Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Cultivation => Composts => Topic started by: Alan_b on October 09, 2016, 11:42:37 AM
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I have just been to a talk (at my local Plant Heritage group) by a lady who works for Melcourt ( www.melcourt.co.uk (http://www.melcourt.co.uk) ). They produce a range of 'Professional Growing Media', mostly based on composted bark sourced in the UK. I was very impressed by the depth of knowledge of the speaker (their Technical Director) and the amount of research that goes into what they produce.
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Their bark has been very popular with orchid growers for many years. The biggest trouble is finding a local stockist.
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Their bark has been very popular with orchid growers for many years. The biggest trouble is finding a local stockist.
I'll second that.
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I'll second that.
Their website includes a where to buy map which may help.
http://www.melcourt.co.uk/where-to-buy/ (http://www.melcourt.co.uk/where-to-buy/)
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Seems there is an exclusion zone around much of Lincolnshire, but thankfully my stockist in Donington shows up on the map! ;D
Even worse up north!
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Yes... something like 2 stockists in Scotland...?
I'm really lucky, one of only two stockists in N Wales happens to be my local garden centre.
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The "where to buy" map appears to have been set up on an 'enthusiastic' rather than an 'actual' basis.
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The "where to buy" map appears to have been set up on an 'enthusiastic' rather than an 'actual' basis.
thats really odd - just found a massive nursery near me that I did'nt know was there - be paying a visit in the near future and will have a look at the Melcourt compost if it is good - cheers David
http://www.daleabbeyplants.co.uk/find-us/ (http://www.daleabbeyplants.co.uk/find-us/)
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I'd give 'em a ring before you go Graeme and make sure which, (if any) Melcourt products they have in stock.
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I can wholeheartedly vouch for Melcourt’s peat free, bark-based compost products. The technical knowledge and research side of the company is top notch, if you are after something specific it’s worth giving them a ring. Their retail composts (http://sylvagrow.co.uk/category/latest-news/ (http://sylvagrow.co.uk/category/latest-news/)) are superb for a range of general use and won accreditation from Which? and endorsed by the RHS. I recon these are the best peat free composts currently on the market for the general public, their SylvaGrow with added JI is superb (http://www.melcourt.co.uk/product/multipurpose-compost-retail/ (http://www.melcourt.co.uk/product/multipurpose-compost-retail/)). As others have mentioned however it’s a shame that they are not wider stocked, particularly up north in the UK but you could ask your local retailer to look at stocking it. They are expanding and given the quality of some of the competing peat free products on the market it wont be long before they are more widely available.
As for their professional products they are also superb. A number of nurseries and growers use their Sylvamix products as part of mixes for growing on a range of plants including alpines. http://www.melcourt.co.uk/products/professional-growers/sylvamix-peat-free-growing-media/ (http://www.melcourt.co.uk/products/professional-growers/sylvamix-peat-free-growing-media/)
I use their Growbark Pine, mixed with inert grit and perlite for growing Sarracenia peat free and it works better than traditional peat based mixes with its open structure and low nutrient levels. It’s also a medium that I add to mixes for a range of alpine, ericaceous plant and woodlander composts. http://www.melcourt.co.uk/product/melcourt-growbark-pine/ (http://www.melcourt.co.uk/product/melcourt-growbark-pine/)
Sarracenia, ferns, Hepaticas, Cyclamen, snowdrops, ericaceous shrubs and a few other species get mulched and pots topped off with their Propagating Bark. It’s a really nice fine high quality bark chip useful for tidying pots and suppressing weeds. http://www.melcourt.co.uk/product/melcourt-propagating-bark/ (http://www.melcourt.co.uk/product/melcourt-propagating-bark/)
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I'd give 'em a ring before you go Graeme and make sure which, (if any) Melcourt products they have in stock.
I have seen greenhouse and tunnels - so I will be going to have a look to see what they grow - if they have compst it will be a bonus :)
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You get a different map depending on the product range you select I think. Locally here they sell some products through a landscaping fencing timber company.
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I use Sylvamix potting http://www.melcourt.co.uk/product/sylvamix-potting/ (http://www.melcourt.co.uk/product/sylvamix-potting/) very good quality and the plants like it.
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The nursery in South Cumbria where my wife Susan works ( http://www.halecatplants.co.uk/ (http://www.halecatplants.co.uk/) ) uses the Melcourt Silvamix professional growing medium and it is excellent. They don't usually have it on display to sell to the public (though they do stock the superb Keith Singleton JI composts) but may be amenable to selling a bag to visitors if asked. Be quick though - they close to the public for the winter next month until february.
The Melcourt media attracted a lot of attention from visitors who came round the back of the nursery on the open day last month where I was helping Susan for the day. Many commented on it's great structure and the health of the plants grown in it. Susan brings home a bag every now and then (in lieu of wages or in return for frequently topping up the nursery biscuit tin) and I find it very useful either on its own or mixed with a bit of JI.
