Compost sifted that fine will tend to compact and not drain well, just like clay soils will. You need to add some larger particle stuff, perlite, vermiculite, a rougher, less fine, compost something that will make larger pore spaces in the mix, probably material that would go through a 1 inch mess.

Thanks, taking your suggestions and pulled out the transplanted peppers and dumped the 100% compost in a wheelbarrow and mixed in perlite and vermiculite. It transformed the mix into something light and airy. Refilled pot and replanted peppers. Should make a huge difference. Thanks for the heads up.

It will compact again. You can't amend finished compost to make it light and airy. You CAN add a smaller fraction of compost to other larger particulates and still come up with something light and airy, but adding perlite and vermiculite (the latter not a good choice when your soil is already compacted & water retentive) to compost will only change the volume of water a given volume of medium will hold. It doesn't change drainage characteristics or the ht of the perched water table.

To visualize this concept, ask yourself how much perlite you need to add to pudding to make it light and fluffy - or how many BBs you need to add to sand to make it well-aerated? You can see in your mind's eye that the end products must be at least 60-70% larger particles before you can say you're closing in on your aeration/drainage goals.

Al

Al,
You crack me up ;-)
I never get tired of your pudding analogy ,it is awesome ;-)

Hopefully it will give some pause to those that think the answer to (container) soil compaction and excessively high PWTs is perlite or the not so well thought through choice, vermiculite. When you use perlite to amend fine-particled ingredients like peat/compost/coir/sand/topsoil, all it does is reduce the amount of water the soil holds on a per volume basis. The reason for this is because perlite is larger in particle size and only holds water on its surface. Adding the perlite might improve drainage characteristics for a very short time, but the fine particles soon settle in around the perlite and you're back to square 1 in drainage and the ht of the PWT. The fact is, it is the nature of fine particled soil ingredients to compact and hold lots of water, and accompanying these traits is the exclusion of ample volumes of air.

I'm not recommending this, but to illustrate: If you STARTED with perlite and added, say 10-15% peat/compost/coir to it, you're not going to have the issues you would if you started with compost and added 10-15% perlite.

If people keep long term 'aeration' in the front of their mind as they make soil choices, they will find things much easier and the margin for error much broader than if they remain rigid and tied to the "I have to use this because ....." line of thought. Pine bark fines as the primary soil component makes perfect sense. It satisfies all but the most rabid of the organic growers requirements (I don't understand why anyone would reject its use based on the feeling compost is somehow 'more organic' than bark, but ..... whatever) and ensures excellent aeration while guarding against compaction. The only drawback is you need to pay for the added aeration and reduced water retention by watering a little more frequently. To be clear though, if that is an issue, the perspective has changed from 'how do I maximize plant vitality' to 'how can I make things more convenient for me'. I point out often that grower convenience and maintaining top vitality in our plantings are often, if not usually, mutually exclusive.

Al