Compost brands, the good, the bad and absolute ****

[Chief Broom]

Bit of a rant really as i recently bought the worse most useless compost ive ever used. Westland multi purpose with Bi3 [?] Anything sown in it, pricked out. potted up doesnt want to grow, its that bad i dont even what to chuck it into my compost bins as it might actually be toxic!
I bought some seed/potting compost today branded 'growmore' and hoping i can salvage some seedlings/plants with it, though some meconopsis [blue poppies] seedlings probably wont make it as theyre too small to move on and will just shrink and die...

 

[Electric_Andy]

I've not had any reports of compost quality from my partner (who does the gardening), but we did notice last year the cheap stuff from the Range, and Lidl, brought in a load of those pesky little black flies. It took us months to get rid of them from the house plants. The larvae must have been in there already and hatched when potted and watered. We haven't noticed the same with the latest batch from the garden centre

 

[a.twiddler]

My wife commented that some budget compost we bought last year brought with it a load of tiny flies which we assumed were fruit flies and insisted on a branded variety this year. Don't know if it was a particularly bad season for them or if it was brand specific thing but we're watching out for them this year. Trouble is, once you've got them, it's hard to get rid of them.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Well with respect, if you've got absolute shyte, you need to let it rot down a while before using it as compost 🤭

 

[T4tomo]

horse shoot

 

[Elybazza61]

Been using this the past couple of years with good results;

https://melcourt.co.uk/products/sylvagrow-peat-free-composts/sylvagrow-multi-purpose/

We had some issues with last batch of the compost we used to use, was really wet and claggy but the above has some coir in it so never gets too wet; use it for seeds, potting on , big pots and as a mulch for choice plants.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

I've not had any reports of compost quality from my partner (who does the gardening), but we did notice last year the cheap stuff from the Range, and Lidl, brought in a load of those pesky little black flies. It took us months to get rid of them from the house plants. The larvae must have been in there already and hatched when potted and watered. We haven't noticed the same with the latest batch from the garden centre

Better use specific house plant compost for plants you keep indoors.
House plant compost had been sterilized to kill insect larvae.
The best compost?
It's the one I make myself, worth the extra work, worth the crazy looks I get when I raid the blue bins for suitable cardboard, and ask the neighbors for their grass cuttings
This year my vintage 2020 leaf mulch is finally ready, I made my own seed compost, lovely airy, fluffy texture.
Worth the weird looks I get when I gather the leaves in autumn

 

[annedonnelly]

I bought seed compost for the first time this year. Three different sorts of tomatoes have struggled to grow. A pot of coriander planted at the same time (early April) has just about got it's true leaves now and the basil never got past the seed leaves. My compost was Levingtons. I thought at first it was something I'd done but now I'm convinced it's the compost.

Next time I'm in the garden centre I'm going to ask if anyone else has had problems with it.

 

[annedonnelly]

Been using this the past couple of years with good results;

https://melcourt.co.uk/products/sylvagrow-peat-free-composts/sylvagrow-multi-purpose/

We had some issues with last batch of the compost we used to use, was really wet and claggy but the above has some coir in it so never gets too wet; use it for seeds, potting on , big pots and as a mulch for choice plants.

That's the stuff my friends used in their nursery business.

 

[Chief Broom]

Better use specific house plant compost for plants you keep indoors.
House plant compost had been sterilized to kill insect larvae.
The best compost?
It's the one I make myself, worth the extra work, worth the crazy looks I get when I raid the blue bins for suitable cardboard, and ask the neighbors for their grass cuttings
This year my vintage 2020 leaf mulch is finally ready, I made my own seed compost, lovely airy, fluffy texture.
Worth the weird looks I get when I gather the leaves in autumn

Will definitely make my own in the future but as ive been building a garden from scratch every thing ive composted has gone into improving the soil. Locally i have all the ingredients like seaweed, beech leaves, horse manure etc even have river sand for drainage/aeration I reckon many commercial composts havent any 'heart' and making my own would ensure its rich and can sustain growth long past the seedling stage.

 

[Red17]

Been using this the past couple of years with good results;

https://melcourt.co.uk/products/sylvagrow-peat-free-composts/sylvagrow-multi-purpose/

We had some issues with last batch of the compost we used to use, was really wet and claggy but the above has some coir in it so never gets too wet; use it for seeds, potting on , big pots and as a mulch for choice plants.

Sylvagrow is a definite favourite in our allotment shop. Various other brands have been tried, but the results never seem as good

 

[ClichéGuevara]

I've seen a few clips about worm towers, where people swear by them.
This guy has a somewhat alternative view so I thought I'd add the clip rather than a totally pro one as I think it has some information that could be useful.

PS, apologies if I'm egg sucking, I'm a total non-gardener.


View: https://youtu.be/DGPE_N8cQ4A

 

[annedonnelly]

Will definitely make my own in the future but as ive been building a garden from scratch every thing ive composted has gone into improving the soil. Locally i have all the ingredients like seaweed, beech leaves, horse manure etc even have river sand for drainage/aeration I reckon many commercial composts havent any 'heart' and making my own would ensure its rich and can sustain growth long past the seedling stage.

Take care with horse manure. My neighbours got some locally a couple of years ago. I moved here last year and they were busy trying to remove the manured earth. Seems the horse field had been treated with weedkiller. It's still affecting their plants this year so they're not able to plant very much.

 

[yello]

Must admit, gut reaction, I can't see worm towers working.

Composting is dear to my heart (seriously) I make my own and have 4 or 5 bins on the go. Bins are made from stacked pot block and cardboard lined. They are easily taken apart and rebuilt. Grass clippings, fallen leaves, prunings, twigs, branches, etc - all go in the general compost. I rake and collect autumnal leaf falls in huge bags ('big bags' you get from DIY places for gravel, sand etc delivery) I layer these leafs on the compost as and when I add layers. The bins get opened and turned. The whole process takes 12 - 18 months and produces more compost than we can use so it gets used as mulch too. It's excellent stuff. I also 'harvest' from different bins at different times depending on what grade of compost I want. I literally spend hours with these bins - sad git that I am!

I also have a seperate food compost bin. It's 2 water butts, one inside another. The inside one is drilled at the bottom to drain off compost tea (there's a tap fitted to the outside bin) Every couple of years, I empty it and take out the ready stuff and refill the bin with the rest. It's a sludgy mess in truth, and not the most pleasant of tasks.

My wife does buy potting compost from the garden centre but maybe a bag a year. The vast majority of our compost needs are fulfilled with my diy brew.

 

[Chief Broom]

Ive become quite a womble as regards to collecting anything compostable i walk my local beach most days and gather seaweed, when the council workers cut the grass i rake it up and layer it between the seaweed also leaves in autumn, mainly from cherry trees. My 'garden' was a gravel desert and now its thriving with fruit trees and bushes, roses, shrubs and flowers.