B&Q M.Purpose Compost Issues. - Page 6

Sorry, hit return too early.   Beechgrove are doing interesting trials of compost.

Most recent show, available on iplayer, has initial results.

I've sent e-mails to both addresses as well.

I too have sent  the email to both addresses .Alan  T will be the next contact or one of the other pro gardeners. 

 I am using the mole hill soil  for seed sowing , I do have an acre size garden and tend to get too many mole hills!, previosly moaning because they have uprooted my plants or have made runs underneath and left my roots with no soil (  and me only  noticing it when my plants have shriveled - but now I take it back-  maybe I will put up keep away moles signs where I don't wish them to be !)

 I will then mix  the mole hill soil with chicken poo for planting established  plants in the garden.

Good Man. No profits for the evil multi-nationals in that !

Feedback on my seedlings I planted in the B&Q compost recently.  THEY HAVE NOT GROWN AN INCH SO FAR!

The ones I left in seedling tray are growing rapidly and will be big enough to plant out.  All the others in pots in B&Q compost are still alive and green, but none or very little growth???

i have been using j arthurs bowers 3 for £11.00 they are 6olitre bags.. best i can get.. i do not buy cheaper that that as no good.. i have not found anything more than small bits of plastic on one and few twigs.. but last eyar i found they were all fir/hairy type stuff.. which clogged my seive.. took them back and got a replacement.

must say all my plants are doing well (mind you need some rain) and seedlings have done ok this year.. not really any diff from last year.

I have had a reply from B & Q where they say that the matter has been referred to their buying team.  Apparently, they have welcomed my comments.  I await their full response. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Went to Taunton today and popped into B & Q.  We needed a strimmer - GC didn't have ANY so B & Q it was.  Good choice available, and we bought a Bosch   . .  .  but I digress:

I looked at the piles of bags of compost .  Many of them (especially B & Q own brand) had been split and re-taped with black plastic tape.  It would seem that a fair number of people are poking holes in the bags and checking the compost before they buy.  And looking at the amount in stock, I would hazard a guess that they ain't buying in the quantities that they used to.  (No empirical evidence - just a gut feeling). 

Still waiting for official response from B & Q  <yawn>

Don't forget it's not only B&Q!  For instance Levingtons and Arthur Bowers have been mentioned. If anyone is going to GW Live or any other show where the Compost Makers have  stands could they please spare a minute or two to enquire about the quality of their compost?     Thanks. 

I had problems with B&Q compost last year.  This year I bought Growmore and it was fine.

I have bought peat-free in the past and it was a disaster.

Seedlings still not much growth.  Bought some Growmore compost today.  Going to repot them all and see how it goes. 

I keep my compost in an old dustbin and usually it's ok, but I looked in earlier today and the top of the B&Q compost has gone mouldy?  Don't think it's much good.  Just thinking how is best to get rid of it all now.  What a waste of money.  Glad I read these posts or I would never have know why seedlings are not growing.

Is this the new verve compost?

I  purchased alot of last years BQ compost at a reduced price, and I have lost some plants but not all.Some of my tubs are not doing well while others are doing great,but I put this down to the weather.

I will not be a happy bunny if I lose my plants as I have loads of pots and hanging baskets.

This is the first time I have used BQ compost but will not use it again.   

The grow bags bought from Lidl have proved ok up to now, the compost is unbelievably black though. To edge my bets and something of an experiement, I mixed it with cumbrian peat and added perlite and growmore when using it in final planting out pots. For potting up I just mixed it with peat and added vermiculite around the stems of seedlings.  It's very compact and needs breaking up but I'm not complaining.  

It's been used in pots for lillies, gladioli, sunflowers, dalihas to name but a few, all doing really well, dwarf lillies and dwarf sunflowers are in bloom. Also used it in bags for spuds and pots for all manner of vegs both in GH and outdoors. It retains water well, prehaps alittle to well, I've had to reduce watering. I've lost one squash plant after planting out and the odd seedling, giving it the thumbs up.     

Hi all.

I am new to this forum, and went looking for any info on bought compost. I don't buy B&Q, but have had two lots of J Arthur Bowers and it's disgusting! It's full of tiny bits of plastic, flakes of paint, unrotted MDF and unrotted grow blocks. My boss bought some too, and his had broken glass in it. Westland isn't as good as it used to be either. I just buy Miracle Gro now, although it is expensive, I have found it to be the best by far.

I also tried the new Expand and Grow 'dry compost', and was seriously unimpressed. Too much messing about, and the end result isn't that great. It dries out far too fast and feels like dried tea leaves.

i eventually complained to B and Q by letter and sent them some photos of plants grown in their compost with some grown in another brand which were 100% better.They said they would contact the supplier and get back to me.Eventually I had what can only be regarded as a stock reply stating that they were sorry I was disappointed with the compost.There was no mention that there was anything wrong with it .They encloed a £20 gift voucher WOW!!!!! Unfortunately these big companies are only interested in making money and although they might say it they are not interested in the poor old customer.They only have a PR Dept. to keep their customers happy.

I thought I'd avoid the problems you've all benn having by buying Westlands with peat( against my better judgement) but I've had very poor results from the seed compost. Only 4 seeds germinated from a tray of 24 honesty seeds. And the mpc by the same name does not seem to hold any moisture at all. When I water the pots it just drains right through. Not a happy bunny here! I'm resorting to last years used mpc mixed with my own from my bin. Now I seem to be getting things to grow at last.!

Still waiting for a reply from B & Q . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(Good job I'm not holding my breath )