When it comes to commercially available compost, you tend to get what you pay for. The less you pay, the poorer the quality will be. And your plants won’t thank you for it. This is because many manufacturers of lower quality products use as their raw ingredients the things the general population recycle in their green bin – otherwise known as green waste.
So let’s get informed.
Good quality compost should be peat, coir or bark based. We don’t necessarily advocate for the peat-based compost due to the damaging effect of peat mining on the environment. However, coir and bark-based compost are very good quality peat-free alternative options.
With bark and coir-based compost, the raw materials are inherent and manufacturers will add the relevant fertiliser and limes, plus other elements to create the optimum environment for plant nutrient uptake. High-quality compost does come with a price, but you are paying for the bespoke combination of nutrients (such as MPK – Monopotassium Phosphate and trace elements) designed to complement the raw materials. Simply, the less you pay, the less you’ll get.
The signs of poor compost
Aside from price, how do you know whether your compost is low quality? Look out for these signs:
- Too much moisture
- Ammonia odour
- Excessive traces of un-composted sawdust and wood fibre
- The leftover seeds of weeds that were part of the original compost heap
- Traces of waste such as plastic and glass
Better options for your garden
The best way to avoid these unwanted surprises is to invest in a top quality brand of compost or make your own. A third option, and new on the market this season, is Envii Compost Probiotic.
This organic product is simply watered on and it will help turn any economy priced bag of garden compost into a biologically active mix at a fraction of the cost of premium alternatives.
Envii Compost Probiotic is a complex blend of entirely naturally occurring, task specific bacteria and fungi that will quickly boost the growing power of low-cost composts.
The powder is mixed with tap or rainwater and poured onto the open sack of any economy compost. The bacteria raise the temperature of the mix and inoculate it with biologically active substances. Leave the open bag of treated compost for up to three days and then use as normal.
In-house comparative trials show that low-cost composts treated in this way substantially out-perform untreated versions of the same product. It helps complete the composting process in the bag creating a loose, fibrous product that is easy to use.
100g pouches capable of treating up to 200 litres of compost have a RRP of £7.99 and are available from envii.co.uk
About Envii
Envii products offer British gardeners the unique opportunity to help safeguard the environment and choose products and packaging that are deliberately designed to eliminate pollution impacts. More and more commercial farmers and growers wish to embrace new technologies such as biostimulants and probiotics. Envii provides domestic gardeners with the opportunity to benefit from the latest advances in both.
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