Feedback on peat/peat-free compost trials

[Colin Miles]

Tony - if the general public are sold multi-purpose compost as being suitable for seed sowing, then it should be fit for that purpose. Joe Public will only need relatively small quantities - certainly not 700 litres! - so why should he spend money on seed AND potting/multipurpose? I can't remember when I last used a seed compost - multipurpose works fine. Even the Bullrush non-peat worked for germination, just failed abysmally beyond that.

As I have said before, homemade compost is not an option for the vast majority of gardeners or would-be gardeners. Gardening is hard work but making it more difficult than it need be by putting unnecessary obstacles in the way seems - well, rather unnecessary.

My concern in all of this is to raise the standard of non-peat composts as it is something that clearly needs doing.

May I suggest that another thread be started re homemade composts as it seems to me to be rather clouding the issue.

[Parsons Jack]

A lot of new gardeners these days seem to be by-passing the raising from seed stage altogether. They just go to the garden centre and buy whichever seedlings they fancy.
I've seen them arrive at the allotment site unloading their little white polystyrene trays and planting the contents out.
They may well sow direct on the plot for things like carrots, beetroot etc, but not for stuff like brassicas.
For them multipurpose compost probably means you can use it in either pots or raised beds

[alan refail]

I don't think I have ever used seed compost.

The three trials were about multipurpose compost, which, as its name suggests is supposedly suitable for a variety of purposes. I feel the discussion of seed composts and home-made composts is interesting, but nonetheless a distraction.

Remember, that with the exception of the lettuce in my first trial, all the sowings were intended to be grown on in the multipurpose-filled modules, and then planted out. The only exception was the basil which was intended to be kept in the pot it was sown in. As far as I am aware, seed compost is lower nutrient and intended for seedlings that are intended to be pricked out or potted on into a more nutritious mixture.

[Colin Miles]

Parsons Jack wrote

A lot of new gardeners these days seem to be by-passing the raising from seed stage altogether.

Very true. And many seed companies now offer a postal service for all manner of veg plants. I have used this option successfully myself. In terms of time and money it is often quite attractive, except that the quantities offered are often too large for a single individual - good for allotment groups. This should, in theory, reduce Amateur compost use, of all kinds but I don't think it is having a real impact yet. And it still doesn't address the potential problem of any poor quality composts used for potting on.

[Nature's Babe]

Gallotments, I add horticultural sand and leafmould to my homemade compost and seived for fine seeds it works well, if you use grow bags you could layer the old bags in with the compost to bulk up quantity and rejuvenate the old stuff with new compost ? I don't fertilise my soil, the mulch taken in by the worms feeds the soil, I leave all roots in the soil which decompose and make more nutrients and the finer roots of the fungi from the rootgrow gather more nutrients from a larger and deeper area for the plants they attach to. This leaves all the compost I make for seeds and potting up seedlings. When making compost nettles, seaweed, comfrey and a sprinkling of rockdust to add minerals all are added to the mix so it does not lack nutrients. I have three compost bays one cubic metre each, and two plastic bins which I use nearer to the house in winter these go straight on any bed I feel needs extra depth of mulch.

[alan refail]

May I suggest that another thread be started re homemade composts as it seems to me to be rather clouding the issue.

Morning NB

Did you read Colin's post? I have to say that your method of making your own compost is of no relevance to this discussion and only serves to get us further off track.

In the hopes of getting the discussion back on track I will repost my last post from yesterday.

[alan refail]

A repeat of my yesterday's post in an attempt to keep the discussion on thread:


I don't think I have ever used seed compost.

The three trials were about multipurpose compost, which, as its name suggests is supposedly suitable for a variety of purposes. I feel the discussion of seed composts and home-made composts is interesting, but nonetheless a distraction.

Remember, that with the exception of the lettuce in my first trial, all the sowings were intended to be grown on in the multipurpose-filled modules, and then planted out. The only exception was the basil which was intended to be kept in the pot it was sown in. As far as I am aware, seed compost is lower nutrient and intended for seedlings that are intended to be pricked out or potted on into a more nutritious mixture.

[Johnboy]

I think that we should be indebted to Alan and Colin for there input and making this thread interesting.
For somebody to make comparisons between non-peat products without using peat is not particularly helpful if these products are to be termed NON-peat multipurpose. However distasteful it might be to them Peat is what these compounds are supposed to replace so peat must be used as a part of the comparison and they should use it to prove or disprove their point. Certainly some of Alan’s results are very promising but seem to lag behind those grown in Peat.
I suspect that the producers have been used to dealing with the organic sector and this is how these weird and wonderful nutritional aids have come into the equation. I am very uncertain as to their value when used as part of a seeding mix because very young roots may not be able to take advantage of them.
Regretfully it is too late for this year to start any experiments because in the not too distant future I am off again for nearly two months.
Next year I intend to take the non-peat product I have and totally riddle it out and get rid of the un-composted large wood component which will be added to my household compost to further composting and will go out as a soil improver.
I feel the addition of both Sharp Sand and Silver Sand will make the mix more seed friendly. The Sharp Sand will assist drainage and the Silver Sand will give the adventitious roots something to bed into. At no time should young seeds be waterlogged and I feel that the watering regime when using non-peat products must be very closely looked into as I suspect it would be very easy to over water. In addition I shall introduce small quantities of man made fertilizer including Vitax QR and Super-phosphate. These fertilizers have got to be in very fine powder form and really well worked into the medium to ensure even distribution.
I appreciate that if you are totally organic then the fertilizers will not be of use to you and I am not here trying to persuade you do otherwise.
We have got to try and improve on what the manufacturers are putting out at present because they fall woefully short of what is required for the growing of small seeds.
It would be interesting to find out what the manufacturers say that their multipurpose compost is supposed to do because as far as I am concerned the term multipurpose has lost it’s meaning.
What must be realised is that root formation is all important at the formative stage of a plants life and a poor root formation will always lead to a poor plant.
JB.

[alan refail]

Having had very satisfactory results with a 50/50 mixture of Clover peat MP and Vital Earth peat-free MP, for sowing and pricking out/potting on, I have started buying in a stock of Vital Earth. My current mix is still the 50/50, but next spring I may try increasing the amount of Vital Earth.

I have reduced my peat usage by 50%. I know this will be anathema to the purists, but it suits me at the moment.