Has anyone else noticed how many weeds grow in the new peat free alternative
composts ?
This year seems to be worse than last, growing annuals from seed I am
constantly trying to weed within a couple of centimetres from plants without
pulling plants up as well.
I am not certain but suspect that this is partial result of local authority
recycling with insufficient heat and time given to the rotting process.
anyone else more authoritative on this subject?
regards
Cineman

Ca you be more specific as to where you are finding the problem? Do you
mean commercial peat free composts? (if so - any in particular?) Or do
you mean local authority composts? Or do you suspect that local
authority composts are being sold on to commercial producers of compost?

I use New Horizon and don't find a weed problem (although I did in the
early days - it seems to have improved in quality in the last few
years). My own compost, otoh, gives me abundant crops of annual
euphorbias. So I use New Horizon for seeds and small plants, and my own
compost for large pots.

cineman writes
Has anyone else noticed how many weeds grow in the new peat free alternative
composts ?
This year seems to be worse than last, growing annuals from seed I am
constantly trying to weed within a couple of centimetres from plants without
pulling plants up as well.
I am not certain but suspect that this is partial result of local authority
recycling with insufficient heat and time given to the rotting process.
anyone else more authoritative on this subject?
regards
Cineman



--
Kay

I agree - it is very likely that the compost makers are not properly rotting down the material. And since they take what is dumped, it will also contain noxious weeds so a longer period of rotting down and maintenance of heat is needed.

"beccabunga" wrote
cineman;808337 Wrote:
Has anyone else noticed how many weeds grow in the new peat free
alternative
composts ?
This year seems to be worse than last, growing annuals from seed I am
constantly trying to weed within a couple of centimetres from plants
without
pulling plants up as well.
I am not certain but suspect that this is partial result of local
authority
recycling with insufficient heat and time given to the rotting
process.
anyone else more authoritative on this subject?
regards
Cineman

I agree - it is very likely that the compost makers are not properly
rotting down the material. And since they take what is dumped, it will
also contain noxious weeds so a longer period of rotting down and
maintenance of heat is needed.


Time is money!

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

beccabunga snippy
Eh, Get back to my stream!
--
Pete C
London UK

In article ,
(K) wrote:

commercial peat free composts?

I posted earlier this year about a well known make's reduced peat compost
having weed seeds aplenty

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/

In article ,
(AriesVal) wrote:

Is it possible you could repeat the name of that compost please Steve?

Unwise, I fear

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/

On Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:29:49 +0100, cineman wrote:

Has anyone else noticed how many weeds grow in the new peat free alternative
composts ?
This year seems to be worse than last, growing annuals from seed I am
constantly trying to weed within a couple of centimetres from plants without
pulling plants up as well.
I am not certain but suspect that this is partial result of local authority
recycling with insufficient heat and time given to the rotting process.
anyone else more authoritative on this subject?
regards
Cineman

I've been using HomeBase peat free GroBags this year - works out a lot
cheaper than buying bags labelled 'compost' - and I have had no problems
with weeds and the plants seem to have thrived.

The compost is coarser than the usual peat compost and is easier to wet -
you don't get the drying out problems you can get with peat.

I transfer it to pots (roughly 10") and plant tomatoes, cucumbers and
courgettes in it.

Oh, and a couple of chillies.

All going well so far, touch wood.

I even have some tomato 'cuttings' producing well - the shoots from the
leaf joints which you usually pinch out.

A few got ahead of themselves and I rooted them then potted them up.

They are a bit behind the original plants, but still growing well.

Cheers

Dave R

David WE Roberts writes
I've been using HomeBase peat free GroBags this year - works out a lot
cheaper than buying bags labelled 'compost'

What volume are they? And how much do they cost?
--
Kay

On Aug 12, 9:02*pm, David WE Roberts wrote:
On Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:29:49 +0100, cineman wrote:
Has anyone else noticed how many weeds grow in the new peat free alternative
composts ?
This year seems to be worse than last, growing annuals from seed I am
constantly trying to weed within a couple of centimetres from plants without
pulling plants up as well.
I am not certain but suspect that this is partial result of local authority
recycling with insufficient heat and time given to the rotting process.
anyone else more authoritative on this subject?
regards
Cineman

I've been using HomeBase peat free GroBags this year - works out a lot
cheaper than buying bags labelled 'compost' - and I have had no problems
with weeds and the plants seem to have thrived.

The compost is coarser than the usual peat compost and is easier to wet -
you don't get the drying out problems you can get with peat.

I transfer it to pots (roughly 10") and plant tomatoes, cucumbers and
courgettes in it.

Oh, and a couple of chillies.

All going well so far, touch wood.

I even have some tomato 'cuttings' producing well - the shoots from the
leaf joints which you usually pinch out.

A few got ahead of themselves and I rooted them then potted them up.

They are a bit behind the original plants, but still growing well.

Cheers

Dave R

Thanks Dave, I just hope that when I am in the UK in September that
Homebase have huge bags of the stuff for me to bring back to France.

Judith

On Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:49:05 +0100, K wrote:

David WE Roberts writes
I've been using HomeBase peat free GroBags this year - works out a lot
cheaper than buying bags labelled 'compost'

What volume are they? And how much do they cost?

33 litres in volume (so 3 to match 100 litre compost bags).

When I bought the majority they were £1.18 per bag, reduced to match the
peat GroBags.

I think they are a little more now, but still quite a lot cheaper than the
larger compost bags.

I think it was 'Which?' that recommended HomeBase GroBags as best value
for money - in general GroBags seem to be cheaper per litre than bagged
compost, presumably because they "stack them high sell them cheap".

In previous years I have made my own growing medium by mixing HomeBase
bags of peat compost, farmyard manure, and top soil/JI No. 3 (depending
which was cheapest at the time) because this seemed to give the best mix
of easy rooting, easy re-wetting, and built in food (I also added chicken
manure pellets and GrowMore).

This year I have mainly been using the peat free GroBags because they seem
to provide a good all round medium. I still add extra food to the bottom
of the pot to save feeding in the earlier stages of growth.

Cheers

Dave R