Peat free newbie

[Florence Fennel]

It's my first time using peat free compost. Is it usually dry and woody? I'm not sure if it's generally like this, or whether it's rubbish. It's Verve by the way.

[Nicos]

Look at the one star reviews here….
https://www.diy.com/departments/verv...0and%20rubbish!!

Others seem to like it though….

As an aside- this is the first year here in France that I’ve found a peat free compost! Twice the price but I’m thinking it’s doing ok.

[Florence Fennel]

Thanks Nicos, I did see that, but the reviews are a bit of a mix - I just don't like the look or the feel of it!

[rary]

Flo I have found the compost sold by Asda to be ok though it does look a bit woody, I have only tried verve once but wasn't impressed with it

[Florence Fennel]

You've just jogged my memory Rary. I have used Verve until years ago when it ruined my tomatoes! I haven't used it since then. It was a convenience buy while out with my son. I'll mix some BF&B in with it to be on the safe side.
Is it dry because it's peat free?

[Andraste]

Compost should be moist whether peat-free or not.

It can be difficult to get dry compost to absorb water but I recall a tip online to try adding a little drop of washing up liquid to warm water. Might be worth a try with a small amount.

I find a lot of composts have chunky bits of stick in these days, even the more expensive brands. I tend to put them aside to go into the bottom of any pots I'm using or add them to our own compost bins to break down in there. If there are lots then maybe a garden sieve is in order?

Quite annoying for it to have lots of woody bits & be dried out. I wonder how you would go about returning an opened bag - it would surely be classed as a sub-standard so you should be within your rights to get a refund? I'd certainly be minded to complain to the place you bought it from & see where that takes you.

[Florence Fennel]

I'll try that Andraste thank you. I bought a 3 bag deal and so have 2 unopened but little chance of returning it. I'll put it down to experience and buy another brand. I suppose I could mix it in small amounts into the next lot, or use it as a mulch. I think b@@@er is the word I'm looking for

[Andraste]

If it won't absorb the water I'd be tempted to use it as mulch - or maybe add it in layers to your own compost bin.

I recall my mum mixing small amounts of bad into good last year & it definitely affected her flowering plants in pots. She said her bad compost was bought in a sale & was 'out of date' (I never realised there was a sell/use/best before date on compost). I'd be wary of mixing it with good bought compost unless for something that's not much of a feeder & doesn't mind being dried out (only thing coming to mind at this time of day - 5pm is home time - is Mint or sedums ).

I'll cross my fingers & think positive thoughts in the hope that the other two bags are better x

[Florence Fennel]

Oh heck! I've already risked it in two pots of dahlia tubers, so it will be interesting to see if they appear! Thanks very much for the positive thoughts

[peanut]

I've switched to peat free for the first time too this year.
I've always used Wickes multi purpose when it had peat in, but they only do peat free now so I just made the switch. I've used it for sowing all my seeds (never used seed compost) and now potting on and planting up. I like the look and feel of it but I have noticed the tops of the pots can look very dry but when you lift the pot it actually has a good weight to it and hasn't dried out at all. This is something I will have to remember, not to automatically water just by looking.
So far everything has germinated and are now all growing away as well as I would have hoped. Fingers crossed this continues!

[Florence Fennel]

I usually use Wickes compost Peanut, so I'll see if someone can get me some asap. That store is actually close to home! Thanks for the watering tip

[Snoop Puss]

Might some vermiculite or perlite help it to retain moisture?

[Mark Rand]

I have used Wickes compost in the past, when it was peat based. Bought 2 75l bags this year after it went peat free. I've put better stuff than this into the compost heap. It seems to be composed entirely of shredded branches and sawdust.

Got a bag of Aldi compost which was much better in texture, but had volunteer seeds in it.

From now on, I'll be mixing coarse sand and soil with my own compost. I produce more than enough for what I need, although it would be nice to find some decent teabags which weren't plastic...

[Containergardener]

I've had peat free this yr and not liked it at all. I did find the tesco not as bad as others though. Back onto with peat at the moment.

[Andraste]

It's interesting that you noticed the top layer drying but the soil being wet underneath when sowing seed peanut - the guy on Beechgrove made the same observation a few weeks ago about peat-free & he also noted that when potting on last year he found the reverse was happening (the top looking wet but the soil underneath being dry).