I’ve only tried a few makes of peat free but so far I am not impressed. They are too coarse for my liking. They don’t hold water or nutrients well. I think they could be vastly improved by the addition of loam, particularly clay particles. But that would make it heavier and I’m sure the manufacturers don’t want to do that!
I agree with Katrinaomalley44. I rely on weight (or the plants starting to wilt if I forget to check).
The peat free I'm using (Dobbies own brand cos it was cheaper than the alternative they had and I didn't want to visit several places during Covid) dries out faster than my peat based compost (Levingtons - bought before I started this discussion). It was lighter than the peat based when I filled the pots so it's just a matter of working out how much lighter it is when it needs watering.
So far the results of my trials are that there is very little difference in how my plants have grown but the peat free compost needs more watering (not a vast amount more but enough to be annoying). I'll give another update later in the season when I've been liquid feeding them (the intention - which may not happen - is to do this once a week starting next Saturday).
The results with peat free compost were significantly worse than with peat based compost though not totally dismal. However, that may be mostly my fault. I didn't water often enough. There were 2 or 3 occasions when I realised I hadn't watered enough because the plants in the peat free pots started to wilt - which meant I watered all the pots before the plants in the peat base ones wilted. It was definitely not enough water (rather than too much) because they recovered when I watered them. I watered all the pots at the same time, giving more water to the peat free ones - and, yes, the water ran through faster in the peat free pots so I waited a bit and gave them some more. Water, water everywhere but not sure how much stayed in the pots.
This year? I won't be buying any more peat based composed (see my halo?). Not yet decided whether to buy peat free or reuse the old compost (with extra fertilizer) or a combination of the two. If I use all or partially peat free then I will add something to retain the water (water retaining crystals, clay pellets, garden/top soil?). Probably not the soil option as I already reduce the weight of my larger pots by putting polystyrene (reused packaging)(yes I know, after a few years individual bits of the polystyrene flake off - at least they're in the pot not the garden itself) in the bottom instead of stones so I can move them around easier.
Interesting report. Consider vermiculite as an additive - it holds water and releases it as needed. It weighs almost nothing. It will last about a season before breaking down, so ideal for seeds. I use use a light sprinkling of it on seed where it says 'do not exclude light' it works well. It's also a natural product
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Last summer I used shallow saucers (cheap ones, less than half an inch deep going from memory) under my tomato buckets because the peat-free compost seemed to be letting the water run straight through. Small pots with growing-on cuttings etc I stood in trays without holes during dry spells for the same reason. The saucers/trays held a small reservoir of water which I think helped. With the small pots in the trays I did have to be vigilant and take them out if rain was forecast, to avoid getting waterlogged, but it worked fine in dry weather when the only water they got was what I gave them.
But that approach isn't useful for hanging baskets or for big tubs that are too big for saucers (or wouldn't look right with them). I also set my drip irrigation timer to water more often but for shorter times, which seemed to help.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I searched about peat free compost as I’m really struggling, it’s my first time of switching but even though it’s not really hot I've nearly lost some perennial plants I have recently potted as the compost is just drying out far to fast I want to do the right thing but I’m finding it hard to keep on top of them, I never realised this was a problem until I just googled it is there anything I can do now apart from watering twice a day goodness knows how my baskets will fare when I fill them I’m not sure I can stick to it 🙁🙁
I don't find the stuff I'm using does dry out quickly. Maybe it's because the climate is cooler and damper here. If you have some garden soil, or even a bag of topsoil [you could buy that if you don't have anything] you could maybe mix some in, and that would retain it better.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
This year I'm mixing peat free compost (cheap-ish supermarket stuff) approximately 50-50 with sieved garden compost (until I run out). The garden compost looks and feels much nicer but I don't know the nutrient value and I don't have enough to use it on its own even if I added fertiliser granules to it.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Posts
The peat free I'm using (Dobbies own brand cos it was cheaper than the alternative they had and I didn't want to visit several places during Covid) dries out faster than my peat based compost (Levingtons - bought before I started this discussion). It was lighter than the peat based when I filled the pots so it's just a matter of working out how much lighter it is when it needs watering.
So far the results of my trials are that there is very little difference in how my plants have grown but the peat free compost needs more watering (not a vast amount more but enough to be annoying). I'll give another update later in the season when I've been liquid feeding them (the intention - which may not happen - is to do this once a week starting next Saturday).
The results with peat free compost were significantly worse than with peat based compost though not totally dismal. However, that may be mostly my fault. I didn't water often enough. There were 2 or 3 occasions when I realised I hadn't watered enough because the plants in the peat free pots started to wilt - which meant I watered all the pots before the plants in the peat base ones wilted. It was definitely not enough water (rather than too much) because they recovered when I watered them. I watered all the pots at the same time, giving more water to the peat free ones - and, yes, the water ran through faster in the peat free pots so I waited a bit and gave them some more. Water, water everywhere but not sure how much stayed in the pots.
This year? I won't be buying any more peat based composed (see my halo?). Not yet decided whether to buy peat free or reuse the old compost (with extra fertilizer) or a combination of the two. If I use all or partially peat free then I will add something to retain the water (water retaining crystals, clay pellets, garden/top soil?). Probably not the soil option as I already reduce the weight of my larger pots by putting polystyrene (reused packaging)(yes I know, after a few years individual bits of the polystyrene flake off - at least they're in the pot not the garden itself) in the bottom instead of stones so I can move them around easier.
Happy gardening to you all.
Consider vermiculite as an additive - it holds water and releases it as needed. It weighs almost nothing.
It will last about a season before breaking down, so ideal for seeds.
I use use a light sprinkling of it on seed where it says 'do not exclude light' it works well.
It's also a natural product
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
If you have some garden soil, or even a bag of topsoil [you could buy that if you don't have anything] you could maybe mix some in, and that would retain it better.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...