I bought a couple of bags of Homebase peat free compost last September and used most of it to pot up plug plants.
Today I went to used the remaining half bag and found compost covered in white thread like "stuff" and smelt of rotten eggs.
The instructions does say that the compost is for outdoor containers, etc (the remaining bag was the greenhouse).
The plug plants which I planted up earlier in this same compost are doing well.
I got some rubbish stuff from B&Q last season. It rotted all my aliums. There is a load of rubbish lies told about peat in composts. But there is a lot more rubbish coming from council tips that is really just a soil improver and contains all sorts of stuff that the organic brigade would not touch with a bargepole.
I have to use peat free composts in my show plants as the RHS has been caught up in the spin about using peat. But I use my own mix or a really good compost producer.
Homebase, Wilkies, B&Q and the rest of the bargain basement shops are all using the cheapie stuff that is made from council ce-cycling plants and the woodpulp that came from all the timber that has been washing up on our beaches and was pulped to stop us using it for raised beds, shed etc.
The white threads are mycelium & nothing to worry about. Most peat free compost seems to contain a lot of uncomposted material (usually woodchips) which continues to break down over a year or 2 the mycelium is just a visible sign of the fungi that is breaking down the woodchips, you may see the odd mushroom too.
The smell is probably due to anaerobic microorganisms producing hydrogen sulfide, cadaverine, and putrescine. It's very common when organic matter decomposes without sufficient air. Mixing it up to get some air into it should resolve the problem.
Thanks both for your replies. Yes, the bag was tightly rolled up which would account for little air getting in. No sure whether I shall be using it again next year, though.