CompareTheCompost.com

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Home Bargains Smart Garden ECO Block 50L £1.79 3.58p/lt*

1) ..... The Product........

2) ..........Unsieved.........

3) ........Sieved............

4) .........Left overs.........

* 3.58p Note: This is not MPC it is a dried compressed block composed of coco coir, it requires rehydrating

Rehydrates to a soft consistency, hardly any debris - just a few husk fibres that would not pass through the sieve. The 15 mins hydration time is nonsense - it took much longer. A few pointy fine fibres, gloves are a good idea.

[Being subjective, I have concerns about the nutrient content of the product and will likely mix it with something else. I really like the consistency of it.]

[Bigmallly]

That's interesting David, it does state on the pack that after rehydration you are left with 50lts of Potting Compost..............Hmm, may have a look at that.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Yup, they do a 10L block @ 69p - not such great value. Or the 50L @ £1.79p which is 2 x 25L blocks. Takes 15L of water to rehydrate. I am a little sceptical of the claim of 50L, but first impressions are that it represents good value for money. It reminds me very much of some posh Levington branded 'water retaining' compost I had a few years back (it was very good but a bit rich for my pockets).

Pros are obvious, I did not put my back out lugging it to and from the car and my wallet felt ok.

[Yasai]

I use MPC for everything too. I've noticed that there's a difference between the 25L and 35L L1dl compost; the former being more gritty... or sandy or something. Anyway, I wasted a lot of seeds by sowing in it only to have nothing germinate. Haven't had that problem with the larger size bag even though -going on the packaging- they're supposed to be the same thing. Ho hum. This was last year so, who knows, this year may be different.

[Penellype]

I think years, and even batches are very different. I haven't bought any compost yet this year as I am using up the last bag of Westland MPC that I bought last year. I'll do that one when I buy some, if nobody else doees it first.

[Greenleaves]

Happy to give Jacks Magic a bash

[Bigmallly]

Cheers GL..............

[Jungle Jane]

50L @ £1.79p which is 2 x 25L blocks.

I got some of this Eco block too & googling into it,im a bit worried because I read this ; Coco products sold in garden stores and hardware outlets often as inexpensive compressed bricks of `garden mulch’ are not usually suitable for soilless growers – these types of coco are typically high in sodium (an unwanted element), high in total salt content, often have not been fully decomposed, and hence have a high nitrogen draw down which can result in nitrogen deficiency even when the full strength nutrient solution is applied. Inferior coco products are also not `buffered’, `conditioned’ or `pre-treated’ to stabilise the potassium levels and boost calcium which is required to offset the tendency of coco to retain calcium. They may also contain weed seeds and pathogens. So,i don't know what to use it for now,or maybe there is a cheap coco nutrient buffer product out there? I think the other composts would be a better choice

[Jungle Jane]

It also says this 'However while there are excellent brands of coco on the market, there are also still poor quality supplies still being sold as a growing medium and growers need to select and only use a reputable brand, preferably one which has an accompanying `coco nutrient’ formulation.'
The pack I got from homebargins doesn't say anything about nutrients on the front so it's unfortunately not excellent.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

I did read that about the sodium content of some coir products. I'll double check the provenance of this particular offering and report back. My initial checks suggest that it hails from Sri Lanka and is washed before compression (thus removing the excess salts).

I'll see if I can find out more.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

J Arthur Bower's Growbag 33L? £2 from 6p/lt*

1) ..... The Product........

2) ..........Unsieved.........

3) ........Sieved............

4) .........Left overs.........

* Price at Wyevale Feb 2015 (multi buy), 7.5p/lt singly.

Soft consistency, some twigs, bark and mossy fibres. Not much left after sieving. No stones or other noticeable debris.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Lidl Grandiol MPC 35L £1.89 5.4p/lt

1) ..... The Product........

2) ..........Unsieved.........

3) ........Sieved............

4) .........Left overs.........

* Contains peat.

Soft, springy consistency, some small twigs and compressed nuggets of peat. No other noticeable debris.

[Bigmallly]

Thanks David.

[alldigging]

Buy Revive

This stuff is made from recycling stuff. Not tried it.

[Hazel at the Hill]

I love this thread - such a useful resource! Well done BM for starting it off!