Multi Purpose Compost. The Good - The bad ?

I just came across this article , while looking for compost info on seed starting............

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/gardening/article-1241521/Gardeners-nightmare-The-compost-brands-wont-grow-you.html

It seems that the peat-free compost has a black cloud over it . I have never used peat free so can't comment. The point that interested me is that on the articles graphic , B n Q compost got 88/100 for sowing seeds and the B n Q sowing compost only scored 71/100 :-/
Now I always use seed compost to sow my seeds , would I be better using a good quality peat based multi compost ? The composts I used last year were Humax ( lovely stuff ) and Wickes own brand which seemd to be lump and rubbish free . Any thoughts on this ?

 

I use small 1/4 sized seed trays for sowing seeds. I buy the smallest bag of John Innes Seed Compost and it lasts me a season. (By the time we get to about April I reuse the soil in the compost and the things I sow after that are less fussy, unlikely to need pampering, and unlikely to get damping off disease).

If you are doing one pot per variety then you might use more.

Personally I think soil-based is better for seeds than peat-based as watering is less critical. But its probably just a matter of preference

 

Must be a slow news day at the Daily Mail, that report came out last summer. Think we covered it on here.

I use this one

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/N-Horizon-Organic-%26-Peat-Free-Compost-Buy-2-get-1-Free_W0QQitemZ250681879544QQcmdZViewItem?rvr_id=198192819219&rvr_id=198192819219&cguid=85a4f08012d0a47a2474e264fff7e0a3

Thats when i'm not using my own. Not had any problems with it.

 

I generally use B&Q own compost, but there peat based one .. I have never had good results with thier peat free one ...
I sow smaller/lighter type seed in the multipurpose then use a 50/50% Multi purpose /John Innes for larger seeds ..The larger seed tends to lift the covering compost as they germinate..We all have our personal Quirks when it comes to composts I think ..

Dave

 

I'm a bit unsure as to what are peat based and what aren't.
I didn't think many were actually peat based anymore.

Sure some of it looks like it contains peat, but its not what we used to get.

A lot of them say multipurpose containing JI, I do tend to buy these but then add more JI and some sharp sand or grit depending on what I'm growing.
I very rarely use the stuff on its own directly from the bag.

I spring I usually add some osmacote to the mix as well.

 

Thanks Kristen , Ziggy , Dave and Pete for the replies....

http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/Thread-Seed-Germination-Role-of-Compost-Perlite-Vermiculite.html

The thread above ( which I could not find on Friday ! ) reviews the roles of composts and their additions very well. The reason I am probing this is most of my seeds germinate pretty well using B n Q seed compost. But with my petunia seeds I have wildly varying germination rates of 10% to 95% ( now and then 0 ! ). Sometimes when they germinate they grow to about an 1/8" - 1/4" then fallover and shrivel . This year petunias will be the last batch in my prop in mid March to receive the most daylight and I will use good quality compost ( not seed compost ) with a 30% vermiculite mix , just covering the pelleted seed again with vermiculite + lightly water with a cheshunt compound mix . Hopefully this will improve my germination rate. Fingers crossed:D

 

Morning Harry
I germinate most of my seeds in half depth 5in pots (do you know type I mean) and sow thinly so that once germinated they are not overcrowded ,give the compost a watering of cheshunt compound before sowing ... Then when I need to re-water I stand the pot in a tray of about 2in deep water until water just starts to show on the compost surface then remove .I find this helps by keeping the tiny seedlings dry. . A bit tedious by with the price of some seeds worth the effort

Dave

 

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We had a session about various composts on here last year, the good the bad and the peat free as well.

I used Wickes at £12 per 4 and as it was mainly made from peat, found it performed very well for me!
Have to watch for the £10 lot this season!!!!!!!

Since most makers have moved to peat free, they have made a complete c?ck up of it!
Any that I have tried have had raw wood slivers and stones in them, difficult with watering, and almost totally useless, and usually very expensive to boot!

Like any product, wether it be composts or food or drink, remember Coca Cola, it is never done to improve it, only some tw?t at a desk trying to protect his "career" and make a fast buck at the consumers expense!

The original is ALWAYS the best!

 

I agree with Makka. The peat-free stuff is absolute rubbish. Can't see the problem with peat based compost. Half of Siberia is covered in peat. Just tell the Russians they can make a couple of bob out of it and we'll be swimming in the stuff. If you like bog-snorkelling, that is

 

The peat free stuff we tried last year was as has been stated above pretty awful. It was like half rotted bark chippings with a bit of gravel added!

There are though some significant concerns about commercial peat harvesting and the imapact on bio-diversity and carbon capture and methane emissions. Whatever way you look at it, and whether or not you accept or are concerned about the emissions argument, at the current rate of use extractions are exceeding the rate of natural regeneration, so sooner or later supplies will run out.

Peat at the current rate of horticultural consumption is not an infinite resource.

 

Multi purpose compost is a bone of contention every year amongst gardeners.
It seems to vary from year to year,brand to brand.
I complained to Arthur Bowers last year about some awful bags and they apologized saying it was a bad batch(I had sent them the batch number).They did refund me and I used it for growing potatoes in bags
I suppose as it is an natural organic substance it will vary,but it would be nice to get a reliable norm.
Last year I bought B&Q compost and it was realy excellent.
I have on the odd occasion bought Levingtons Multipurpose and it is always top quality but always that bit more expensive,never seen 3 big bags for a tenner..lol.

We do use Multipurpose Compost as the name suggests for many different jobs,Seed compost,potting on compost,planting all manor of plants and shrubs in pots as well as using it to plant into the open ground.So it is suposed to be all things to all people..........A big ask.

Peat free,not for me .......Yet.

 

Will be checking out Wickes - Shiney & Makka Bakka....thanks for that - sounds a bargain!

In one my past lives.... I did actually spend over 20 years in horticulture - mainly growing pot plants and in all that time never had any success with non peat based composts. Still now for my hobby gardening I use multi purpose peat based - any type whatever is cheap and add sharp sand/grit for some seeds/cutting as necessary. Never had any luck with John Innes tho' I found it is good for cacti growing.
:P

 

Slightly off topic maybe ,

When I started in horticulture mid 60's I was an apprentice with Parks Dept and we only used our own mixed composts ,We stacked our own turfs and this inturn was put through a sieve then steam sterilized .
We then mixed our composts on John Innes formula either Seed ,or John Innes 1,2 or 3 as needed obviously the peat based composts were not available .Cannot recall when they can in but they slowly took over ..
Our results were good plants ..
I have used peat based myself for many years but on retiring last year I am going to mix my own this year and maybe do a comparison test on a few plants ..

Dave

 

Ive brought nothing but Homebase value compost and it is pretty awful stuff. Very dry and has too much bark in it I thought. I've only been using it for improving the drainage of my beds though so it will do for that I guess.