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The nursery in South Cumbria where my wife Susan works ( http://www.halecatplants.co.uk/ (http://www.halecatplants.co.uk/) ) .............
Presumably where Corydalis flexuosa 'Hale Cat' originated?
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The nursery in South Cumbria where my wife Susan works ( http://www.halecatplants.co.uk/ (http://www.halecatplants.co.uk/) )
just watched the video - I want those two large glasshouses.........
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The larger one would be enough to start with ;D
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They are very old, beautifully constructed glasshouses and underwent major refurbishment by the present nursery owners when they took over. There was a previous nursery on the site which eventually got very neglected and overgrown before Abi and Tom took it over and totally revamped it. The glasshouses are almost all that is left of the original nursery.
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melcourt orchid bark and potting bark is smetimes availible on ebay i have fairly recently obtained potting bark and propogating bark from ebay supplied by southern horticultral aka fargrow. hope this may be of help to those wanting the odd bag
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further to my earlier posting melcourt barks are availible on amazon
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further to my earlier posting melcourt barks are availible on amazon
In which case, making a purchase through the link at the foot of this page could also benefit the SRGC!!
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further to my earlier posting melcourt barks are availible on amazon
Before purchasing from that particular source, whether from the SRGC link or not, I'd encourage members to read the following:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/aug/18/amazon-regime-making-british-staff-physically-and-mentally-ill-says-union (https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/aug/18/amazon-regime-making-british-staff-physically-and-mentally-ill-says-union)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3782591/The-new-robber-barons-MARGARET-HODGE-Starbucks-Amazon-Goldman-Sachs-ripping-billions-British-taxpayers-civil-servants-tax-chiefs-helping-them.html (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3782591/The-new-robber-barons-MARGARET-HODGE-Starbucks-Amazon-Goldman-Sachs-ripping-billions-British-taxpayers-civil-servants-tax-chiefs-helping-them.html)
Other sources are available. You can still donate though! ;)
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I think you will find much cheaper prices for Melcourt composts if you look around and can find a supplier.
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An old thread but I have a question about the 'new' melcourt range
Today I received a bag of 'Coarse' orchid bark
I was a bit confused by a) the look of the bag, where one can not distinguish at all what it is that is actually packaged, and
b) the grading of the bark chunks.
I thought to ask on the forum first if anyone can tell me what to expect, before I take it up with the online supplier.
Please see pictures- the pic of the particle sizes is a bit poor but it is basically a mix of fine stuff- flakes nearly with reasonable chunks in it.
I will use it, but will have to sift through it carefully before I repot something like Phalaenopsis into it. In the past I had good chunky nuggets from them. Have I been sold the wrong stuff?
[attach=1]
Non- descript bag
[attach=2]
substrate size mix
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I remembered that Ian - the Christie Kind, used similar bark so I dropped him a line.... here's his reply....
" Hello I have never used the Orchid bark - always use the Propagating bark a very good uniform mix have just ordered another whole pallet from Clydeside trading. Never had any problems. I expect delivery early February; price has gone up a bit but for me well worth the money. I have no dealings with any Amazon site selling Melcourt, cheers Ian"
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Bart, I have used Melcourt bark products for a number of years, always first class products.
Try East Riding Horticulture Ltd, probably not far from you. I live in Lincolnshire & deliveries are free.
A link to their catalogues https://www.eastridinghorticulture.co.uk/catalogues
Mike
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Thanks Mike,
Yes, I had spotted them but dismissed them as wholesalers- but did not investigate further, but now I will. I proceeded to look for the product online and found gardensuperstore.co.uk. Nothing seemed amiss- so I tried.
Just out of curiosity, Is there any way to tell, looking at the (picture of) bag, which of the stated options might be packaged? It is like tinning some veg and then listing baked beans, brown beans, mixed beans, sweetcorn , and mushrooms as options on the wrapper, but leaving it to chance to see what you actually get. Or am I being daft?
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Hi Bart,
On Melcourt bags I have had, they have a box on the left side of each named product and the one actually inside has a tick or cross in the box next to it. I have occasionally though had a bag where there was no tick.
Paul
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Thanks Paul, Yes, I remember receiving a bag with a tick in a box as well, must be 6 years ago. There are now no boxes on the left but barcodes on the right. Progress.
I seem to go through a bag every 3 years although this finer stuff won't last that long. Pleiones will do well for a year I guess in this with a bit of moss etc mixed in.
Oh well, I'll drop the 'superstore' a line without any expectations.
Thanks for the replies.
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I have found out that it is indeed coarse orchid bark I received, it has been stored outdoors and the packaging date was 21-02-2020 ! So it has been composting away, that's why it looks like mulch.
They are offering that I can send it back and get a refund, minus £9,- !!!!! Did not accept. Or, keep the product and keep, with 25% discount. That would make it £21,- for mulch that I didn't want and still having to source bark for my phals.....
Boring, I know. I'll stop.
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That would make it £21
Bart, around the £10 mark from East Riding Horticulture for 60ltr bag, maybe a little more for the very large coarse orchid bark.
Mike