which compost?

I always think it depends on the area you live in.
Generally the compost is good from where ever you are, but this year I looked at J Arthur Bowers and other more local brands with the usual ones from DIY stores, and to see the amount of sticks and thick roots in them was not to my liking.
The one that stood ouit for me is one called Poddingtons own, which is local to me and has been very good for seeds. Tilth is fine and soil has good sand and other particals in it. Trouble is that not all people can get this so it is best to look round and ask to sample some of the compost before buying.
If you don't ask you wont know.

 

I see talk here of (if I have understood correctly) using Multi Purpose for germinating seeds?

Seed Compost is so much better for that job, and even though I germinate significant numbers of seeds each year I only use a small bag, thus I think that is a better solution.

Does require that you prick out though, rather than direct sow into modules (for example). However, apart from the Faff factor, that does allow burying the seedling up to its seed leaves, making for a more stocky plant, so has some benefit.

 

Dropped in a garden centre this morning. There was a bag of Westland MP open and it looked like a bag that I would use without any problems. I was able to get my hand way into the bag as it had been opened with a knife straight across, don't know if this was done by the garden centre or not. price was OK as well.


Trevor

 

Jack take a look at this as you seem to like EBay.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PERLITE-1...arden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN&hash=item256e095dae

 

I never thought of perlite on ebay, just the shock of £8 for 10Ltrs from the sheds

Jack McH

 

Try Wilkos Jack , perlite and vermiculite are about £3.50 for 10 litres

 

Been away for a couple of days..........
Yes I have occasionally seen those perlite at 80 pence per liter prices and there are several words that spring to mind.
I buy from my local farmer supply store which has a horticultural section. A 100 litre bag costs £18 which I don't consider to be particularly cheap - but manageable.

Kevin

 

I get Perlite from JFC Monro - about £14 for 100L

 

Bought 3x B&Q bags today for £10, always better than the other, woodlike stuff that other stores buy.

They're £3 per bag during the Easter weekend, too.

 

The Garden Centre Group are doing 4-for-3 on J Arthur Bowers during April. (4 x 65L* for £13)

* I think its 65L Bags, might be 60L

EDIT: No its not, its 56L bags :(

 

In my never-ending quest for a potting compost suited to everything I've been experimenting with coir compost. The big benefit is that it's dried so is easy to store, comes in bricks and discs and is environmentally friendly. 3 parts rehydrated coir and 1 part vermiculite makes a good general purpose potting compost but I get a very high failure rate when sowing seeds and rooting African Violet leaf cuttings. So for propagation I use Grandiol seed and cutting compost from Lidl (10 litres for 99p). Coir is a little bit acidic but that can be fixed by watering with tap water or spring water (Carrick Glen spring water from Lidl - 25p per 2 litre bottle or 99p for a pack of 6 x 500ml bottles).

For carnivorous plants and other lime hating plants there is unfortunately no substitute for peat and I make my own compost from 3 parts peat and 1 part lime-free sand.

 

Hi guys i bought 4 bags of this stuff for 13 pounds which i thought was pretty damn good and it looks and feels very good .. also a 'Which' best buy .. Micky ps mine are 60 litres each bag and not 35 L as in this piccy

 

Its 56 Litres :(, was 60 Litre bags previously, but they still had some 60 Litre ones at the back, I took ... ermmm ... "quite a lot" of them! Got my Box cuttings to pot on, and have ... errmmmm ... "quite a lot" of them to do!

 

re: Box cuttings - here you go again "....ermmm....."quite a lot of them to do"
* HOW MANY -FOR WHAT PURPOSE AND TO BE PUT WHERE??? We look to you Gurus for guidance and pukker info.......
thank you,
Jenny namaste

 

Autumn before last I went to the local National Trust place (10 mins before closing, the car park attend skives off early ...)

There is a long path with a nice clipped Box hedge along it, which backs on to woodland. They don't cut the back of the hedge, so I helped out a bit there ...

... it took several evenings!

I estimate I have about 800 rooted cuttings many of which will be ready for 1L pots, and the rest for 9cm ones

I'm going to make a Parterre, Steve R kindly did a fabby design for me (entwined initials):
http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/source-of-pots-for-bulk-purchase.40881/#post-516583