B&Q Compost

For the past 5 years Ive bought B&Q bulk compost but over the last 2

years Ive found the quality is failing.

Has anyone else had the same experience? 02

 

I can't say I have bought any from B n Q, but I have to say, this season I have found several composts that have been shockingly poor quality!

 

I bought some stuff from Homebase the other day which was dire. It seemed to consist mainly of composted rope - I ended up chucking it on the garden.

Unfortunately I don't think we yet have a good substitute for peat.

 

I bought some B and Q compost about a month ago because it was relatively cheap and is recommended by a certain magazine as being very good. It certainly looked ok but the results have been disappointing. I decided to buy the 120 litre - yes 120!! bag and had an awful time trying to manhandle it into a trolley...car....greenhouse! I thought the weight limit on this stuff was 25kg - it was alot heavier than that!!

Since then I have been using Vitax multipurpose compost which has added feed. Its lovely to work with and my results are much better than B and Q.

 

If it's any help, I tend to stick to gro-bags and mix with ordinary garden soil if I need something heavier. Gro-bags are cheaper and the compost, even from Homebase or B&Q is pretty good. As opposed to a bag of potting compost I got free at the garden centre that seemed to be a lot of fibre!

 

I find that you get what you pay for.

I like the B&Q with added JI - probably twice the price but gives good results for me.

Depending on what I'm doing I also mix with either sterilsed loam or top dressing..

I might also add some Blood, fish and bone if necessary

 

I agree there, in that you get for what you pay. I've used their John Innes, they recently had a "three for two" offer.

I've found their lawn turf at £2.52 a roll excellent, but best to buy it on the day it's delivered to the store.

 

I have to say that some composts claim to contain JI, but I would be surprised if they have even seen the outside of a container of the stuff, never mind the contents of it!

 

The "sheds" would not try to dupe the public in that way.
They'll have a whole department that scrutinises any labeling to ensure it complies with the Trade Descriptions Act.
They can't afford the bad publicity.

 

Perhaps not the smaller outfits.

 

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Agreed, most of the composts have been dire since they all jumped on the ( we don't use peat) bandwagon!
Got some from Focus last season, it was full of wood shards, stones and other rubbish, totally useless!

Got 4 x 75 lts bags from Wickes for £12, supposed to be 80% peat and they appear quite good for once!

As I was potting on cabbages and lettuce etc, I mixed it with riddled garden soil and riddled home made garden compost, it was a pleasure to handle and use!

Cheers!:gnthb:

 

I have bought the B&Q 120l multipurpose bags for the last couple of years not knowing any different and not wanting to spend more for what I thought was just a label.

Never will I buy it again! It's nothing but dark sawdust! And dries out within minutes, it's a complete waste of time.

At the beginning of this season B&Q were doing a deal on J Arthur Bowers compost so bought that instead and it's been fantastic! Stays wet longer, doesn't look like sawdust and the plants are loving it. I would certainly buy it again.

John Innes seems to be a huge make, is it any better or comparable to J Arthur Bowers?

 

I use Evergreen growbags, with peat. Father in law has also used these for many years, with brilliant results. We need something good to replace the peat with though :(

 

Aha !!! so it is not just me that keeps thinking that I am getting a load of chewed up wood, bits of plastic and stuff in my B&Q compost.
I bought 3 of their grow bags yesterday and though is does not have the bits of wood in it, it is a brown colour, almost like watered sawdust. I just hope it has some goodness in it althought the thought did cross my brain that maybe I should mix it with JI potting compost to give it some substance.

I'm going to go have a look at what Wickes have got.

 

Well Ive grown all my bedding plants in the B&Q bulk compost and I am so dissapointed that i will have to go and buy my bedding plants ready made. I wont be buying it again.