My seedlings have died this year in peat free compost.

stbh101 · June 2022

Nearly all my seedlings have died this year when potting on into peat free compost. The ones that have taken are thin and yellowy. What am I doing wrong?

didyw · June 2022

My tomatoes are a bit yellowy too, in peat-free. A friend has some much bigger and bushier and she says she used a peat based compost. Oh dear, the manufacturers really must try harder.

Busy-Lizzie · June 2022

I have heard several people complaining about this so probably not your fault. Maybe contact the supplier.

Jacquimcmahon · June 2022

Same here. I bought specific compost marked “peat free” tomato compost….. plants are all really spindly and not looking their usual lush green, I’ve had first flowers so have started feeding to see if that helps. Really not impressed with either the tomato or the potting compost, I actually have stuff growing better in reused compost from last year than in the new stuff.

Lyn · June 2022

Agree with all the above, I did say when the peat free compost was the only stuff available, I wouldn’t be gardening anymore.
I sowed some seeds in garden soil with some perlite added, pricked out in garden soil and home made compost, far better than the ones I put into bought compost.
thats what I will be doing next year.

thevictorian · June 2022

I bought two different types of peat free and it was the same rubbish stuff in each bag (really fibrous and no real structure to it). The seeds I tried it in didn't germinate or did very poorly but the seeds (same packets just split the seeds) I put on old potting compost from last year, did well.

It not peat free that's the problem it's the companies trying to pass off rubbish to caring people.

punkdoc · June 2022

I think that is the key point, @thevictorian. Good peat free is excellent, otherwise the many Nurseries that now use it wouldn't, but bad peat free, like bad non peat free, is terrible.
There does seem to be a lot of terrible composts, of all types this year.

Hostafan1 · June 2022

that's because most of it is total crap

KayJ · June 2022

I'm having the same problem this year....things dying or just not growing once pricked out or moved on. Same thing two years ago, when New Horizon was the only thing I could get hold of. Used Sylvagrow last year and everything grew really well, but couldn't afford it this year so went with a cheaper one (Godwins) available local to me.... Next year I'll have to go with the Sylvagrow but grow less.

Lyn · June 2022

I won’t be buying compost, doesn’t anyone direct sow seeds?
What’s the difference in sowing in trays with garden soil?

Fairygirl · June 2022

I've certainly not had the growth with the tomatoes that I would normally have by this time of year. I presume it's because there's just no nutrition in it. They're now planted in the greenhouse, so I'll see how they manage.
No problem with germination, it's the growing on that's been the problem.
I have a feeling that many nurseries will be using their own, home produced compost. It'll be far better than some of the stuff being sold. The nursery I usually use produces lovely home made stuff.

I think garden soil, sieved, and then with something added - grit etc, depending on the seed being sown, is probably the answer. I think I suggested that to someone a while ago who was having terrible problems with getting anything to germinate in the stuff they had. Can't be any worse.

My seedlings have died this year in peat free compost.

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