If there's nothing wrong with peat-free composts then why is it I never had any sort of problem growing in peat-based composts and only get them in peat-free? I spent yesterday afternoon repotting a heap of seedlings that have stalled in peat-free (including cosmos, which are normally bombproof!) into the only other stuff I have at the moment, some peat-free with John Innes, in the hope they may grow on in a different blend. I don't have the space for making my own compost or leaf mould, nor mixing blends like Monty does (I've spent enough time sieving PF and/or adding grit/perlite/vermiculite this year as it is!), and peat-based multi-purpose like Jack's Magic always worked straight out of the bag. I'm really trying to do my bit by not buying peat-based for the last three years but am losing heart....when all my time and efforts (and money spent on seeds and compost) come to nothing I'm very tempted to just go buy some stuff that works!!
A local nursery I have visited for decades sow and grow all the bedding plants and veg plants they sell themselves in massive greenhouses and huge polytunnels. Alan the owner persuaded me to try what they use (and sell) a few years ago - Bulrush peat free. I know it can work, as the plants they sow, grow and sell are top quality. When I tried, it was a complete failure.
I used to really like Levingtons, but that's been awful for years. I've used Bord na Mona Grow Wise for the past few years with great results. For the first time, this year I started to find bits of plastic, string and glass in it, but it has performed very well.
I know Monty has great success with peat free, but he blends it with his compost and leaf mould (and often mentions John Innes) then adds perlite. I just wonder what the actual %age of peat-free compost he uses.
Charles Dowding done a comparison test this year with some homemade mixes. His conclusion from the mixes he tested was homemade compost with added worm castings performed best- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt4azBLuJrc
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I’m fortunate or maybe not, to have moles, they turn the soil up into a fine mixture, just a few stones to remove, I wonder if you can buy just plain top soil in small bags in garden centres, if so, I would recommend sowing seeds in that with a handful of Perlite added.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
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?
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.
Yes, they must..and I suppose they are doing but in the meantime the poor old punter is indirectly paying the manufacturer to develop decent stuff whilst passing off crap. Especially when they've had decades to produce a decent product. It doesn't help that people like MD pontificate on a regular basis that he's been using peat free for years...what he doesn't tell you is he pays over the odds for a premium product, adulterates it with various other stuff and is fortunate that any failures can easily be replaced or he grows that much that losses are insignificant.
Peat based compost will be on sale until 2024 for amatuers (2028 for pros!)..until then I'll carry on buying it - especially if it's good enough for pros for the next 6 years! When its in a bag at the GC the damage is done.
Not that I'm unsupportive when it comes to preserving peatlands - quite the opposite - but I'm a realist. Sacrificing my plants/time/money unnecessarily for some kind of environmental moral code just doesn't make sense to me - I'm not beholding to anybody - and I have no guilt whatsoever. When it's banned I'll adapt.
I suppose the makes me the devil incarnate but I'm just being honest...and if you watch people at the GC or DIY shop a large proportion still buy compost based on value for money not whether it's peat based or not...moreso in the current economic climate.
You can @Lyn. I think that's a better option, if you don't have a suitable area of spare soil in the garden. I often use some from parts of borders that have had spent compost added in autumn, after the sweet peas are done. That's a nice friable mix, but it wouldn't be great if you were sowing hundred of seeds of various types. This year, I've used the stuff from the bottom of the growhouse, as the toms now get planted directly, rather than into pots. I'd agree with you @Pete.8 - how much commercial compost is actually in there! Home made compost is a conditioner for soil, and is ideal for seeds as they don't need much to germinate. It's the growing on process that's different, up until a plant can be put in the ground. That's when they need a bit more nutrition, and that's where the difficulties lie for many people if they're using nothing but commercial, peat free compost. I can see the sales of slow release foods rocketing! When you can plant something out is also a big factor, so plants can be in pots for a long time.
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 sylvagrow this year. No problems at all that I'm aware of. If some things are a bit slow, I'd say the cold spring hasn't helped but anything I've tipped out for a look has a good root system so I assume things will get going when the weather improves.
Posts
Alan the owner persuaded me to try what they use (and sell) a few years ago - Bulrush peat free.
I know it can work, as the plants they sow, grow and sell are top quality.
When I tried, it was a complete failure.
I used to really like Levingtons, but that's been awful for years.
I've used Bord na Mona Grow Wise for the past few years with great results.
For the first time, this year I started to find bits of plastic, string and glass in it, but it has performed very well.
I know Monty has great success with peat free, but he blends it with his compost and leaf mould (and often mentions John Innes) then adds perlite. I just wonder what the actual %age of peat-free compost he uses.
Charles Dowding done a comparison test this year with some homemade mixes.
His conclusion from the mixes he tested was homemade compost with added worm castings performed best-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt4azBLuJrc
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Never, ever buy it from a certain DIY shop with two initials..
I'd agree with you @Pete.8 - how much commercial compost is actually in there! Home made compost is a conditioner for soil, and is ideal for seeds as they don't need much to germinate. It's the growing on process that's different, up until a plant can be put in the ground. That's when they need a bit more nutrition, and that's where the difficulties lie for many people if they're using nothing but commercial, peat free compost. I can see the sales of slow release foods rocketing!
When you can plant something out is also a big factor, so plants can be in pots for a long time.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...