{"id":12624,"date":"2025-05-05T13:00:25","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/can-i-plant-lily-bulbs-in-only-john-innes-no-3\/"},"modified":"2025-05-05T17:23:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T16:23:29","slug":"can-i-plant-lily-bulbs-in-only-john-innes-no-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/can-i-plant-lily-bulbs-in-only-john-innes-no-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Can I plant lily bulbs in only John Innes No. 3"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This question was asked by <span class=\"hubmaster_faq_author\"><br \/>\n&#8211; <em>Jan &#8211;\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"hubmaster_faq_blockquote\"><p>I have planted the bulbs in a pot but have used only John Innes No. 3 Compost, should I have mixed it with multi purpose compost?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"hubmaster_faq_answer\">We recommend mixing John Innes No.3 with multipurpose compost as it gives lilies the best of both worlds: the John Innes provides nutrients and long-term structure, while the multipurpose compost improves drainage and keeps the mix lighter. This combination helps prevent bulb rot and supports healthy growth, especially in pots.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"124\">Mixing John Innes No.3 with multipurpose compost for growing lilies is a common and beneficial practice. Here&#8217;s why:<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"126\" data-end=\"166\">1. Balanced Structure &amp; Drainage<\/h3>\n<ul data-start=\"167\" data-end=\"451\">\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul data-start=\"167\" data-end=\"451\">\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"167\" data-end=\"282\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"169\" data-end=\"282\">John Innes No.3 is loam-based and heavy, which gives stability and nutrients but can be too dense on its own.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul data-start=\"167\" data-end=\"451\">\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul data-start=\"167\" data-end=\"451\">\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"283\" data-end=\"451\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"285\" data-end=\"451\">Multipurpose compost lightens the mix, improving drainage and aeration, which is essential for lily bulbs that hate sitting in wet soil (they can rot easily).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"453\" data-end=\"490\">2. Nutrient Retention + Boost<\/h3>\n<ul data-start=\"491\" data-end=\"713\">\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul data-start=\"491\" data-end=\"713\">\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"491\" data-end=\"589\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"493\" data-end=\"589\">John Innes No.3 has a higher nutrient content, ideal for mature or flowering plants like lilies.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul data-start=\"491\" data-end=\"713\">\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul data-start=\"491\" data-end=\"713\">\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"590\" data-end=\"713\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"592\" data-end=\"713\">Multipurpose compost complements it by being lighter and often contains added slow-release nutrients for a steady supply.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"715\" data-end=\"742\">3. Moisture Control<\/h3>\n<ul data-start=\"743\" data-end=\"867\">\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul data-start=\"743\" data-end=\"867\">\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"743\" data-end=\"867\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"745\" data-end=\"867\">The blend holds enough moisture without becoming soggy \u2014 perfect for lilies which like moist, well-drained conditions.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"869\" data-end=\"899\">4. Long-Term Structure<\/h3>\n<ul data-start=\"900\" data-end=\"1062\">\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul data-start=\"900\" data-end=\"1062\">\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"900\" data-end=\"1062\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"902\" data-end=\"1062\">Lilies are often grown in pots or containers. John Innes maintains its structure over time better than multipurpose compost alone, which can degrade or compact.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"\" data-start=\"1064\" data-end=\"1086\">Typical Mix Ratio:<\/h3>\n<ul data-start=\"1087\" data-end=\"1219\">\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul data-start=\"1087\" data-end=\"1219\">\n<li class=\"\" data-start=\"1087\" data-end=\"1219\">\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1089\" data-end=\"1219\">50:50 John Innes No.3 to multipurpose compost works well, or even 2:1 in favour of John Innes if more stability is needed.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-10770\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Soil-300x199.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Soil-300x199.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Soil-453x300.png 453w, https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Soil.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We recommend mixing John Innes No.3 with multipurpose compost as it gives lilies.. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/can-i-plant-lily-bulbs-in-only-john-innes-no-3\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":11845,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[453,232],"class_list":["post-12624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faq","tag-c255","tag-faq"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Soil-for-lilies.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12624"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12657,"href":"https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12624\/revisions\/12657"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hartsnursery.co.uk\/lily-info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}