Personal peat vs peat-free experiment

[alan refail]

Following on from this topic LINK, which seems to be fading out, I have decided to carry out some personal tests, non-scientific and purely for my own benefit.

Today I bought a 35 litre bag of New Horizon Multipurpose compost which I will compare against Clover Multipurpose peat compost (which I have always used with great success).

compared with

In my own interest I intend to be as objective as possible.

First impressions:
the New Horizon was very heavy - I estimate about 50% heavier than the equivalent volume of Clover

the New Horizon when opened had a sweet, rather sewagey smell (rather less pleasant than my own poultry-manure-rich homemade compost) and was an mixture of woody bits, very small fragments of paper/plastic(?), small sticky lumps, but not too coarse - Clover peat is earthy smelling and consistently fine-textured

The next stage will be to decide which seeds to sow in both composts to compare performance. At this time of the year I am not as concerned about guaranteed success as I would be earlier on.

I will keep posting results.

I would appreciate comments, but would ask fellow forum members not to drift the thread away from what I am trying to report. Thanks.

[pongeroon]

Good idea Alan, I will follow this experiment with interest. I have often thought about doing something similar, but always seem to get sidetracked....

[Colin Miles]

Hi Alan,

My non-peat multicompost was described as unsuitable for very fine seeds and I assume from your description that the same applies to New Horizon?

Interesting experiment.

[alan refail]

Pongeroon

Now's the time to have a go. It would be good to have others' experiences and results.

Colin

I found that there is a New Horizon seed compost, but since I only ever use multi-purpose for seeding and growing on I thought MP versus MP would be a fairer comparison - for me, that is.

With that consideration in mind, I have chosen seeds ranging from the very small to the quite large.

They will be:

BASIL Nano - to be sown in pots and grown on in the same pots

LETTUCE Flame - to be pricked out into the same two composts

ONION Kyoto Market - to be sown in modules, 6 to a cell, and planted out

COURGETTE Striato di Napoli - to be sown in pots and then planted out

BEAN Cherokee Trail of Tears - to be sown in modules and then planted out

Should get all sown today or tomorrow.

I aim to record date of emergence, percentage germination and rate of growth.

[peter]

So Alan, is the slogan for this test "Ystyriwch yr amgylchedd - sydd gennych i ddefnyddio mawn."?

[alan refail]

Rhediad yr edau, Pedr?

Gweler fy mhost cyntaf!

[alan refail]

Up and running now.

All sowing is done

In each compost I have sowed

10 basil
10 lettuce
12 modules of 6 onion seed
2 courgette
6 beans

The seed counts are exact.

NB If you want to preserve your eyesight and sanity, don't try counting basil, lettuce and onion seeds too often!

[MikA]

Alan

It will be interesting to see if your experience of using the New Horizon for seed sowing matches that of the Which trials I reported in the topic you put a Link to.

MikA

[alan refail]

Alan

It will be interesting to see if your experience of using the New Horizon for seed sowing matches that of the Which trials I reported in the topic you put a Link to.

MikA

Thanks MikA

It was your informative post that was behind my decision to carry out my trail.

Alan

[pdblak]

Looking forward to seeing the results of this.

[Nature's Babe]

I wonder what the result would be if you had included a home made compost
too, all mine have come up well in home made compost, and hold moisture well compared to proprietry brands which I used to find dried out very rapidly. Most of my seeds are up or already planted or I would have been tempted to try an experiment too.

[alan refail]

Hi NB

The idea of making my own compost had occurred to me, but I think I can predict the result: good immediate germination of weed and tomato seeds.

I also thought that comparing two with five different veg in each was quite enough for starters, and specifically two which are available commercially and supposedly of consistent quality.

Most people do not make their own sowing and potting compost, and the consistency would vary wildly.

Why don't you try the comparison? Nothing to stop you trying a few extra seeds, even if you don't use them all.

[Tony Hague]

I too, like NB, make my own seed/potting composts. I know what Alan means, there are always seeds in garden compost; I have occasionally wondered if I should stop buying tomato seed and just fill the rings with compost and thin out to one seedling ! Would add an element of surprise.

Seriously though, this is why I use leaf mould for seed compost.

[alan refail]

No germination yet, of course.
An early observation: I am finding that the New Horizon is drying out less quickly on the surface than the peat compost.

[alan refail]

Mini update:

Lettuce appeared yesterday (25 May) in Clover peat
Basil appeared today (26 May) in Clover peat

No sign of anything in the New Horizon yet.