PUFAs and GC bought compost.

Rubbish stuff isn't it! Last year I bought some (Garden Centre) and it appeared to have little balls of nutrients in it–about one every bucket load! Full of sticks and certainly cant grow carrots in it. I'm betting it's full of PUFAs. Where can I get or which manufacturer makes a really good compost that doesn't cost the earth and isn't made up of recycled waste?

The only concentrate I buy is Westland Growmore, works well and lasts a couple of years, but unsure about Chicken Feed as it may have residue chemicals from antibiotics and the like. Any ideas on welcome.

I am relying now on home made compost and collected a load of leaves from the street (no dog emptyings I hope!) so that's boosted it. Going to try laying it over and doing no-dig.

 

@Allex50 What does the acronym PUFA mean, I don't think you mean poly unsaturated fatty acids which wouldn't be a problem as biodegradable.
What brand did you buy?
I used Miraclegro compost this year and that was fine.
Do you mean chicken manure rather than feed, in either case there would almost certainly be no antibiotics. Again these are biodegradable and probably not taken up by your plants.
The leaves would be better stacked and turned into leaf mould.

 

I think its a kind of jacket.

 

Bit surprised you are using Growmore as believe its a man made chemical product, Fish Blood and Bone would be our choice as a general natural fertiliser.
Seaweed meal or liquid would be another good natural feed.

Home made compost is also one of the best products, either a typical cold garden compost heap or bin, though slow, or one of the modern hot bins which is said to rot things down very quickly.
As retired folk it can be surprising how much of your weekly fruit and veg basket is wasted and is perfect for the compost heap.

 

@Allex50 Rather than PUFA did you mean PFAs? PFAs refers to a group of chemicals properly called Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, so called "Forever Chemicals". A couple of things health effects are not really known and you're retired so you will have less in your body than your children and grandchildren. There are more than 12000 of them identified in the environment so far. They are very difficult to avoid whatever you do.

 

Sylvagrow is very good, it's consistent, but not cheap it's also made from waste; composted shredded bark from the forestry industry.
Maybe find one of the peat based composts still available in the UK, no idea on price though.

 

Yes I do. Thanks.

 

Ah, thanks all. I'll look into Growmore and if it is iffy I'll change it at B&Q. Sylvagrow compost at £10 for 40L seems a lot (at the Garden Group), £12 at Waitrose (but expected! must taste better).

Still worried about PFAs though.

Be back.

 

AI search reveals following:

While bone meal and blood meal are classified as organic fertilisers, they are by-products of the meat industry and typically come from conventionally raised animals, which may have been exposed to antibiotics, hormones, or other medications.

Research indicates that high-heat processing during manufacturing usually destroys most antibiotics and pathogens, significantly reducing the risk of these substances persisting in the final product. For example, concerns about Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE or "mad cow disease") have been largely mitigated by strict regulations and processing methods, with evidence suggesting the infectious prions are not present in bone or blood.

However, there is no requirement for the source animals to be organic, so trace contaminants cannot be entirely ruled out. Independent studies have found antibiotic residues in related animal by-products like feather meal, highlighting potential risks in the supply chain.

If you're seeking truly organic and contaminant-free options, consider plant-based alternatives such as alfalfa meal, neem meal, compost, or seaweed extract, which avoid animal welfare and pharmaceutical concerns altogether.

Maybe I'll go for seaweed for my veg. but has low NPKs. Trying to get my head round that.


PS I also have access to loads of free bark chippings but they are fresh so maybe not suitable laying over the ground for a no-dig method.

 

@Allex50

Why what is your specific concern?

 

One snag with AI is a lot of info comes from the US where they use more antibiotics in stock rearing. So what you posted does not necessarily apply to the UK

 

Sylvagrow is not cheap; when I use it I mix 50:50 with soil, sometimes I'll add 25% home made garden compost.
The Sylvagrow soil mix is for more delicate plants, the tomatoes get garden soil mixed with cheapo compost and garden compost with a slow release fertilsier added.
I know some nurseries use 50:50 Sylvagrow:soil.
One well known nursery use a lot of bark in their potting mix and things grow well with their nursery watering and feeding regime; however many people repot into their favourite mix on receipt.

 

Thanks, I'll think about how to spread it out and maybe even get a bulk bag as that brings the cost down considerably. My allotment soil is quite sticky and in drought cracks up and goes like concrete. PS my research is always done with a UK focus and I'm not sure the UK is much better but in the end just trying to get a handle on the relative risks.

 

This is a MSDS for a UK based company's BFB; https://www.gardenhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Fish-blood-and-bone.pdf