Westland John Innes Peat Free No.3 Mature Plant Compost 28L

Westland John Innes Peat Free No.3 Mature Plant Compost – 28L

John Innes No.3 is the richest of the three John Innes grades, made for mature plants and shrubs that are past establishing and into being fed. Westland's peat-free version carries a four-month feed, and the 28 litre bag is the one enriched with Carbon Gold biochar — Westland describe that 28L bag as a carbon-neutral blend, which the 10L size is not.

The biochar is there for structure as much as nutrition: it opens the mix up, holds nutrients against washing through, and helps a loam-based compost manage water rather than turning to mud in a pot. That combination is what makes No.3 the grade for potting on a shrub that is going to stay put for a few years.

Performance & Benefits

• 28 litre bag, enriched with Carbon Gold biochar — a carbon-neutral blend at this size.
• Peat-free, loam-based, to the John Innes No.3 formulation for mature plants.
• Four-month feed for hungry established plants and shrubs.
• Biochar improves aeration and holds and releases nutrients rather than letting them leach.
• Aids water management, so a large pot neither dries out nor sits sodden.

Suitable For

• Potting on mature shrubs, standards, roses and specimen plants.
• Hungry, long-term container plants that stay in the same pot for years.
• Planting out established shrubs into borders that need help.
• Anyone wanting a peat-free loam-based compost rather than a bark-and-fibre mix.
• Too rich for seed sowing and young seedlings — John Innes Seed Sowing or No.1 Young Plant Compost is the right grade there.

How to Use

• Water the plant well in its old pot before you move it.
• Ease it out, put a layer of No.3 in the bottom of the new pot and set the root ball in at the same depth.
• Fill the gaps with compost, firm down with your thumbs and water thoroughly.
• Planting out: dig a hole twice the depth and diameter of the root ball, backfill with No.3, firm and water.
• Start feeding again after about four months, once the compost's own nutrients are spent.
• Reseal the bag and store it frost-free, away from weedkillers and chemicals.

Specification

• 28 litre bag. Also sold in 10L.
• Peat-free John Innes No.3 formulation, loam based, with Carbon Gold biochar in the 28L size.
• Enriched with a four-month feed.
• Westland publish no NPK analysis or loam percentage for this compost, so none is stated here.

Care & Caution

• Use it in a well-ventilated place and avoid breathing dust from the dry compost.
• Wear gloves while handling it and wash your hands afterwards.
• Store the bag away from weedkillers and other chemicals — compost absorbs residues and will carry them into your pots.