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Bulb compost
CluelessGardener
Posts: 878
in Talkback
Is it just another con to get more money out of us what is the diffrence between john inning number 3 and bulb compost ??
James
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Bulb compost is mainly 'fibre' which will hold moisture well, with some charcoal to keep it smelling sweet. Bulbs that are grown indoors and then discarded have little need of many nutrients (they've enough in the bulb for one year) so for indoor hyacinths etc it's fine.
John Innes No 3 is a loam-based compost with the right sort of nutrients for a mature plant - not really needed for bulbs unless you're going to keep them in the same container for several years (perhaps underplanting a shrub for instance) and you want the bulbs to be able to build up each year to enable them to flower well the following year.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
so I was going to use number 3 with extra sand and place the bulbs on a layer of grit I don't intend to move the pot or bulbs for a year or two is this ok ??
should I get some general compost like westlands 3 bags for £10 and at the sand and grit to it ??
James
I'm going to use the compost from the tomatoes, with a handful of blood, fish , and bone to rejuvenate it. When the bulbs die down next summer, the compost gets chucked around a shrub as mulch.
Thank you Fidget
just been and found a book on Gardening with containers I thought I had one some were ok
Book says Allium free-draining loan based growing medium and lift and divide every three years so i'm off to buy some compost now westlands multi-compost and add a layer of grit and sand of the bulbs to sit on fill it up and add some blood, fish and bone to the top of the pot in November.
would you put a layer of grit on the top of pot to cut down on weeds and help keep the water in (big blue glazed terracota pots)
James
Fidget I used to just tip my old compost but this year i'm reformed I'm going to add it to my new compost bins (when I've made them) LOL
James
If you're planning on leaving them in long term, a handful of that osmocote slow release pellet stuff would be good. Alliums would prefer a bit of grit, and so would lilies. Daffs are fine in ordinary multipurpose stuff.
Think of where they come from and try to emulate those conditions.
Daffs grow in deciduos woodland, in humus rich leaf litter.
Tulips come from turkey etc and get baked well in the summer.
CG- I always top dress pots with grit or gravel. They look better, they preserve moisture if it's sunny and it does prevent bits and pieces seeding in.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I've been using slate bits as top dressing, because the squirrels don't like it, but I still has aquilegias seeding into it. More freebies to pot on.
Do you mean "bulb compost" or "bulb fibre"? The latter has little or nothing to feed a bulb for future growth. Bulb compost may just be repackaged ordinary compost with or without higher phosphorus to promote bulb growth.
Ok I've planted my bulbs after a slight problem one of the dogs or even all of them dug up my newly sown bulbs and eaten them well two any way so I saved 4 out of 6 and bought some more as the pots are big and short
I planted with stones in the base for drainage followed by screeded top soil added some grit and mixed in two more inches of top soil then I watered the soil as the top soil was quite dry I then added osmocote slow release pellets about a hand full after this I added 10cm of John Innings number three different Allium’s done just some grit to add and all finished I will have to look at relocate so the dogs will not eat them again.
James