What's really in the bag?

The labelling of growing media is now vital, says Peter

- Peter Seabrook

GARRY, our editor, has been drawing attention to the need for more information on the outside of growing media bags. His worry, quite rightly, is that we need to know the recipe for any specific bag of peat-free seed, cuttings, and potting compost because the chances are that every brand will be different, so will need different regularity of watering and feeding. Not just every brand, but quite likely different batches within a brand may vary as the season advances.

Last year, I was told a major garden plant retailer switched from peat-based compost- grown plants to coir for their container-grown lavenders and was surprised to find the plants dying in a very few days.

It turned out that they died from drought, drying out much more quickly than they would with peat, which can hold up to 12 times its weight of water.