John Innes No3 Compost 99p for 20L

[21again]

Perhaps those in the know could say whether this is worth buying or not.

Vitax John Innes No3 Compost 20L Bag (Contains Q4) 99p @ Home Bargains - Instore - Hot UK Deals

[rustylady]

I personally would never buy John Innes compost again, whatever the price.

[21again]

Why is that Rustylady?

I haven't got a clue about compost.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I mix john innes 3 with gp compost for my onions and leeks

[rustylady]

Why is that Rustylady?

I haven't got a clue about compost.

I find it very heavy and hard to keep evenly moist. Having said that I believe it does have it's uses, especially for things like fruit bushes and trees grown in large pots. By the way JI no 3 is no good for sowing seeds in, it has too much fertiliser.

[Bane]

I find it very heavy and hard to keep evenly moist.

All depends which brand you buy though, anyone can use the John Innes formula. John Bowers is awful, full of glass too, in my opinion. Westlands has always been fantastic for me, and I must have bought tons through the years.

[Brom]

I bought some a couple of months ago because it was cheap, about £1.50 a bag if I remember correctly.
In my limited experience, after a couple of watering's it seems to 'set' quite hard, and as Rustylady says it's hard to keep moist. I've used what's left by digging it into some poor ground where I've planted Blackcurrant and Gooseberry bushes, they seem to be doing well on it so maybe it does have its uses after all.
Perhaps, as Bane says, 'All depends on the brand you buy...' I don't know, anyway, like Rustylady, I wont be buying it again, whatever the price.

[Bane]

I bought some a couple of months ago because it was cheap, about £1.50 a bag if I remember correctly.
In my limited experience, after a couple of watering's it seems to 'set' quite hard, and as Rustylady says it's hard to keep moist.

This sounds exactly like the peat free compost I sometimes buy, the New Horizon multipurpose, sets like concrete! I use it to mix with other soil. Never had John Innes 3 set at all though, Westland's version is the best long term container material I've found by far.