Topic: JA Bowers compost again.

[grannyjanny]

I thought I would give J A Bowers MP compost another chance. Big mistake. It was lumpy & the lumps wouldn't crumble between the fingers, stones, large twigs & what appeared to be pieces of felt. It would take forever to sieve for seed sowing. I emailed & they asked for a sample & batch code which was sent off to them.
They accept it was to lumpy & there were problems with some bags from that batch. It was caused by the compost being mixed in damp weather.
This is the second year I have been in touch with them regarding the poor quality of their compost. It used to be such good stuff. I wonder what has gone wrong?

[tim]

Sad - they used to be the leaders.

I'm finding Westland's very good this year.

[OllieC]

I bought some last month & was very disappointed - it's not composted! I'm using it around the roots of my squash, courgettes etc, as it will rot down & they shouldn't mind too much... I then bought some B&Q own brand stuff which is lovely.

[Deb P]

My problems with JAB composts were the subject of a long thread last year, and I am not tempted to use their products again after that experience! This year B&Q mulitipurpose with added JI has my vote.

[tomatoada]

 I agree with the above comments.  I bought some JB compost last year.   Never again.  I use Wicks 4 bags for £12, or B & Q. 

[Glen]

I too use B&Q Multi Purpose compost for everything - no problems at all.

[OberonUK]

I bought some Westland West+ multi-purpose compost (6 bags of the stuff) at the start of the season and it has been terrible - huge chips of wood not even started to compost. It is like they have bulked their decent compost with 30% wood chippings.

Anyone else found this?

[lincsyokel2]

The weather is what went wrong

It depends when and where you harvest peat as to what its like. If the winter is wet, and last winter was, the peat comes off sodden, and that makes it hard to grade and mix. Different companies harvest at different times, and from different sites, so it can be a bit hit and miss getting the peat just right.

Normally, the top 6 inches is discards, because its too young an uncomposted. The next three feet down is usable, tending to get finer as you go down, ie the lumps are in the top. At the bottom you get very dark black peat but it can have lots of stones in. Obviously if the layer is thin you get lumps and stones and less of the good stuff in the middle.

Bark is added usually not to add bulk but to open the mix up if its too dense or wet.

[springs]

i bought 2bags  and it is the biggest load of rubbish i have had in 50yrs. Just full of stones and wood, like to no what council they get it from. you cant put this rubbish down to the weather. Its not use for purpose.

[caroline7758]

It's frustrating that what can be good compost one year can be rubbish the next, but B&Q seems to be fairly consistent. Is it the peat-free stuff or not?

[Kea]

I bought some last month & was very disappointed - it's not composted! I'm using it around the roots of my squash, courgettes etc, as it will rot down & they shouldn't mind too much... I then bought some B&Q own brand stuff which is lovely.

Last year I had problems with Westlands seed growing mix only about 25% of my french beans came up it was very annoying. I wrote to them and they sent me a sample bag to return but unfortunately i had used all the compost by then.
However this years stuff looks ok so far....hard to get anything else as the two nearest garden centres both sell it.
The West + stuff I have is not too bad it does have some small bits of bark and white fibres but nothing like the Levingtons one I had last year which was just bark chip. not as nice as last years westland basket and container compost. Both of those i always mix with JI2 so it's not so spongy.

[OberonUK]

Where's the quality control? Such big companies shouldn't be sending out bags of compost that are not fit for purpose but I guess it is all about profit and they would rather meet demand with sub-standard goods than take a loss. But that seems to me to be a very myopic and short-term attitude. Clearly people here won't buy JAB again and I won't touch the West+ rubbish for a long time. Bought some B&Q stuff today that is brilliant, a king by comparison.

A compost that claims to be 'suitable for seeds' should BE suitable for seeds, not barely fit to use as a mulch.

[Baccy Man]

If the compost is not fit for purpose it can be returned & you can get a refund or replacement. That is what the sale of goods act is for.
http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/after_you_buy/know-your-rights/SGAknowyourrights/
http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/after_you_buy/making-complaint/

[OllieC]

If the compost is not fit for purpose it can be returned & you can get a refund or replacement. That is what the sale of goods act is for.

I know mate, but 2 bags for £10 (or something along those lines), lugged down to the allotment then opened. For the effort, I figured I could use them for something rather than waste the time & my back! I normally make a hole in a bag before buying, to check the quality. Must've been daydreaming that day!

[OberonUK]

I'm disabled and getting to and from a garden centre needs organising and the good will of others to help with transport and carrying. I've written to the manufacturer but doubt that will get anywhere as I have had to use what I had, as best I could, with loads of sieving. Things needed potting on. What do you do when you have no transport or easy way to return the product and yet have to use SOMETHING for your plants? Rock and hard place. My point is that the product should never have made it onto the market.

[OllieC]

My point is that the product should never have made it onto the market.

I completely agree!

[lincsyokel2]

Where's the quality control? Such big companies shouldn't be sending out bags of compost that are not fit for purpose but I guess it is all about profit and they would rather meet demand with sub-standard goods than take a loss. But that seems to me to be a very myopic and short-term attitude. Clearly people here won't buy JAB again and I won't touch the West+ rubbish for a long time. Bought some B&Q stuff today that is brilliant, a king by comparison.

A compost that claims to be 'suitable for seeds' should BE suitable for seeds, not barely fit to use as a mulch.

Right, but thats the art of compost mixing. The compost consistency can change as your harvesting it, and you need seriously tight control to keep the output the same. It also depends on exactly what else your mixing in with it - green waste is horrendous stuff, its so variable and you get all sorts of crap in it thats hard to screen out.

The squeeze is that on one side you have the consumer who wants a good compost cheap, and the government who wants you to stop using peat.

However, ive said this before and ill say ity again, all retail compost is rubbish compared to professional growing media. You do not get these problems with professional composts. This is because retail composts are made with the number one aim of making it as cheap as possible whilst being acceptable to the consumer, whereas professional composts are made to achieve consistency and performance and price is secondary.  Thus retail composts are 3x70L for £10 and professional potting composts are £6 an 80L bag - you get what you pay for.

If you want quality, go to a Horticultural Distributor and buy professional media on cash sale, if you want cheap, go to B&Q. But dont expect to get the same compost, or the same results.

[grannyjanny]

This seems to be a recent thing so are you saying this is something else to blame the government for? In years gone by I & many others didn't have a problem with JAB in fact I wouldn't buy anything other than JAB. After the problems last year Manics put me onto Clover Mother Earth compost & it was beautiful stuff I had a half bag left & had to use it as the JAB wasn't fit for purpose & every seed germinated. So much for not using old compost.
I kept the receipt & shall be taking it back along with the letter that was sent with the explanation.

[PAULW]

LY
You are talking as much rubbish as in a bag of JA BOWERS, if you go to Wickes 4x70 lt bags for £12 this is pure gold no sticks no bricks, last year I used Asda 4x75 lt for £12 another very good quality compost, now if these people who are not a compost/growing medium making company can source/sell good stuff why not JA BOWERS.

[Fork]

I use Bowers with added John Innes....3 for a tenner from my local garden centre..never had a problem  :)