Compost vs soil improver
What's the difference between compost and soil improver? I see books, articles, garden centres and websites discussing how to use either/both in the garden, but it's not clear to me what the difference between the 2 is...except the price! I want to improve my garden soil by adding organic matter, but don't want to spend more on a 'soil improver' when a cheaper 'compost' will do, and may even be the same.
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I think of compost as a bulking medium with limited nutrient content. Good for improving soil texture, growing annual vegetable and flower seeds in and using as a mulch. A soil improver (or conditioner) is usually something you mix with your soil to enrich or rebalance it’s nutrient content, but it would be too strong to use to grow most things in undiluted. It normally states how much to dig in per metre.
At least, that’s my interpretation and it might be wrong! I think the only thing you can do is read the labels, study the nutrient composition and decide if whatever the product is, its worth the cost.
I buy bags of proprietory soil conditioner from Notcutts and use this to mulch my beds when we run out of our own compost from our compost heap.
I think the bought stuff is mainly composted bark and that sort of stuff and it certainly improves our somewhat freedraining sandy loam.
I think it’s worth paying a bit more for it.
but I tend to use the soil conditioner as a mulch on flower beds in case it’s a bit ‘under cooked’ and burns new growth etc ... perhaps I’m being over cautious but it works for me 😊
I use a thick layer of ericaceous compost of mainly bark origin for mulch, because my soil is so alkaline. Before planting, I worked in a mix of ericaceous compost, manure and grit. All this has ‘improved’ my soil noticeably, both in texture and a slight lowering of PH. But I would never add mushroom compost to my already alkaline soil. So that’s another thing to consider when making your choice... your soil PH.