peatfree compost

Good morning
I m new to the forum,I recently bought 2 bags of Levington multi purpose peat free compost with added john innes and transplanted my 2nd batch of bizzy lizzy seedlings ,and as of yesterday they were all dead ,i ve already done one batch a couple of weeks ago in PEAT compost and they are thriving and they had same conditions in the conservatory,i m now nervous or unwilling to use the peat free for any other seedlings or the hanging baskets or any potting.Has this been a post on the forum before or has anybody else had this issue its very annoying,i contacted levington yesterday for a response just to see if it was a bad batch.
regards
Glenj

 

I don't think I'd use a J. Innes mix for seedlings. Perhaps it was simply too heavy for them.

 

Sounds quite drastic, lots of people say peat free doesn't grow plants as well as peat based, but just wondering if yours is contaminated with something.

 

I also wonder - could they have got fried? Conservatories can be searingly hot at this time of year, even if it's not that sunny.

 

I have used Peat free for all my sowing and pricking out this year, and so far no problems, except for judging water requirements. The compost often looks dry, but feeling the weight of pots/trays, it is not.

 

Even in my kitchen on sunnier days at this time of year it can get to around 22 or 23 degrees for a while [south east facing] and I pull the blinds down when it's like that.
I don't have much sown until early April, but they're on those windowsills for the best light, and that big swing of temps can really shatter tiny seedlings and plants.

 

You need a cheap thermometer in there preferably with a display in the house to monitor extremes. It really helps with my tiny lean to one. As I would never think I need to put my shade cloth on when it's needed.

 

I have been using Melcourt Sylvagrow peat free for 3 years. Use it for seedlings, large pots containing roses, growing tomatoes in pots, mini cucumbers in pots, potatoes in bags and when planting shrubs in the borders. It is excellent . Nothing has failed . Unfortunately, it is not available across the country and it is expensive compared to the widely available run-of-the-mill stuff.

 

It isn't readily available everywhere [Sylvagrow]
Nearest stockist for me is a 45 min drive away.