Miracle-Gro Premium All Purpose Compost, 50L

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Morrisons move to 100 per cent peat-free compost is its latest initiative to reduce carbon emissions, following commitments such as being directly supplied by net zero farms in the UK by 2030, and to become net zero across its business by 2040. Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said:“I applaud this commitment as a hugely positive step towards a peat-free future for the UK’s gardening trade, ahead of our proposed ban on peat in the retail sector by the end of this Parliament. This bold move will help gardeners across the UK to make the sustainable choice and go peat-free - to protect our peatlands, cut carbon emissions, and safeguard our environment for generations to come.”

Give your outdoor space a boost. Miracle-Gro all purose compost has a special formula that contains smart release granules that provide complete nutrition for your plants. All of which helps you grow healthier plants and get better blooms. This compost is suitable for everything from fruit to flowers. Place a layer of Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics Peat Free All Purpose Potted Plants Compost in the base of the container. Whilst a lot of composts are sold in 100 L bags, these may not be practical for some people in the garden. They can weigh anywhere from at least 25 – 30 kg.

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There may also be other materials present, like bits of bark or stones. This can vary from compost to compost. The inclusion of larger materials can stop the compost from becoming too compacted, and can help with drainage and aeration. However, it can also just demonstrate that the manufacturer isn’t very careful with sieving the compost, and it’s not uncommon for budget composts to have a higher density of large material. If you’re working to a budget, this Levington Multi Purpose Compost is a low-cost option that gives you 70 L of compost. The key ingredients to look out for are nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Broadly speaking, nitrogen helps with leaf growth, phosphate is for a strong root development, and potassium will encourage flowering and fruiting. Peatlands currently occupy around 12 per cent of the UK’s land area. When healthy they can store large volumes of carbon, with research showing they can hold up to 30 times more carbon per hectare than a healthy tropical rainforest. They can also help to prevent floods and contribute towards biodiversity. Finally, whether or not compost contains peat is a matter of interest, and contention, for many gardeners. Given that it’s such a polemic issue, you’ll find that the next section is dedicated to the pros and cons of peat-based compost. Peat vs Peat-Free Compost

Produced from high quality peats, with the addition of fertiliser, this Growmoor Multi-Purpose Compost does a great job improving the health of plants. It’s available in several sizes, from small 10 L bags up to large 80 L options. When peat is dug up, to be used as compost (or for other reasons), the store of carbon is disturbed and released into the atmosphere. This is the first downside of harvesting peat – especially on a commercial scale. This Multi-Purpose Compost with John Innes can be used at any life-stage of the plant: whether it’s germinating or waiting to flower. It delivers a good mix of nutrients and is suitable to be used for up to five weeks.

My Top Recommended Multi-Purpose Compost

For reference, the 50 L bag contains enough compost to fill four large patio pots and three hanging baskets.

Many manufacturers are attempting to lower the peat content in their compost, due to its negative impact on the environment. However, if the compost doesn’t state that it’s ‘peat free compost’ or at least ‘low in peat’, you should presume that it has a high peat content. Sometimes there will be additional ingredients like seaweed; seaweed contains a lot of micronutrients that are beneficial to both the aesthetic appearance of the plant and its general health. However, 80 per cent of British peatlands have been lost or damaged. They have both been; drained for agriculture, forestry and construction; and, reduced in size by commercial peat extraction for horticulture. As a result these carbon sinks have released greenhouse gases accounting for five per cent of the UK’s total emissions. The Wildlife Trust has reported that the peat extracted for UK horticulture in 2020 alone could release up to 880,000 tonnes of CO2over its lifetime. One of the ways in which peatlands can be restored is by ‘re-wetting’ or reinstating the natural flow of water and soil saturation.

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For a good value compost, that will help give young plants a boost, this J. Arthur Bowers Multi-Purpose Compost offers two bags at a reasonable price and provides all the nutrients plants need for their first 4-6 weeks.