J I Compost

I've been trying to work out if a compost has to contain any loam in order to be marketed as a John Innes no 3.

I realise its got a lot to do with the fertilizer added, but does the formula state how much peat/loam/sand etc.

Reason I'm interested is because I bought a bag of Tunstall J I no3, and its very similar to a cheap grow bag material, kind of all sedge peat and not much else.
Its black like lumpy coal dust.

 

Thanks for the link Marley.

This is the bag, but its not easy to take a pic of the way the compost is, other than to say its jet black.


I've complained in the past about some J I compost being like mud, this is the opposite, very grainy mostly composed of hard bits.

 

Looks right to me Pete Perhaps a little less earthy than the ones I have bought in the past. I must say I am not very impressed with the Levingtons compost this year, seems very claggy and needs mixing with a lighter compost to prevent water logging So many moisture retainers they've almost spoilt the recipe ?

 

Hi BM, this is very strange, because I bought 3 bags of leavington, the type that states contains J I, and its the best stuff I've seen in ages.

Infact it contains more loam than this bag of Tunstall JI

The choice of composts is getting a bit silly now.
Never tried the ones with added water retaining watsits

 

Yeah this wasn't as good as the added JI I usually buy, that stuff is very good and completely standalone for most pots

I only really bought the No.3 as an addition to topsoil, compost, bark and gravel when I was filling out my raised beds. I used it in pots with very poor results as in any serious mix quantity is just drys solid :(

 

I usually buy Arthur Bowers JI, but on this occasion it wasn't available where I was at the time.

 

The proportion for a J.I.P potting compost should be 7 loam 3 moss peat and 2 sharp sand plus fertilizers.
We used to have stacked turfs which after 2yrs in the stacks would have be used ,that would be nice and fiberous once screened out ..so a lot will depend how good the loam is..

Dave

 

Thanks dave, I cant actually see any loam, its just like an old fisons grow bag.

 

Like coal dust is good description. It is v heavy texture. 3 Hidcote Lavender and 3 impatiens just withered away when I used it for potting them on. Very disappointed. It seemed almost poisonous. Maybe it is coal!

 

I use Levingtons or westlands john innes #3 ... I mix 1/3 of manure in the planting hole

what I find is that with the first few waterings, it's like wet cement

after that, drainage is fine ... from the composts that I have used, it is by far the best

herewith the info from the ji website:
About John Innes No.3