Hey everyone! I've had a rough time with compost this year. The stuff from my local garden center was worse than usual and turned into dusty mush that wouldn't drain properly, even after adding perlite. I tried some from B&Q, which was better, but now I'm dealing with an infestation of fungus gnats like I've never seen before, all thanks to the plants I recently repotted with this compost. I know that almost all compost has gnat eggs in it, but this is out of control! Does anyone know a reliable brand of compost that might be gnat-free? Unfortunately, my garden is too small for me to make my own. Thanks!
7 Answers
Check out Dalefoot's wool compost; it’s a bit on the pricey side, but in my opinion, it’s worth every penny! The quality is fantastic and my plants are really thriving with it.
When I use damp compost indoors, I microwave it first to kill any eggs. I skipped that step this year and ended up with a serious gnat issue in a batch of Sylva Grow organic — I think the heat made things worse! I treated it using nematodes weekly, and it actually worked! For my indoor plants, I've been using Soil Ninja, which hasn’t brought any gnats in so far.
Honestly, Lidl and Aldi often have pretty reliable compost. This year’s mixes are still a bit of a gamble since I've switched to making my own now, so I can’t confirm how they are currently. But historically, they’ve been decent!
I prefer using the Gro-Sure peat-free all-purpose compost from B&M for everything — starting seeds, planting, potting, you name it! It’s always worked well for me. My partner tried some fancy branded compost from the garden center, but it just didn’t perform as well as the B&M stuff did.
It really comes down to whether you're looking for peat-free options. I’m a fan of Melcourt’s all-purpose peat-free compost. They do a premium version called Sylvagrow, but I can't seem to find it around here. I've always had good results with Vitax Q4 Multi-purpose compost, although I’m not sure if it’s switched to peat-free yet. Some local independent centers carry a good Irish blend, like Emerald Gold from Evergreen, which I've heard great things about!
I thought B&M’s 3 for £15 bags were amazing until I found out they contain peat! I really thought they were peat-free, so it’s good to double-check these things.
I've been using Lidl's affordable compost and so far, it's been working great for me! I’m also planning to mix in some horse manure from a local farm to give my plants a bit of a boost. Seems like it’s really doing the job!
I got the same Lidl compost, and my potatoes are thriving like crazy too!
Wow, it looks amazing but definitely on the expensive side! ?