Wool compost

[ian mcdonald]

I have recently been given a bag of Wool Compost for Seeds. I thought that the compost would be quite coarse but it is a fine texture and light in weight. I will be trying the compost for alpine seed sowing. The manufacturers are Barker and Bland, near Penrith in Cumbria. The compost is made of wool and bracken and does not contain peat. Looking at the compost it has the best make up of any previous composts I have seen. Previous peat containing composts I have tried over many years have resulted in the compost in the pots being either too wet or too dry, resulting in a poor germination rate. I would prefer a loam only seed compost but these are difficult to track down and garden  centres complain about the weight of the soil composts.

[Maggi Young]

Sounds promising, Ian. We'll look forward to seeing the results and hearing your conclusions.

[ian mcdonald]

I have found out that the composts are made by Dalefoot. There is a list of stockists on their site.

[ChrisB]

I have used this compost.  It is very moisture retentive being derived partly from wool.  It’s very good (though expensive) so I use it sparingly ...

[Maggi Young]

Message today from Dalefoot Composts .....

Good Afternoon Scottish Rock Garden Club,

I’m new to Dalefoot composts and I’m just updating our CRM system and can see the north Cumbria group were at Rheged for the Home & Garden Show and so were we and we didn’t get a chance to go and say hi !

So it was more of an introduction really, here at Dalefoot Composts we produce quality, peat free, organic and sustainable composts. As awareness of the environmental impact of using peat grows, more people are looking to peat free alternatives such as ours. Peat is not only unsustainable but also damaging to the environment as peat stores vast amounts of CO2, more than any of the world’s forests.

We are a family run business based in the heart of the Lake District. Our composts are made using wild bracken which is high in trace elements. Naturally providing high levels of nutrients, without chemicals and due to the way bracken breaks down, all of our products will feed for at least one year. We also use undipped sheep’s wool sourced from our farm and other local farms. Wool provides excellent water retention while remaining free draining, reducing the need to water by up to 50% while the nitrogen in the sheep wool slowly releases all the necessary nutrients to grow healthy plants.

Also, we are now stocking Comfrey root cuttings! As I’m sure you know comfrey is rich in vital growing nutrients and can be used to create powerful liquid fertilizer. For more info please head over to our website – www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk

We love supplying growers and gardeners with exactly what they need. We make an Alpine compost which isn’t on our website. It’s a mix of our ericaceous compost, horticulture grit and bark which makes for excellent draining. You may have heard of it through Neil at Hartside nurseries mainly known as Plants with Altitude or Graham at Kevock Garden plants based in Midlothian.

If you have any questions or need any more info please do not hesitate in letting me know. We do a special price for gardening societies if they group together to place a large order. Really looking forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards and Happy Gardening,

Shona Duggan

Sales & Dispatch Administrator

Barker & Bland Ltd T/A Dalefoot Composts,

Dalefoot, Heltondale, Nr Penrith, Cumbria, CA10 2QL.

Tel/Fax: 01931 713281

Website: www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk



 

[Pennine Wanderer]

I have used this compost for a few years and am quite happy with it. I live not far from Dalefoot and it is often offered by local garden centres at 2 bags for £10, however I have seen it for sale at another garden centre in Cumbria at just under £10 for a single bag.  This is a ridiculous price and no one in their right minds will pay this price.

[Maggi Young]

A reply from Dalefoot  about  my  question as to the  progress of the  McLennan's  trial of the  compost  for their  snowdrops :

Good Morning Maggi,

Thank you ever so much for your swift reply. Great news to hear you’ve heard of us and we are somewhat on your radar!

I rang and spoke with David McLennan yesterday for their feedback to date as its been a 2-3 year trial now. He advised they began the trial with the more commercial John Innes compost Vs Dalefoot Wool Compost & Lakeland Gold. The kept the same variables to ensure a true comparison. The outcome is that Dalefoot has produced bigger bulbs, bigger, stronger and healthier plants and that with our compost they didn’t need to feed for the whole of the three years. We advise a no need to feed for 12 – 24 months depending on product and the plants going in it, so for them to not feed for 3 years is amazing. With this a much more natural crop is produced. They are now looking at using our products elsewhere in their garden. David also gave this feedback at an Alpine conference in February when the topic was Peat Free and is happy for me to share it with you as they are members of your society.

In regards to our Alpine mix we started this for Plants with Altitude. It was a collaboration between Neil and ourselves and since other people take it such as Kevock when we have made a batch as it’s not a standard product more of a special mix.

We have just placed a bulk order for the grit etc and will be making a batch up in the next few weeks should that be of interest.

If you have any other questions at all please do not hesitate in letting me know.

Many Thanks,
Shona