half and half with JI #3 - and depending on what's being planted, add nothing, perlite, sand or grit (and occasionally water retaining gel). -- regards andyw |
They say a accepted purpose admixture contains abundant nutrients for x number of weeks, but I grew a bonanza crop of spuds in annihilation but the B&Q stuff, so that absolutely doesn't add up. Presumably it break down like any added vegetable matter, although conceivably added slowly.
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