Pricking Out • When the seedlings are large enough to handle, gently tease them out of the growing medium using a dibber or pencil, taking care to handle only by the leaves. Loam is the most important ingredient as it provides a natural reservoir of plant foods, trace elements and contains some organic matter which releases nitrogen slowly to the plant. Gardeners can add nutrients by applying fertilisers (either artificial or naturally derived) to boost plant growth and improve flowering and fruiting. These numbers refer to the varying levels of fertilizer included in the mix, to suit different uses.

John Innes No 2 contains moderate levels of fertilizer and is used for potting on plants at the next stage of growth, and most vegetables. Most plants grow best in soil that’s within a specific pH range, so it’s useful to know your soil’s pH. There's also John Innes compost for seed and cuttings, as well as an ericaceous compost which is lime-free and suitable for acid-loving (lime-hating) plants including blueberry, rhododendron, azalea, camellia, and pieris.Soil with a pH of 7 is neutral, an acid soil has a lower value, and an alkaline soil has a higher one. This peat free loam-based compost has been developed to help your seeds germinate successfully and healthily. John Innes potting media, or composts, are widely sold and offer significant advantages over soil-free potting media due to the weight, trace element content and the effect of soil content in avoiding undue chemical and water fluctuations (buffering activity). The mix also has loam for perfect nutrient and moisture retention as well as sand and grit for excellent drainage.

The sphagnum moss peat in John Innes compost improves both the aeration and water-retaining capacity, which enables the compost to make maximum use of the nutrients and trace elements in fertilisers. Our John Innes Seed compost is made from the 50 year old recipe of loam, peat and horticultural grit. It contains a low, carefully balanced amount of fertilizer to give enough for growth but avoid scorching the delicate young roots.Alternatively, at the time of pricking out, incorporate slow-release fertilizer granules according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Seed Sowing SylvaGrow John Innes Seed Compost is suitable for most seeds including the very fine such as Begonia or Impatiens. Be sure to feed your plants with Boost All Purpose Plant Feed – specially formulated for use with peat free composts. As John Innes potting media contain many fine particles gardeners should be wary of adding John Innes materials to other media as the ‘fines’ may fill or block the air spaces within the media that are vital for drainage and aeration of the root zone. The fine-textured and low nutrient formula is ideally matched to the needs of germinating seeds and rooting cuttings.The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. b>Peat - Sphagnum Moss Peat contained within John Innes compost increases porosity, providing improved aeration and water-retaining capacity. The loam supplies the nutrition needed for the base of the plant, which helps to absorb and release plant nutrients as required. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

NMSB is an independent, local producer and supplier of aggregates and concrete, sporting and horticultural sands, soils and composts, merchanting supplies, and waste management services. Using moist soil, it should be sieved through a 5mm sieve and then placed in a baking tray up to 8cm (3 inches) deep. When propagating seeds it's vital that the compost is a high quality or you can lose your expensive seeds. High loam content acts as a buffer for nutrients for best results always used fresh seed and follow the supplier's instructions. Loam used in compost is usually made of a mix of sand, silt, and clay, and is sterilised to kill weed seeds, pests, and diseases.

Loam is currently in short supply and the soil-based material used appears to be highly variable and not necessarily consistent with what is commonly understood to be a medium loam. The main purposes for John Innes are; sowing of seeds and rooting cuttings, large seed sowing, pricking out, potting up, final potting and mature plants. Loam - Loam is the most important ingredient in all John Innes compost, supplying the main body of the compost. The delicate operation of transferring very young seedlings from the container where they were sown to another container where they will have more room to grow. John Innes Composts were originally developed at the John Innes Horticultural Institute in the 1930s.