Another soil/compost one - recommendations please

[Asabat]

I bought 25l of Lexington's John Innes 2 peat free "compost" for potting on and it's just awful. Sandy mud is how I would best describe it. It turns to soupy mud if you water it and looks dusty when dry (it dries out very fast).

I have had such trouble finding a nutrient rich peat-free compost, (tried various wool and mushroom based ones and one which seemed to be mouldy wood chip, but they also seem pretty rubbish) can any one recommend something that actually works?

I’ve got Westland multi purpose with John Innes which is working ok for potting on. I pick out any big bits if the seedlings are very delicate. After a couple of weeks I have started feeding with liquid seaweed and plants are growing well.

I’ve been using peat free for years and it seems to me that the quality has deteriorated in the last couple of years. Quite a few bags have ended up as mulch on the flower beds as they are so twiggy.

Lexington's John Innes 2 is mixture of loam and grit and especially formulated for young plants. I've never had a problem with it.

BTW, composts with John Innes are a rip-off. Basically normal compost with some JI no 2 added in.

Jacks Magic is the best one I’ve used so far - but don’t store it too long as a bag from last year failed to germinate my tomato seeds. Most of the peat free composts been absolute rubbish.

I buy soil, just plain soil. The last time I bought compost it was riddled with bugs and killed some plants I’d had for years.

Is this the traditional blend one?

It’s this bag. I’m feeling a bit suspicious now about its peat content. I know it used to be high in peat but last year I had thought the bags were labelled as being peat free. The ones I bought this year seem suspiciously silent and just refer to a traditional blend’.

I’ve just rang Westland to ask. Apparently it’s current formulation is between 30 and 50% peat, so possibly not what you were looking for OP.

@narniabusiness I don't think Jack's magic is peat free.
My parents use it and whilst it gives good results, it does contain peat.

Overall I've really struggled to find good quality, reasonably priced potting compost from garden centres in recent years. My recommendation is to buy a one-off bulk bag for the year from a nursery or online horticultural/landscaping supplier. I've used CPA Horticulture and Caledonian Horticulture in the past but there are a lot of local suppliers. I'd just avoid the large chains like Wickes or B&Q etc.

A builder's bag (850L) is ranges between £50 - £100 depending on the product. I also buy my organic matter for mulching beds this way as it's far far cheaper than £6 or £7 for 30L and much less plastic. It's good quality stuff and you'd be surprised how quickly you can get through it.

I have had most success with peat free compost from the previous year. Bags from last year which I didn't use have rotted down really finely and I removed tomatoes, cucumbers etc from pots and then kept that compost for this year too.

Not exactly helpful! But has solved the twiggy issue. This year I am using coconut coir with added seaweed feed. And hoping that the large amount of moss I stupidly added to our compost bin the other year has rotted down!

I followed Gardening Which recommendations last year and used Melcourt Sylvagrow Multi-purpose, I thought it was excellent.
This year have used their recommended Fertile Fibre original multi-purpose for seed sowing and have started to use for potting on, results yet to be seen. More expensive than Sylvagrow so I'll continue to use that one for pots.

I've always been a fan of MiracleGro but this year it's awful. Twiggy and bitty, and the water just runs through.

I also recommend Melcourt Sylvagrow Multi-purpose. I've tried all sorts and can't find anything that compares with this.

Another vote here for Melcourt SylvaGrow. I add top soil, grit or perlite according to what I’m using it for.

Completely agree. Mine has big lumps of hard stuff that I'm having to pick out and throw away.

Rocket Grow Seed and Cutting compost - I only use bought compost for seedlings and this is great

Thanks so much for all the research and recommendations - really useful. I have also found apart from many of the peat free products being a bit rubbish, that quality overall hasn't been great either. There is a lot of very poor storage too i think from the big suppliers - regualarly there is mould, or a iffy smell, or just loads of unrotted pine chippings.

I do save any decent soil or compost, but as I said in a previous post I really need to get on with my own composting too.

This is the first time I’ve used peat free compost for tomatoes and potting up some tubs with herbs and annuals as I ran out of my own stuff. When people say it’s not good, do the plants not grow well in it? I’ve mixed it with soil from the garden to improve the texture, but was alarmed by the rough twiggyness. Should I be feeding them regularly? And what do others use for feed ? Thanks!

Melcourt Sylvia Grow here too, Multi-purpose, really great!
Have been given one of their grow bags to try by a friend, so looking forward to experimenting!

@Grandmasswagbag - I find that you can still get things to grow okay, but more TLC is required.

Watering is the big one - it seems to repel the water (either drain straight through or go over side of the pot) instead of soaking in and remaining moist. I've had to adjust watering for that to a more "little and often" approach and really soak it to begin with.

I also think that it's not as nutrient dense, so more feeding is needed. I add the juice out of the bottom of my compost bin and seaweed feed if I have it.

I suspect a little 'if we make it so crap nobody buys it and people complain we might be able to lobby parliament to allow us to use it again' is going on. If you can still see what it is then it isn't compost yet!

I'd recommend Sylvacourt, and id also recommend not buying potting compost but buying grow bags and using that as potting compost.

I think there is an absence of good quality consistent raw materials to make the compost from. When I spoke to the lady at Westland she did mention changes if supplier leading to reformulations.
The problems I’ve had have been around watering in that I couldn’t get the compost to hold water so my tomatoes got blossom end rot. I always mix with soil anyway (thanks to the moles) so it really should not have been an issue.

@AlisonDonut my Dad is doing exactly that, but are the grobags peat free?

@narniabusiness i have had both ends of the spectrum- some not holding any water, some just sitting like a boggy mess and rotting. 🤷🏽‍♀️

RHS advice re peat-free is water little and often and don’t let dry out, and feed right from the beginning