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John Innes No3 very soggy

MartinaluisettiMartinaluisetti Posts: 2
in Problem solving
Dear gardeners, may I pick your brain on a Fuji Cherry that I just bought? I read online that the best compost to repot it in would be John Innes No3, after repotting i watered the tree and the water stayed for a long time on top of the compost - I thought it was a great compost for drainage, was I supposed to mix it with something? I worry that my beautiful Kojo no mai will get waterlogged. Thanks in advance
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  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445
    If the water stayed on top of the compost maybe the compost isn't absorbing it. 


    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I find that JI blends are too heavy to use by themselves and always add something to help with drainage.
    For long-term planting for your Cherry I'd suggest something like 60% JI, 25% horticultural grit and about 15% rotted manure or compost.
    Perlite is good too, but it breaks up after a couple of years, so best to use grit.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Agree with @Pete.8, I always mix JI3 with something, usually some MPC.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    If you use it on it's own you will get puddling on the surface.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I have just planted a rambling rose in a buried box (there had been another rose there that died) full of 2 sacks of John Innes 3 and I watered it well. There was no puddling, the water drained away. The rose expert at Peter Beales said to plant it in pure JI 3 and mulch with compost. I bought the rose and the JI 3 from Peter Beales. The JI wasn't heavy. It was like a light loam. Maybe you had a duff bag.

    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    I used some today to transplant an Erigeron karvinskianus into a container.  I would normally mix it with MPC but it was getting near the end of a busy day!  It did puddle very briefly but then drained through quickly and the plant perked up quickly too!
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Is there a chance the drainage holes are blocked @Martinaluisetti ?
    That can be a problem, and heavier mixes can easily clog them, especially if it's one of those pots with the single hole - they clog far more readily and need a good set of crocks over them to help avoid that happening. I often use my own garden soil for certain shrubs etc, and have to be careful with that kind of pot. 
    I've never actively used any JI products, so it's difficult to add anything to what the others have said, but it's worth lifting your tree and checking, and if you're worried - add some grit through the whole mix, as suggested.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • MartinaluisettiMartinaluisetti Posts: 2
    Thanks everyone! I did what @Pete.8 suggested and it worked out beautifully! Thanks! @Fairygirl I also places some uneven stones near the drainages holes and I am sure that is also helping. Really appreciate you all taking the time to help!
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Glad it worked well for you  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340

    👍


    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
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