Rachel's Journal

Will be watching which one wins. I use Miracle Gro seed and cutting compost only.

Got the same from Lidl. Tomatoes and peppers are up. I have it mixed with a little bit of grit. It doesn't retain moisture that well and you need to tickle the surface as it forms a crust and can stop other seeds from germinating. I find that not every garden centre has seed/cutting compost, just multi use which is not suitable for the purpose. Will be really interesting to see the outcome.

You'll be taking over from Toby Buckland on Gardeners World next with these trials Rachel :-)  will wait for results.. I'm going to stick my neck out and say it wont make any difference for seedlings (only later when you pot them on will they suffer I say) Oh and just to note I agree 100% with Krista I searched a good few places for a fine seed compost and no luck!!

Eh, sorry. The trials are faulty already. The compost is Aldi, not Lidl! I'm just going to change my journal now.

I would like to know if I can use it because I have the same problem as you all. It can be really difficult getting seed/cutting compost.

What are you saying, Bill? That you pot your seedlings on using this compost or that, regardless of what later compost you use, your seeds suffer.

Will be interesting to see the results.

I was in Aldi earlier and they have seed and potting compost for sale today.  Luckily someone had torn the bag and I had a look and feel of the compost and wouldn't touch it.  It was very fibrous -- if that makes sense.  Some seeds I've sown have been in Tippland Seed and Potting and I have had very good success thankfully.It is lovely and fine. Some seeds are such as my Arisaemas are in Levingtons John Innes Seed which I find equally good.

Will watch with interest.

Good idea, look forward to the results!

No sign of my Arisaemas germinating at all after using Westland Multipurpose Compost.  :(  Might re-sow later today with Seed and Cutting. Had great success with it last year.

I think for germination no matter with compost you use,seeds could geriminate in sand too,give just water and heat.But for growing after that need good compost.I do same like Krista mixing peat with little bìt of grit.And use fine compost for sowing,and little plants.

I saw a programme on TV some time ago that showed how the compost used was intrinsic to germination. It was a programme on peat.

What I was trying to say was seedlings need very little nutrients but a good medium and moiture to germinate I think the latter might be more of a problem if these cheap composts dry out easier and I do also think it depends on the plant your trying to grow as you said some plants germinate so easily anyway. I any event I don't test my theory as I'm a hippocrit :-) and use my own potting mix which I make up myself based on the recipe for John Innes seed compost.

Okay, both trays of Salvia have germinated. If anything, the one with the Aldi compost is doing better. Looks like Kiga and Bill are right. Let me track this and see how the seedlings do for as long as they remain in their separate composts.

Well thats intresting anyway, I think when they suffer Rachel is when they need nutrients after potting on try potting a few on in just the Aldi compost and see how they do in comparison with the ones in your new compost, that'd be very interesting, thanks that a very useful experiment.

For anyone who was following this experiment on Aldi seed compost versus Westland, here is an update. The Salvia seedlings germinated equally well and have now been growing in their respective compost for three weeks. I see no difference in the size or strength of either tray of seedlings. I am very surprised as the Aldi compost really looked dreadful. Maybe different, fussier seeds would react differently. Who know. But that's the end of the experiment.

Thats very intresting Rachel, perhaps what a compost looks like is not a good judge then, but I still think seedlings and good plants need a very light airy compost and some of the more expensive ones dont look like they are?