Wickes MPC.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I know that many people on here myself included used to use Wickes MPC. This year however the standard was awful, make that dreadful.

Today I was in my local branch and chatting to the manageress. She confirmed they had, had many complaints and that the sales had dropped through the floor. She also told me that head office were aware and had changed the formulation back to the original and that this would appear as soon as present stocks have been sold.

Good point Wickes are going to do something about the problem, probably prompted by the lack of sales more than the complaints received.

Bad point they are continuing to sell a product they know to be inferior to an unsuspecting public.

Buyer Beware.

Colin

[dominic10]

Has anyone tried using the Homebase Plus MPC - dire.

[chris]

I had a bad set of sacks last year, so haven't bought any since from there - I probably should have taken it back but I couldn't be bothered

I'm trying desperately to drop my compost buying down - I do spend a lot of money on it each year. This autumn I'm going to make a massive effort to collect leaves, and this year so far I've been turning my compost monthly to speed it up a bit.

[Pa Snips]

Not used either of those and most definitely won't now.

I use Strawberry Planter grow-bags from B&Q...15kg for £2.00 they're basically bags of very good quality compost and well priced too. Nearly about everything I've sown is growing in that stuff and everything seems to be growing well, so - whilst this is a thread about compost to avoid, I thought it might also be good to 'big up' a product worth buying.

Strangely I cannot find them on B&Q's website.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Chris I have had to buy more than I would like this year. My compostors seem slow compared to other years, so far I have put that down to the cold April.

Colin

[chris]

Indeed. So far, this year I totted up the amount of money I'd spent on compost (emptied wallet of receipts, and it was in triple figures).

Horrified to be honest, so hence the mad drive to re-use/make as much growing medium as possible

I've even started nipping out before the neighbour mows a bit of land we share at the front of our houses and mowing it, and her front lawn, and my next door but ones front lawn (albeit small areas) for the extra grass clippings

[VirginVegGrower]

I had a bad set of sacks last year, so haven't bought any since from there - I probably should have taken it back but I couldn't be bothered

I'm trying desperately to drop my compost buying down - I do spend a lot of money on it each year. This autumn I'm going to make a massive effort to collect leaves, and this year so far I've been turning my compost monthly to speed it up a bit.

I gather up the leaves Chris but they still take an age to rot down.

[Pa Snips]

Strimmer + large container = leaf blender

If I had enough brown to mix with the green, and somewhere for lots of compost bins, I could easily start over 50kg of compost per day, that's the benefit of mowing other peoples' lawns all day every day. Leaves are equally easy to obtain in the autumn months, but I'll be collecting a lot more this year...five bin-liners full wasn't really enough.

[chris]

Yah, planning for next year really. Going to mow them, and mix with grass clippings !

[solway cropper]

Strimmer + large container = leaf blender

If I had enough brown to mix with the green, and somewhere for lots of compost bins, I could easily start over 50kg of compost per day, that's the benefit of mowing other peoples' lawns all day every day. Leaves are equally easy to obtain in the autumn months, but I'll be collecting a lot more this year...five bin-liners full wasn't really enough.

Can you not get hold of cardboard packaging to tear up and add to the grass clippings?

I mix a lot of cardboard with my compost and get a really useful product after a year

[chris]

My new work gets through about 30 toner cartridge boxes a day (large boxes - large printers, stupidly over-packaged)and weekly stationary box orders - crazy.

I've started stockpiling it in my garage

[Pa Snips]

Can you not get hold of cardboard packaging to tear up and add to the grass clippings?

I mix a lot of cardboard with my compost and get a really useful product after a year

I'm sure I could. How finely to you have to shred it?

[CaroltheCarrot]

Dobbies own mpc was really bad this year

[Florence Fennel]

The Wickes stuff is indeed dreadful. I've bought it for years, but they've really changed the whole composition to include some miracle wood that doesn't work, it just compacts. I've had to repot tomatoes because the root growth was restricted, same with chillies. I complained of course and have not bought any more. The B & Q Verve is decent, although I know I buy too much of it and should make a concerted effort to make more. Trouble is, my daleks don't seem to have rotted down very much at all this year and I can't tip them out until September when I have some space.

[chris]

I just lift the tops off mine, scopp the lot into trugs (normally takes about 10 or so), put the dalek back, and chuck the compost back in, in a random order