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

"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.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...
"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.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

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.


--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk

In article ,
"Charlie Pridham" wrote:

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

Can you tell me please Charlie what is "slow release" fertiliser?

Thanks
John

On 29/03/15 16:00, Charlie Pridham wrote:

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...
"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.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

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.

I'm fortunate enough to have a source of original Erin composts (eg see
http://www.trefhedyn.co.uk/wp-conten...caceous_1.jpg). Even
so, they make reduced peat composts as well as originals, so you have to
take note when you are buying it.

--

Jeff

On 29/03/2015 20:51, Another John wrote:
In article ,
"Charlie Pridham" wrote:

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

Can you tell me please Charlie what is "slow release" fertiliser?

Thanks
John

Why don't you Google slow release fertiliser or controlled-release
fertiliser

In article ,
David Hill wrote:

On 29/03/2015 20:51, Another John wrote:
In article ,
"Charlie Pridham" wrote:

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

Can you tell me please Charlie what is "slow release" fertiliser?

Thanks
John

Why don't you Google slow release fertiliser or controlled-release
fertiliser

Because I value Charlie's opinion more than the torrent of definitions
and opinions that Google produces.

J.

"Another John" wrote in message
]...
In article ,
"Charlie Pridham" wrote:

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

Can you tell me please Charlie what is "slow release" fertiliser?

Thanks
John

I use Osmocote 18 month but as the bbc often say "other brands are
available!" basically they are all similar and are little pellets of clay
that contain the fertilizer it percolates out slowly over time (It is often
mistaken for snail eggs by new gardeners!)

Because peat free composts contain composted wood products or other
composted green waste they are often unpredictable as the composting process
is sometimes still on going which starves your plants of nutrients, you can
tell pretty quickly as the plants just sit there.

Predictability is what its all about and is the reason that the John Innes
recipe was widely adopted for soil based composts (its good but I find sets
like concrete on its own. would that some similar standard could be achieved
for peat free composts but at the moment it varies bag to bag.


--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk

"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

On 29/03/2015 10:23, 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

It is shipped stacked on pallets as tight as they can make it.

Provided you don't mind the mess drop the bag on its end from about two
feet up and the shock will break the stuff up pretty well.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 30/03/2015 08:44, Martin Brown wrote:
On 29/03/2015 10:23, 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

It is shipped stacked on pallets as tight as they can make it.

Provided you don't mind the mess drop the bag on its end from about two
feet up and the shock will break the stuff up pretty well.

Thanks for the replies, but I am afraid whereas some years ago raising
the bag a couple of feet then dropping it was possible as time has moved
on it has become impossible. All together now "Ah"

On 30/03/2015 10:35, Martin wrote:
On Mon, 30 Mar 2015 09:00:04 +0100, Broadback
wrote:

On 30/03/2015 08:44, Martin Brown wrote:
On 29/03/2015 10:23, 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

It is shipped stacked on pallets as tight as they can make it.

Provided you don't mind the mess drop the bag on its end from about two
feet up and the shock will break the stuff up pretty well.

Thanks for the replies, but I am afraid whereas some years ago raising
the bag a couple of feet then dropping it was possible as time has moved
on it has become impossible. All together now "Ah"

Take the bag upstairs on your chair lift and drop the bag out of a window? :-)

Thanks Martin, but I am not that bad yet, it would be an expensive way
of loosening the compost. ;-)

On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 10:23:15 +0100, 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

I had a family friend of my parents (a pseudo-Uncle, if you like) who was
a keen gardener.

He used to make bulk compost using a small electric cement mixer.

Remembering this, it occurred to me that if you really wanted to break up
commercial compost, and especially if you wished to mix your own by adding
to the compost, then if you have storage then buying all your compost at
the start of the season, then hiring a mixer for half a day might be
feasible.

In the past I have hand mixed (on a spot board with a shovel) commercial
peat/peat free potting compost, JI No. 3, farmyard manure, GroMore and
chicken manure.

It would be much easier to do this with a mixer if I had a large storage
box to keep this in.


Cheers


Dave R


--
Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box

In article ,
says...

On 29/03/2015 10:23, 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

It is shipped stacked on pallets as tight as they can make it.

Provided you don't mind the mess drop the bag on its end from about two
feet up and the shock will break the stuff up pretty well.

I decant the whole sack into an old dustbin (for storage) and use a
garden fork to break it up. When I take compost from the bin to a
potting tray I use a handfork if it needs to be broken up even finer;
and add grit to lighten it.

Janet

On Mon, 30 Mar 2015 13:50:42 +0100, Janet wrote:


Provided you don't mind the mess drop the bag on its end from about two
feet up and the shock will break the stuff up pretty well.

I decant the whole sack into an old dustbin (for storage) and use a
garden fork to break it up. When I take compost from the bin to a
potting tray I use a handfork if it needs to be broken up even finer;
and add grit to lighten it.

We fortunate enough last year to find a branch of Lidl selling off
some electric cement/plaster /paint stirrers for £5 like this one.
http://www.lidl-service.com/cps/rde/...619319&title=M

So far it has stirred and mixed compost soil etc fine in a dustbin,
plus some jobs doing what it was designed for.

At £5 if it only lasts a couple of seasons it will be a bargain, don't
know what the pre clearance price was .
If cheap enough when it comes around again it might be an idea for
some.

G.Harman