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Substandard Westland John Innes no3

CraighBCraighB Posts: 758
edited May 2023 in Problem solving
Hi guys,

I have recently purchased some Westland John innes no 3, which is have used for quite a number of years now. Well the stuff I bought last week was absolutely terrible!! It is usually quite dense and sandy. This one is like bark or something a bird would make a nest with!

There is absolutely no substance at all! There is still bits of fresh straw and wood chippings in it and hardly and soil or sand. I thought I would try to use it anyway and see what it was like when watered so I used it to plant a small tree in a containers and the water just ran straight through! Needless to say it dried out completely in just 2 days and left a brittle and crunchy pile of dust really.

I have contacted them about this and they offered me a voucher to buy some wetting agent!! I have just replied telling them that wetting agent isn't going to change its terrible texture and lack of substance! I await their response.

Has anyone else experienced this lately with this particular brand?

I have attached an image of it.

Kind Regards,
Craigh

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Posts

  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    I've just used some for potting up some Hostas in a 50/50 mix with MPC.  It's in new packaging, labelled John Innes no 3 Mature Plant Compost but looks like the usual mix, heavy with sand, soil and just a little bit more organic matter.  But, it doesn't look like yours!  See what you think:






    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • CraighBCraighB Posts: 758
    edited May 2023
    @Plantminded That looks more like it should! Usually when I've used it in the past it's dense, sandy and heavy like you said. And so it should be when it's purpose is for shrubs, trees and mature plants etc.

    The roots are never going to settle in the bags I've received. They are all the same batch number, and from Homebase. I have given Westland the details but they just offered me the wetting agent! The container would have to sit permanently in a bucket of water to keep that stuff wet!
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Is your compost a Homebase product @CraighB or does the packaging look like this?

    Westland John Innes Peat Free No 3 Mature Plant Compost | - Garden Health
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • CraighBCraighB Posts: 758
    @Plantminded yep that's the one. It's a Westland one. The exact same bag and not a homebase product.
  • CraighBCraighB Posts: 758
    @Plantminded is yours a peat free version the same as mine? It tells you on the back of the pack.

    Westland are trying to tell me that it looks like it does because it's a peat free version! Even as a peat free version they can't say that it's good quality. I would expect better even from homebase own brand!

    I didn't even know they did a version that is peat based. I can't find that on their website.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Yes, @CraighB, mine is like the one in the link above, "naturally peat free".  (I actually thought it looked better than the old JINo3 brand!)
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited May 2023
    There was peat in the old John Innes; they didn't need to say so.  Now They have reformulated away from peat; saying so is part of their message.

    Compost manufatureres are rushing to replace peat, and it's not easy.

    I have a bag,yet unopened, I will look.  I thouight thr word "naturally' was a bit od a weasle, it means nothing.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I bought the Westland JI 1,  looks like yours,  no substance to it, horrible dry and sandy, which is JI I suppose,  but solid when wet. 
      I sowed my runner beans in it,  usually 100% germination,  I’ve got 4 out of 12.
    The only good feature was no plastic or glass.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • CraighBCraighB Posts: 758
    @Lyn Well actually I have a bag of JI no 1 from last year and I sowed some seeds in it this year and everything has grown lovely. The texture is great. Clearly they have changed this too now if yours is not so good.

    I think I'm going to stay away from this product now and try something new. I remember jack's Magic always seemed to be good.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    I seem to have contibuted to two different compost threads.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
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