DONT BUY THIS !!!!!!

[Duke Ellington]

Last year I bought Wickes Multipurpose Compost and was really happy with it.
This year they have changed it to their *NEW AND IMPROVED FORMULA*
Its crap horrible stuff! >:( Why did they have to mess with a good compost and bulk it up with wood.
Heres what I mean...



Duke >:( >:(

[Duke Ellington]

[small]

That looks dreadful. I've gone for the B&Q multipurpose, 3 bags for a tenner, because I was so pleased with it last year (didn't go all hard and green on the top!) and it seems OK this year too - but the bags are smaller....

[Duke Ellington]

I went to B&Q and bought their Multipurpose today because I couldn't use the Wickes. The B&Q is what Wickes used to look like.

Duke

[grannyjanny]

Duke I think it was spoken about a few weeks ago. Goodlife was lucky enough to get some of the old recipe. They had signs up somewhere about it not being suitable for seed sowing. I don't think I would use it even for my containers :o ::).

[tomatoada]

Its rubbish as on the previous  posts.

[Jeannine]

I wonder if they are making it this way because the Americans like "fines" in their soil..fines are bits of wood and come all sizes and it supposed to be an improvement ,drainage I think

XX Jeannine

[Duke Ellington]

There were no signs up in my local Wickes at the time I purchased mine but customers probably have complained about it since then. I wanted it for potting on  but I wouldnt use it as its so bad. I am indoors at the moment but I think the info on the bag mentions the wood retains moisture. I even thought I'd have a go at sifting it but gave up. I will use it at the allotment to fill up some dustbins I use for growing vegetables....or maybe fill my bean trench with it. Or use it as a mulch.

sorry I missed the previous post on this.

Duke

[goodlife]

I mentioned this on other post...but I found it to be nice when mixed into soil (in ground)..but its too early to say anything about how anything will grow in that piece of ground.
But by handling the stuff.. :-\..container growing with this 'new formula' is no no..
Perharps we need to flood Wickes with complains... ;D..give their customer cervices something to report for the bosses.. ;D ;D ;D

[persecuted unlimited]

I bought the miracle grow (the one with peat) 2 bags £12 from B&Q it was terrible there was big twigs and no sign of any peat, I have always found this good stuff to start my seedlings off, but was really disappointed this year

[grannyjanny]

The ONLY one I have found to be consistent is Clover. It's like putting your hand into a bag of flour ;D. Manic put me on to it a few years back. Thank you Manic ;D :-*.

[Squash64]

I like Clover too, and also Erin.  They seem pretty similar to each other.

[Dopey]

Duz anyone take this stuff back, I ask the Q because if everyone did it would cost a fortune 1 having to buy and transport it in the fist place, and 2 even more expense that the cost of them bulk buying it, getting rid of it, then you can be sure, they will change the suppler next season

[grannyjanny]

I have complained to the manufacturer, JAB twice & Erin. They asked for samples & said it wasn't fit for purpose. Erin said they thought there had been a blockage in the pipe & JAB just waffled.

[Tee Gee]

Be careful with B&Qs three bags for a tenner type which is in a purple bag and is classified as a Which best buy.

I bought three bags in January and used it for my onion seedlings and I have lost the lot.

The symptoms were lack of growth  and when I investigated the cause I found that the roots were virtually non existent as if they have been burned a way.

I stuck my pH probe into it and found it a bit more acid than I would have liked it was between 6 and 6.5

When I bought the Wickes compost I found it was no good for sowing seeds in so I decided to use the B&Q stuff as a seed compost and once again my problem become noticeable  I.e. lack of growth

On further investigation I found that the plants I grew as plugs were the worst affected I.e. until the roots expanded outside the extent of the plug there was no apparent growth.

Seedlings I pricked out by the standard method romped away when planted into the Wickes stuff.

Having lost all my onions I decided to re- prick out everything I had grown as plugs ( all my brassicas)

What I did was dip and shake the seedlings in water to wash off all the B&Q and replant them.

A bit o.t.t. In my opinion but I didn't fancy losing  all my plants, so it's fingers crossed that I have saved my plants.

Incidentally I read in another forum of someone who has had similar problems, have any of you guys had such a problem?

[manicscousers]

The ONLY one I have found to be consistent is Clover. It's like putting your hand into a bag of flour ;D. Manic put me on to it a few years back. Thank you Manic ;D :-*.

You're welcome  ;D
We're still getting this from Johnathan, still able to charge 3.70 for a 75ltr bag and still the same. We're trying to go peat free by using coir for seeds this year, ok for seeds but rubbish for potting on, not rich enough and when I added seaweed to it, the plants still went yellow-y  :)
I have had some compost like yours, Duke. I use it in bottomless pots for tomatoes in the poly

[realfood]

Manufacturers bulk up their composts with wood as it is cheap!! Just hope that my B&Q , 3 for £10 are OK. Still to inspect them.

[Duke Ellington]

This is what I bought in B&Q today...



all I want is to be able to sow seeds..and the manufacturers keep moving the goal posts. :'(
I now use John Inness seed compost for sowing seeds.

Duke

[Tee Gee]

The stuff I bought was in slightly different packaging, the flowers are the same but the three for £10 logo is at the top of my bag, and it has " multi purpose compost" written at the bottom.

As I bought my stuff in January I am just wondering if I have old stock and it has gone off in some way.

Trouble is with symptoms like I have had is you have to use it to find the problem and then it's too late to take it back :(

I hope yours is OK Duke

[Duke Ellington]

I have sown some peas and potted on some tomatoes and cucumbers in it today tee gee so I will let you know what happens.

Duke

[amphibian]

My Wilko's ericaceous compost was unusable, mostly wood and I mean planks of wood, capable of giving you a splinter. To top it off there was scraps of foil in there too.