I use quite a lot as I have many plant pots and grow from seed. I pay
about £12 for three large bags, all the garden centres in the area seem
to be much the same price. However lately I have found there are a lot
of bits of wood in the compost, which is a nuisance when potting on. I
know that I could sieve it but I am wondering if there are better
composts out there at about the same price. Would the team please advice?

On 13/10/2012 16:50, Broadback wrote:
I use quite a lot as I have many plant pots and grow from seed. I pay
about £12 for three large bags, all the garden centres in the area seem
to be much the same price. However lately I have found there are a lot
of bits of wood in the compost, which is a nuisance when potting on. I
know that I could sieve it but I am wondering if there are better
composts out there at about the same price. Would the team please advice?


You don't say how much you use in a season.
Sounds as if you are using Peat free. I have yet to find one that was
good for anything other than as a mulch.

In article ,
says...

I use quite a lot as I have many plant pots and grow from seed. I pay
about £12 for three large bags, all the garden centres in the area seem
to be much the same price. However lately I have found there are a lot
of bits of wood in the compost, which is a nuisance when potting on. I
know that I could sieve it but I am wondering if there are better
composts out there at about the same price. Would the team please advice?


I bought 3 bags of Levington Multi-purpose
this week and certainly the first bag I've
opened seems to be OK, with no bits of wood in
it. I did buy some from Homebase last year,
which was rubbish, hence now it is well known
brands from a good garden centre.

Must admit that just as I was coming indoors
today, I noticed a bit on the bag about using
recycled waste, need to go and rad the bag
properly tomorrow!

--
Roger T

700 ft up in Mid-Wales

On Sat, 13 Oct 2012 16:50:31 +0100, Broadback
wrote:

I use quite a lot as I have many plant pots and grow from seed. I pay
about £12 for three large bags, all the garden centres in the area seem
to be much the same price. However lately I have found there are a lot
of bits of wood in the compost, which is a nuisance when potting on. I
know that I could sieve it but I am wondering if there are better
composts out there at about the same price. Would the team please advice?

I noticed deterioration in the quality of bought compost over several
years. Hence my decision a few years ago to shift to coir. This is
naturally sterile. It is pH neutral (if anything just a bit on the
acid side). I am then able to introduce my own controlled mix of
nutrients to make the result acid/neutral/alkaline as needed. I will
mix in some of my own compost to provide bulk. If I want an acid mix I
will add more leaf mould. For alkaline I will add more general
compost. If nothing else, I'm saving myself about £100 on compost
buying costs each year.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay where sometimes
it's raining and sometimes it's not.

On 13/10/2012 22:45, Sacha wrote:
On 2012-10-13 19:14:49 +0100, David Hill
said:

On 13/10/2012 16:50, Broadback wrote:
I use quite a lot as I have many plant pots and grow from seed. I pay
about £12 for three large bags, all the garden centres in the area seem
to be much the same price. However lately I have found there are a lot
of bits of wood in the compost, which is a nuisance when potting on. I
know that I could sieve it but I am wondering if there are better
composts out there at about the same price. Would the team please
advice?


You don't say how much you use in a season.
Sounds as if you are using Peat free. I have yet to find one that was
good for anything other than as a mulch.

You and Ray were separated at birth!

Arr! We was educated proper

On Sat, 13 Oct 2012 16:50:31 +0100, Broadback
wrote:

I use quite a lot as I have many plant pots and grow from seed. I pay
about £12 for three large bags, all the garden centres in the area seem
to be much the same price. However lately I have found there are a lot
of bits of wood in the compost, which is a nuisance when potting on. I
know that I could sieve it but I am wondering if there are better
composts out there at about the same price. Would the team please advice?

As a matter of interest do you prefer it to John Innes?

--
rbel

Broadback wrote in news:k5c2k6$gf1$1@dont-
email.me:

I use quite a lot as I have many plant pots and grow from seed. I pay
about £12 for three large bags, all the garden centres in the area seem
to be much the same price. However lately I have found there are a lot
of bits of wood in the compost, which is a nuisance when potting on. I
know that I could sieve it but I am wondering if there are better
composts out there at about the same price. Would the team please advice?

I think it was here that I read about many of the retailers buy their
compost from government councils. The local council collect garden refuse
and recycle it with lots of heat treatment. The end result is that you can
find foreign bodies in this load of rubbish they call compost, sometimes
shards of glass! That might be what you have bought.
Just an idea.

Baz

On Saturday, October 13, 2012 4:50:30 PM UTC+1, Broadback wrote:
I use quite a lot as I have many plant pots and grow from seed. I pay

about £12 for three large bags, all the garden centres in the area seem

to be much the same price. However lately I have found there are a lot

of bits of wood in the compost, which is a nuisance when potting on. I

know that I could sieve it but I am wondering if there are better

composts out there at about the same price. Would the team please advice?


Just buy one of any random brand, check its ok and get more if it is. Its not at all necessary to stick to well reputed brands, and the only way you really know what its like is to open it.


NT

On Saturday, 13 October 2012 16:50:30 UTC+1, Broadback wrote:
I use quite a lot as I have many plant pots and grow from seed. I pay

about £12 for three large bags, all the garden centres in the area seem

to be much the same price. However lately I have found there are a lot

of bits of wood in the compost, which is a nuisance when potting on. I

know that I could sieve it but I am wondering if there are better

composts out there at about the same price. Would the team please advice?

Beware the B+Q Stuff.

You can get a lot variety of packaged mixes from garden centers. Many commercial potting mixes contain little or no soil at all. Soil can become compact in a container robbing the plant's roots of the oxygen they need. Basically potting soil is a mix of peat moss or composed of partially decomposed plant material such as ground fir bark.

In article , David Hill
writes
You don't say how much you use in a season.
Sounds as if you are using Peat free. I have yet to find one that was
good for anything other than as a mulch.


Yes - very worthy but totally random in the quality and I wouldn't use
it for sowing seeds or potting up just struck cuttings
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article , The Original
Jake writes
Hence my decision a few years ago to shift to coir.

I used coir blocks one year and found that using them to do the first
potting up of rooted cuttings with some fertiliser (not much), the
plants fair romped away making HUGE rootballs very quickly, I was very
impressed and assume it's because the compost is so light.
--
Janet Tweedy

On Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:09:28 +0100, Janet Tweedy
wrote:

In article , The Original
Jake writes
Hence my decision a few years ago to shift to coir.

I used coir blocks one year and found that using them to do the first
potting up of rooted cuttings with some fertiliser (not much), the
plants fair romped away making HUGE rootballs very quickly, I was very
impressed and assume it's because the compost is so light.

Coir is really light and airy which helps root development. As long as
you feed (coir contains no nutrients at all) it's great. Plus if you
forget to water and the surface dries (a) it doesn't crust so
rehydrating isn't a problem and (b) it goes a very light brown so you
have a "need to water" indication before the roots get dry.

I've also had better results when planting out which I put down to the
fact that any garden soil will be more nutritious and hence root
attracting than the coir. So you don't need to worry so much about
making up a planting mix to surround the rootball, just make sure the
soil is well dug and "loose" to admit the roots.

Seed sowing in coir is also a lot easier when it comes to pricking out
as the coir doesn't get all claggy around the delicate little roots.
OTOH, you need to prick out much earlier before the seedling uses up
the nutrient store in the seed! I find using a pair of tweezers
helpful as the seedlings are too small to hold with fingers - that's
how soon I prick out!

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay where sometimes
it's raining and sometimes it's not.