I also grabbed a bag of Westland MPC with 'added John Innes' and that was much better. To be honest I would have preferred Peat Free but just grabbed them in a rush. Heard good things about Melcourt Sylvagrow Peat Free compost, but it's not always available.
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
Jack's Magic is hard to beat @Bee witched. Good for virtually everything, and even for seed sowing. I usually add a bit of Perlite if it's for sowing lighter weight plants - things like Basil, that need really free draining conditions. Other than that, it's brilliant. I'm trying to do the same, but if it isn't up to the job, I'll be having a rethink.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I’ve used New Horizon in previous years and it’s been good. Happily bought a bag earlier this year and…same as the others who’ve posted here, awful.
This year chance I happened to sow sweet peas in several pots of it and then some more in pots with Westland compost and Bulrush compost. Same growing conditions, the only difference in treatment was in the compost. The New Horizon were later instantly recognisable by their weedy look and leaves that began to look pale. The others are flourishing.
In have been using Melcourt Sylvagrow Peat Free for a couple of years now and its pretty good. It is quite light, very free draining. Not the cheapest option, it’s usually on at 3 for 20 Pound.
My Sylvacourt hs been fine, New Horizon was great. As there is considerable pressure on companies to use public green waste, products may get more hit and miss for now. Quality control is an issue.
Mostly it seems that commercial "compost" (substrate) is mostly of to use because of its qualities as a sponge. And to provide an open root system - which these dodgy products almost certainly does. The matrix doesn't offer much in the way of nutrition in itself - fertilisers are added for that. So for growing annuals the question is really - does it hold water well?
It doesn't really matter what it looks like. Fungi in the mix is not a concern. Anything too woody or too dusty may not hold water well.
"Westland Horticulture took over the previous manufacturer of New Horizon Organic & Peat Free Multi-Purpose Compost (William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd) in 2016. Since then, they have reformulated this peat-free compost so that it no longer contains any ‘green waste’, which is what the old tried and trusted New Horizon was based on. The new-look bags of New Horizon (below) now contain the same basic mix that’s also sold as Gro-Sure Peat Free All-Purpose Compost (a blend of coir, wood fibre and bark). The reason New Horizon no longer contains green waste is because Westland believe that ‘green waste is simply not up to the standard or consistency required by all and is not delivering the results our consumers deserve’. It’s a curious comment, given that New Horizon has been a mainstay of peat-free gardening for many, for many years. You can’t help wondering whether scaremongering by pro-peat (and by association anti-nature) gardening pundits has finally gotten a bite."
Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
I’ve been using Wickes peat-free for the last 12 months and have had no issues with it. All of the plants I’ve potted on have gone on to be successful in the pot or when moved into the ground after being in the medium for a while.
Lots of people have left negative reviews because of the “smell” of it…. I have hyperosmia and it doesn’t offend me. But then again I’m not using it as pot pourri so….
"You can’t help wondering whether scaremongering by pro-peat (and by association anti-nature) gardening pundits" I think that's a really offensive statement, and a sweeping generalisation.
@mandyroberts99 - all compost, whether peat based or not, has food/nutrients added to it. How you use any compost depends on what it's being used for, so that dictates what else you add to it, whether it's extra food, or grit, or something more substantial. Seeds don't have the same requirements as a shrub for example
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
They really need to up their game ... big style.
I really like the Jack's Magic too .... but was trying to be greener.
I make a lot of my own compost, but do need to use bought in stuff from time to time.
Bee x
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
Good for virtually everything, and even for seed sowing. I usually add a bit of Perlite if it's for sowing lighter weight plants - things like Basil, that need really free draining conditions. Other than that, it's brilliant.
I'm trying to do the same, but if it isn't up to the job, I'll be having a rethink.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
This year chance I happened to sow sweet peas in several pots of it and then some more in pots with Westland compost and Bulrush compost. Same growing conditions, the only difference in treatment was in the compost. The New Horizon were later instantly recognisable by their weedy look and leaves that began to look pale. The others are flourishing.
It says:
"Westland Horticulture took over the previous manufacturer of New Horizon Organic & Peat Free Multi-Purpose Compost (William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd) in 2016. Since then, they have reformulated this peat-free compost so that it no longer contains any ‘green waste’, which is what the old tried and trusted New Horizon was based on. The new-look bags of New Horizon (below) now contain the same basic mix that’s also sold as Gro-Sure Peat Free All-Purpose Compost (a blend of coir, wood fibre and bark).
The reason New Horizon no longer contains green waste is because Westland believe that ‘green waste is simply not up to the standard or consistency required by all and is not delivering the results our consumers deserve’. It’s a curious comment, given that New Horizon has been a mainstay of peat-free gardening for many, for many years. You can’t help wondering whether scaremongering by pro-peat (and by association anti-nature) gardening pundits has finally gotten a bite."
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
I think that's a really offensive statement, and a sweeping generalisation.
@mandyroberts99 - all compost, whether peat based or not, has food/nutrients added to it. How you use any compost depends on what it's being used for, so that dictates what else you add to it, whether it's extra food, or grit, or something more substantial. Seeds don't have the same requirements as a shrub for example
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...