Why must cutting compost be used?

Every guide or book I read regarding taking cuttings tells me to use cutting compost, but is there a specific reason why I can't use normal compost in its place? I might be wrong but if a plant absorbs nutrients through its roots then while growing roots it doesn't matter much what it is in.

I ask because I can't find cutting compost anywhere nearby and my normal garden centre is a few miles away in the country and the road to it cannot be travelled.

Many thanks.
HBK

 

I've never heard of "cutting" compost. That probably shows my ignorance. I just use a usual (peat-based) Multi-compost. Seems to work O.K.:wink:

 

This link probably explains things quicker and easier than I can.
In essence cuttings composts are low on added nutrients in order to prevent excessive sappy growth at the expense of root growth and they are well drained.

http://www.gardeningdata.co.uk/soil/john_innes/john_innes.php

 

Hi HBK. As I understand all this, cutting compost is a bit grittier than general compost.
Cuttings tend to root better if the stems are a little bit scraped in the area the roots will come from and maybe the gritty compost helps.
I think if you're a commercial grower and the percentage success matters in time and money then cutting compost could be a good investment. For the everyday gardener I think general purpose is fine. It's all I ever use. You can add a bit of sand or gravel if you have it, but I wouldn't worry about it.
Good luck.

 

Thats a useful link - thanks Dave - and it explains clearly what cutting compost is.

Alice - I would totally agree with you. If you are a professional then a 5% increase in productivity might make all the difference, but I think that for the rest of us multipurpose is plenty good enough.

I always use 2/3 multipurpose compost and 1/3 sharp sand for extra drainage for seeds and cuttings, which seems to be a fairly universal mix. I also sieve it to get a somewhat finer product - mainly for seeds. But I suspect that taking the cutting at the right time of year and ensuring it doesn't dry out is the most important aspect.

 

Agree with Peter, the use of sand or perlite at a minimum of 30% in multi-purpose compost should be all you need. The sand also helps to open up the mixture allowing the roots to develop more easily.

 

Cuttings compost has low nutrient levels, which encourages the cutting to produce roots (to search out the nutrients)

It also has a gritty, open texture which helps with drainage so the cutting doesn't rot before it forms roots.

Personally I just use whatever is to hand. Spent pot compost, multipurpose, just garden soil sometimes. If you're doing lots of cuttings commercially it's probably very important to use the right compost to maximise your success rate and therefore cash. In your garden, it's probably not that important I reckon.

 

I bought some cutting compost once and only once. It seemed to me to be grittier and more finely sieved than multi purpose and a good deal more expensive.

Never bought any since, i always use multi purpose these days and it seems to work fine for me.