difference compost and grow bags?

Hi, whats the difference between a bag of compost and a grow bag?

 

Good question....(Runs for Google)

 

Don't grow bags have loads of feed already mixed in, whereas most compost doesn't?

 

Local Somerfields regularly knock out growbags in summer at 99p

 

I always think of Grow Bags as being "low quality compost". Not as fine in texture, not as well fertilised, lower quality raw materials. There has to be a reason why it is cheaper

I use Grow Bags "compost" for all my tubs and urns of Petunias / Fuchsias etc. - because it is cheaper. I mix in some long-life fertilizer granules (did that for the first time last year, very successful) and some water retention granules (again, first time last year). Just make sure you only mix the water retention granules into the bottom half of the container as the stuff at the top just swells up on the surface and the birds, or whatever, have away with it.

For seed sowing I use a soil-based John Innes style seed compost (the non-soil ones get algae-like growth on the top in no time). For any other sort of potting on I use a soil-less compost (Arthur Bowers - it has little bits of carpet and stuff in it, so I expect its partly composted industrial waste - worth being careful just in case some glass or somesuch has got in there - I can't imagine how they can prevent it completely). The Arthur Bowers has far fewer "twigs" and stuff like that than the Levingtons I used to use before.

 

I agree with Kristen, these are containers which you grow plants in to maturity, so YOU need to feed and water them. you also have a less depthe of soil, so they don`t hold moisture and water for long. A very good alternative is Westland`s planters.:gnthb:

 

Years ago I used growbags as container compost very successfully but I'm not so sure that would be the case these days.

It appears to be a pretty poor mix these days put into grow bags, relying on the bag to hold the moisture rather than the compost.

But then most potting composts are pretty poor these days also, hence this gel being required.

I mix some JI no3 into most things that I pot up just to add some body to the compost, even the expensive stuff looks and feels very hard and non absorbent these days.

 

"even the expensive stuff looks and feels very hard and non absorbent these days."

Now you mention it "it ain't the same as when I were a lad" but I've been pleased with the Arthur Bowers - nice and open. But I used to add some JI#3 in with the Peat Compost we used to use way-back-then, and I think I'll give that a go this year. If the non-soil based composts ever dry out they are very hard to get wet again, and adding some soil-based may well help with that. More body too, as you say.