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🐧🐧CURMUDGEONS' CORNER XXI🐧🐧

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  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    We had them when I was small, they live in damp conditions.

    My grump,  went to Lidl and Morrisons yesterday,  lots of bedding plants, some gorgeous big pots of hydrangeas, all dead,  no water in the trays.
    I only went to Morrison for compost,  realised when I got home I’d bought peat free, Westland,  wow!  It absolutely stinks, like burning tyres,  didn’t want to stay in the GH with it.  It does have added JI,  which means someone’s chucked a handful of sand in there. 
    If I lose my seedlings I’ll be blo*dy annoyed. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited May 2023
    ‘Added JI’ should refer to the proportions of added nutrients (as with the John Innes formulae) 
at least that’s what it always used to mean 
 not that it’s had ‘a handful of sand’ chucked in đŸ«€

    Perhaps an email to Westland Customer Services?

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Winston_The_Gravity_ManWinston_The_Gravity_Man Posts: 263
    Puts my back up too, @Lyn.  It's not a recent thing of course, many supermarkets have been guilty of it for a long time.  Morrisons in Wrexham have never been too bad about watering but I know they're an exception.  I wonder though if supermarket plants are drying out more quickly because they're being grown in peat-free compost ...improved environmental credentials and all that...and possibly pretty low-grade compost at that ?

    I'm with you on the 'handfull of sand' thing.  Is it compost or is it John Innes ?  'With added John Innes' sounds good, but who really wants it ?  Sounds like an advertising gimmick to try to whitewash the fact that shop bought 'compost' is now just shredded tree, shredded green bits, and more often than not odd bits of plastic and glass !

    Bah !  Humbug !


    When there's always biscuits in the tin, where's the fun in biscuits ?
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They aren't growers or garden centres though. I don't think people understand how supermarkets work. They don't have dedicated staff to look after plants in most cases. 
    You can either buy them as rescues, ignore them, or shop in a gardening outlet if it bothers you  :)  
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Winston_The_Gravity_ManWinston_The_Gravity_Man Posts: 263
    Funny thing how a lot of supermarkets and similar do manage to water and look after their plants.  
    When there's always biscuits in the tin, where's the fun in biscuits ?
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It may happen in some cases @Winston_The_Gravity_Man - but it isn't a given. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Winston_The_Gravity_ManWinston_The_Gravity_Man Posts: 263
    Yes.
    When there's always biscuits in the tin, where's the fun in biscuits ?
  • floraliesfloralies Posts: 2,718
    Our large supermarket buys plants in every spring. They are at the back of the store with no natural light and and nobody waters them. Their compost is rubbish too.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited May 2023
    đŸ˜±

    Not sure if it’s a curmudgeon but it’s certainly a Whoops!

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/may/14/hs2-contractor-confirms-sizeable-sinkhole-in-buckinghamshire 

    Theyll need a fair bit of hardcore and topsoil to fill that in. 

    Anyone want to do the sums? 
    đŸ˜”â€đŸ’«



    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Our Morrison always has one special person that stays outside to see to the plants and sell the compost,  I’ve never known them to be neglected there,  usually has a girl to look after them,  all they have to do is put water in the black trays,  I don’t think the chappie knew that, they were all bone dry. 
    The little bit of Westland I left on the bench turned to dusty sand so I don’t know what the added JI is. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

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