Tips on using peat free compost
I’ve been using peat free compost for several years now and have found that Sylvagrow multi-purpose compost by Melcourt Industries works well for me (note I have not been sponsored and this is not an advert).
Peat bogs are not only thriving ecosystems which have formed over thousands of years, but they also lock up huge quantities of carbon which, if extracted, oxidise and releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which contributes to global warming. It is not commercial growers but millions of gardeners that use the most peat based compost. From 2024 sales of peat based composted in garden centres will be banned.
Enthused by a recent visit to Melcourt Industries where peat free potting compost is manufactured on a massive scale, I thought I’d share some useful information as it behaves differently to anything containing peat.
Check the date of manufacture (should be stamped on the bag): purchase compost as close to the date of manufacture as possible and certainly use it within the same season
Storage : Keep bags under cover if possible - or protect it from rain (and place bags on a pallet)
Feeding : Potting compost includes resin coated pellets of fertilizer which are designed to break down after 4-6 weeks of being activated (ie watered). Left longer than this and your plants will either need to be repotted, planted out or fed with something like seaweed solution to get the nutrients they need.
Slug Eggs? : If you find spheres in your compost which contain a clear or milky liquid when popped, it is not slug eggs. It is the fertilizer starting to break down and means that the compost is getting past its best.
Watering peat free composts: Water little and often and from the base. Don’t worry if the surface is dry - it won’t necessarily be dry underneath.
Horticultural responsible Sourcing Index: a measure which will mean that composts and soil mixes will be labelled from A (best) to E by scoring both the environmental impact and social responsibility of the raw materials of each mix.