I purchased a bag of this from Morrisons. It says 'compost' on the bag and it looks, smells and feels like compost - but according to this site: Richmoor Organic Garden Compost 40 Litres - Newgate Direct it is not compost. So what is it then..... What's the difference between a 'compost' and 'soil conditioner' - I'm flummoxed.....
I take soil conditioner to be what John says, organic material with no fertiliser, the kind of stuff that might come from a compost heap. Potting compost is different and I've always thought there should be a different name for each, the word "compost" needs sorting out.
BTW, I bought some Richmoor potting compost about 10 yrs ago and everything I planted in it refused to grow. It was sedge peat based and similar to coal dust in texture.
Compost is a very general term, it can mean really coarse material to farm yard manure to potting compost. It's the reason why the John Innes institute came up with a way of ensuring material consistency and nutrients for the different mixes needed for sowing, cuttings, potting on and for containers. Soil conditioner can be any old rubbish
In this context a “ compost “ could be a multipurpose, a specialist ( tree and shrub , ericaceous, orchid , peat free etc ) - anything that has been mixed for a particular usage . A “ soil conditioner “ could be bulky organic matter that is added in quantity to improve the soil , ie break up clay or bind sandy soils. ( leaf mould , spent hops , FYM ). It doesn’t necessarily have any nutrients in it. Unfortunately there is no industry standard for any of the above , so hence the good the bad and the downright appalling ! . ( Apart of course from the John Innes mentioned by JWK )
Thanks all. To me it looks exactly like all the other MPC's I have used. I'll throw in a handful of slow release fertiliser as I use it. For the first time this year, I purchased compost specifically for seeds - it was quite sand like - by that I mean very fine - but the seeds seem to thrive in it - more so than MPC. Going to get another bag of this 'soil conditioner' when we go to Morrisons tomorrow. It true what they say - you lurn something new every year in the garden.
