Most asked questions about
Soil, compost & bark
Ericaceous compost is specially formulated for acid loving plants such as Rhododendrons, Azaleas and Camellias. These plants need the soil to have a pH of 6 or lower. The added iron in the compost means that other plants that prefer an alkaline soil with a pH above 7 will not thrive in an ericaceous compost, so can eventually become yellow and die. For this reason we recommend that for all non-acid loving plants you should use an All Purpose Compost.
For more information on the different types of soil click here.
Sometimes when you open a bag of compost you may notice a layer of white mould on the top or part way through. Although unattractive this is in no way harmful to you or your plants and is caused by a saprophytic fungus that feeds on dead and decaying matter and is in fact essential to healthy plant growth. There is not a problem with the compost and it is safe to use on all plants including fruit and veg.
When compost bags are stored outside for any length of time moisture always has a way of getting in especially as our compost bags have breathing holes in them. This moist environment encourages the fungus to grow especially when there is woodchip, bark or green waste in the mix. The best way to dissipate the mould is to open the bag fully, mix it up and let the air get to it.
If using this compost for indoor plants make sure that you are allowing your compost to dry out between watering as this will help prevent the white mould coming back. Make sure you have good circulation between pots if you have a large group together and don’t allow plants to sit in water.
All our composts are specially blended at our Evergreen Research Station in Levington, Suffolk and are rigorously tested. Each compost will be formulated for a specific purpose and have all the correct ingredients, including feed to ensure optimal plant health. We do not recommend you mix the composts as this will unbalance the nutrient levels as well as the ratios of carefully measured ingredients. Its rather like baking a cake, to get the best results you should always follow the recipe.
To find out more about the fantastic research done at Levington click here.
These are likely to be scariad flies or fungus gnats which are tiny little flies that lay their eggs in compost that is warm and moist. They very rarely cause damage to established plants although the larvae in large numbers can sometimes damage the roots of young seedlings. The adults are more of a nuisance than a worry as they can fly around in large numbers.
Make sure you have fungus gnats not fruit flies first. The best way to check is to place a ripe banana near where you have a problem and if they start to hide under the fruit and a cloud of them moves every time you touch the banana then you have a fruit fly problem, not fungus gnats.
Fungus gnats lay eggs in compost and the soil in the plants you bring home. They feed on the fungus that is found in all types of soil. This is a natural occurrence and does not mean the compost or plant has not been manufactured or looked after properly.
All our compost bags have air holes to allow for breathing so as soon as they are left outside anywhere then a fungus gnat can lay an egg.
It is more likely that the problem will come from the plant though as fungus gnats do tend to lay their eggs in the top layer of soil. As more and more of us are growing houseplants so we are seeing more infestations.
Prevention
- Always check the top layer of any plant you bring into your home including new purchases and ones you may have given a summer holiday outside.
- Allow the top layer of your plant to dry out between each watering. Fungus gnats lay eggs in the top moist layer of compost.
- Put a layer of sand or fine grit over the top of the compost.
- Cover drainage holes with a very fine mesh to allow the water to drain but to stop the gnats getting in.
- Keep spare houseplant potting soil in an airtight box to prevent any gnats getting in.
- Water from the bottom, this will help the top soil (where the gnats lay their eggs) stay dry while keeping your plants hydrated and happy.
- Use yellow sticky fly traps to monitor the situation.
- If warm enough pop your infested plant outside and the gnats will leave but always check before bringing back in that they are gnat free.
Control
As the problem with fungus gnats is only noticeable once we have our plants indoors that means there is unlikely to be any natural predators. Using a spray like BugClear will work to kill the adults and as you are using it indoors you will not be harming any pollinators. You can also use BugClear Natural but with both these insect sprays you will have to wait for the next cycle of eggs to be hatched before you can get rid of the problem completely.
Once the flies have gone make sure you follow the prevention measures outlined above.
We are sorry to hear about this, however I would like to reassure you that our products are produced from high quality raw materials that would not generally contain weed seeds so this is very unusual. When peat or other raw materials are harvested, the material is generally free of contaminants, however occasionally weed seeds carried by the wind can contaminate the raw materials that are used in the compost production process.
Light weed seeds can also be introduced at any time on the wind, by wildlife or even in your garden soil which up to this point were dormant but have now started to germinate due to the soil being disturbed and the ideal growing conditions being present.
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November to February
Monday to Friday, 9 AM - 5 PM
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Evergreen Garden Care (UK) Limited
Unit 3, Cefn Coed Parc
Nantgarw
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