The details of the peat-free compost I am using, as far as they are given, can be seen at http://www.bulrush.co.uk/retail-composts.html and the specific bag I bought is the orange one in the middle, immediately above the word visual.
The Sprouting Broccoli seeds were sown on June 11th, and from left to right they are, 2 rows of White-Eye, 2 Claret, 2 White-Eye, 2 Claret. I wasn't that careful about the number of seeds. The left-hand side has the non-peat.
Not that much difference. They don't advertise it as Organic though they do talk about slow release fertilisers, so it will be interesting to see how they develop.
Peat vs non-peat experiment #3
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Colin Miles
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Colin Miles
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Just a quick update. With both composts near enough 100% germination. Peat marginally quicker but really insignificant. This is with Sprouting Broccoli, which I am now thinning down to 1 per cell, and the newly emerging Lettuce and Kale. The real test is going to be how they grow on as with Sweetcorn grown earlier this year the non-peat seemed to struggle.
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Colin Miles
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Latest update. Very little difference in germination. Unfortunately, despite putting lids over the roottrainers a slug got in just after I had thinned the Sprouting Broccoli down to 1 per cell. So the peat side has suffered. Maybe the preference for that side tells us something - the non-peat is coarser.
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Colin Miles
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Please ignore the differences in the numbers as this was due to slugs. I removed a large one this morning from the lettuce - am having serious doubts re the effectiveness of Organic Slug pellets. Are the slugs becoming resistant or does they only work with small slugs?
Peat is the 4 right rows of cells.
Lettuce
Sprouting Broccoli
Kale
Peat is the 4 right rows of cells.
Lettuce
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Sprouting Broccoli
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Kale
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Hi Colin,
I look at the left hand modules and wonder how anything can grow in this as to my way of thinking it is far too coarse.
When I sow seeds I always put my compost, whatever it is, through a sieve. Seeds need a fine medium for the best root formation and it would appear that your peat-free compost is almost soil less.
Even if I use Peat it is sieved and any fibres left in the sieve are laid aside and used for the bottom of the pots when potting on.
My own compost of pulverized straw and Comfrey is also sieved as the stalks of Comfrey sometimes do not fully rot down. These are simply put on the normal compost heap and get distributed in the normal way.
I think that one of the problems with Peat-free is the coarseness because young roots need something to give then instant nutrition and when compost is coarse then this is not readily available and this is why they lag behind.
Seeds germinate in anything because that is what they are designed to do but it is what happens immediately after germination that is all important and this appears to be missing.
Colin this is simply a theory and no more but I hope that it may be a pointer.
JB.
I look at the left hand modules and wonder how anything can grow in this as to my way of thinking it is far too coarse.
When I sow seeds I always put my compost, whatever it is, through a sieve. Seeds need a fine medium for the best root formation and it would appear that your peat-free compost is almost soil less.
Even if I use Peat it is sieved and any fibres left in the sieve are laid aside and used for the bottom of the pots when potting on.
My own compost of pulverized straw and Comfrey is also sieved as the stalks of Comfrey sometimes do not fully rot down. These are simply put on the normal compost heap and get distributed in the normal way.
I think that one of the problems with Peat-free is the coarseness because young roots need something to give then instant nutrition and when compost is coarse then this is not readily available and this is why they lag behind.
Seeds germinate in anything because that is what they are designed to do but it is what happens immediately after germination that is all important and this appears to be missing.
Colin this is simply a theory and no more but I hope that it may be a pointer.
JB.
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Colin Miles
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Johnboy - germination was not a problem, slugs more so. The non-peat was maybe a teeny bit slower, but the big difference is in the growing on. And it probably looks a more coarse than it actually is. However, as it is sold as a multi-purpose compost that is how I am treating it.
Incidentally this is a different bag from the one that I used earlier in the year where I first noticed a big difference when growing sweetcorn.
Incidentally this is a different bag from the one that I used earlier in the year where I first noticed a big difference when growing sweetcorn.
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alan refail
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Hi Colin
There seems to be a great difference in growth rates, which I noticed in my first trials - and still noticeable after planting out.
viewtopic.php?p=95013#p95013
There seems to be a great difference in growth rates, which I noticed in my first trials - and still noticeable after planting out.
viewtopic.php?p=95013#p95013
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Colin Miles
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Am abandoning this trial as, whatever merits the non-peat Bullrush Professional multi-purpose compost has, nutrition is clearly not one of them.
Sprouting Broccoli
Kale
Sprouting Broccoli
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Kale
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alan refail
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Hi Colin
It sounds defeatist to say you are abandoning the trial - it looks as though the Bulrush has abandoned it for you! I think your trial has shown some conclusive results.
The emotional sound and fury of the anti-peat campaign has given the impetus for producers to put out some very substandard material. "Peat-free" has joined "organic", "earth-friendly", "sustainable" etc, etc as a buzz word implying "good" irrespective of the quality of the product.
It sounds defeatist to say you are abandoning the trial - it looks as though the Bulrush has abandoned it for you! I think your trial has shown some conclusive results.
The emotional sound and fury of the anti-peat campaign has given the impetus for producers to put out some very substandard material. "Peat-free" has joined "organic", "earth-friendly", "sustainable" etc, etc as a buzz word implying "good" irrespective of the quality of the product.