My mother and I bought Growmore compost from Homebase this year, this too is questionable. Mother topped up her raised beds, it started to rain heavily so came inside. Two days of rain before a revisit to the beds. Full of seedlings, weeds. A week later and her peat pots were growing fungi, pushing her expensive seeds out of the pot. Mine grew moss within a week of transplanting my stock. the compost was very fibrous, and looked more like bark chippings than compost. What's going on? When revisiting the garden centre at Homebase, many bags have been split with compost being dragged out of the bag, none even remotely resembled the compost of old. Is any manufacturer still making traditional compost, or is this a sign of things to come?
I had the same problem with growmore compost a couple of years ago and did compain and was told told to post the seedling to headoffice and I got the results back a couple of weeks later and was told the seedling were wheat.
This is all what was said and was not given a refund or anything else.
I woud have thought compost came under the Sale of Goods Act. It has to be fit for purpose. If it's not then not only should you get your money back, you should get recompense for consequential loss i.e. the cost of all the plants and seeds that have been ruined.
This is my first year with a greenhouse and I thought it better to use bought compost rather than my own to avoid unnecessary weed seeds etc. Used B&Q Verve and it was absolute rubbish. I watered my tomato plants in and the water just poured straight through and was immediately a dark brown colour - leached nutrients? I waited to see if it would soak back into the pots but no - it just sat there, the plants wilted and within 12 hours the water in the plant trays started to smell. I chucked it all out and replanted into Monty's recipe - I already had all of the ingredients! Result - beautiful healthy plants growing away ... Ta-daa.
B&Q Verve is not multi purpose at all - in fact it's only any use as an outside mulch, or as 20% of an outside soil improvement recipe. I have to confess to lurking near the stacks of it at my last visit to B&Q to mention this to potential buyers - but I didn't see any!
Would it not be more constructive if you took a sample (or the remains of the bag) back to the store and complained directly to the store manager? If nobody make a formal complaint nothing will be done about it.
I think you would be very lucky to get anything for consequential loss as the store cannot have knowledge of your gardening competence, but you should have your money back and a voucher. I did a couple of years ago.
Also mention that you use messageboards, as the companies don't like adverse publicity.
This is my first year with a greenhouse and I thought it better to use bought compost rather than my own to avoid unnecessary weed seeds etc. Used B&Q Verve and it was absolute rubbish. I watered my tomato plants in and the water just poured straight through and was immediately a dark brown colour - leached nutrients? I waited to see if it would soak back into the pots but no - it just sat there, the plants wilted and within 12 hours the water in the plant trays started to smell. I chucked it all out and replanted into Monty's recipe - I already had all of the ingredients! Result - beautiful healthy plants growing away ... Ta-daa.
B&Q Verve is not multi purpose at all - in fact it's only any use as an outside mulch, or as 20% of an outside soil improvement recipe. I have to confess to lurking near the stacks of it at my last visit to B&Q to mention this to potential buyers - but I didn't see any!
I am not sure that this compost is entirely at fault here Sue
You say it changed colour to dark brown when watered -well it does -that shows it has taken up water-you then say it ran straight through-so draining well- and stayed in trays-you are leaving plants standing in water?
That would account for wilting
You then assume that the colour change is nutrient leeching out -that is a big assumption
I am using verve it seems ok -others have have good experiences others not so.
Sometimes it is easy to say -oh it must be the compost -but are you perhaps not doing the right thing?
It could be a cultivation issue-not saying it is or isnt-but my experience is good
I'm using verve, it doesn't seem too bad. I find that whatever I use I get the old weed seedling coming up, I just pull them out. I always add slow release granules to pots, as well as sand and grit, or perlite, and if using it in the garden I always add bonemeal. Yes, there's the odd twig, and sometimes a scrap of plastic, but not enough to make me go back to the store.
That said, I'm going to get another compost bin, and I hope next year to start using more of my own home brew
Dovefromabove, my complaint was sent on to one of their technical experts who rang me at home to discuss the problems. You are quite correct to say the store manager was not an expert in compost; he didn't claim to be!
Also just wanted to add that so far i have been pleased with the verve compost. it is fibrous and twiggy, but i sieve it if planting seeds in propagation trays so this removes the wood.
I filled my raised bed with 15 bags of the 125L ones and everything ive planted has grown well with the exception of garlic, but that might be more down to planting times. i started garlic at the same time inside on a warm'ish window sill witht he same compost and they grew fine.
I have started buying compost from local GC;s but for large bulk in my planters and bed where i needed several bags its too expensive to use "the good stuff"
Posts
I had the same problem with growmore compost a couple of years ago and did compain and was told told to post the seedling to headoffice and I got the results back a couple of weeks later and was told the seedling were wheat.
This is all what was said and was not given a refund or anything else.
I woud have thought compost came under the Sale of Goods Act. It has to be fit for purpose. If it's not then not only should you get your money back, you should get recompense for consequential loss i.e. the cost of all the plants and seeds that have been ruined.
B&Q Verve is not multi purpose at all - in fact it's only any use as an outside mulch, or as 20% of an outside soil improvement recipe. I have to confess to lurking near the stacks of it at my last visit to B&Q to mention this to potential buyers - but I didn't see any!
Would it not be more constructive if you took a sample (or the remains of the bag) back to the store and complained directly to the store manager? If nobody make a formal complaint nothing will be done about it.
I think you would be very lucky to get anything for consequential loss as the store cannot have knowledge of your gardening competence, but you should have your money back and a voucher. I did a couple of years ago.
Also mention that you use messageboards, as the companies don't like adverse publicity.
Problem is, I think it's unlikely that the B&Q manager has any knowledge about compost - however I'd be very happy to be proved wrong.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I am not sure that this compost is entirely at fault here Sue
You say it changed colour to dark brown when watered -well it does -that shows it has taken up water-you then say it ran straight through-so draining well- and stayed in trays-you are leaving plants standing in water?
That would account for wilting
You then assume that the colour change is nutrient leeching out -that is a big assumption
I am using verve it seems ok -others have have good experiences others not so.
Sometimes it is easy to say -oh it must be the compost -but are you perhaps not doing the right thing?
It could be a cultivation issue-not saying it is or isnt
-but my experience is good
I'm using verve, it doesn't seem too bad. I find that whatever I use I get the old weed seedling coming up, I just pull them out. I always add slow release granules to pots, as well as sand and grit, or perlite, and if using it in the garden I always add bonemeal. Yes, there's the odd twig, and sometimes a scrap of plastic, but not enough to make me go back to the store.
That said, I'm going to get another compost bin, and I hope next year to start using more of my own home brew
Dovefromabove, my complaint was sent on to one of their technical experts who rang me at home to discuss the problems. You are quite correct to say the store manager was not an expert in compost; he didn't claim to be!
Have used Verve sucessfully this year with none of the problems mentioned.
Also just wanted to add that so far i have been pleased with the verve compost. it is fibrous and twiggy, but i sieve it if planting seeds in propagation trays so this removes the wood.
I filled my raised bed with 15 bags of the 125L ones and everything ive planted has grown well with the exception of garlic, but that might be more down to planting times. i started garlic at the same time inside on a warm'ish window sill witht he same compost and they grew fine.
I have started buying compost from local GC;s but for large bulk in my planters and bed where i needed several bags its too expensive to use "the good stuff"