Heres some pics of how Westlands soil bought from Homebase produces excellent growth and healthy plants.

I have no idea what this is, only that ever since Westlands started making that West+ garbage that i have been getting these kind of problems.

Does anyone know out of interest what would cause something like this?

I have binned the worst affected plants and given everything left a heavy application of Essence. These plants are only being watered (wet dry cycle) and the only thing added to them is Root Grow on every potting up.

This is going to be my last time in compost, i cannot bear to see this kind of suffering anymore and i find store bought compost is much like playing a game of Russian Roulette these days in my experience this last couple of years.

I never thought i would change over to hydro but as soon as this run is done in the new year i am swapping over to coco.

And another...

And one more for the gore enthusiasts....

I had more problems with Westlands than i've ever had with anything else!

They changed their formula a while back and it hasn't been the same since

I tried that westlands + and it is shit sorry to say. I could not figure out what was wrong, I fed them incase it was under feeding, I then flushed them incase it was over fert.

I then thought it was off gasing and re painted my grow room. I ended out just getting rid the west + and bought levvingtons or J innes I also stopped buying it from homebase or B&Q as they leave the bags outside where the nutes can get flushed out in the rain and fungus gnats can get into it.
I now buy my soil from a garden centre which keeps the soil stored indoors.

Hello mate:

Cant help you diagnose the problem here,It dont look good tho mate hopefully someone can help soon.

What I can say tho Savage + Coco =

Roll on the new year fella..

p&q

i bought john arthur bowers + JI instead because they had run out of westerlands and i got aload of free fungus knatts with it

cant win

e2a: thought i would just add that apart from the knatts JAB+JI is serving me well

Savage mate,

I had exactly the same with the Westlands compost I think it's shite, I have tried to slag it off in the past but lots of folks seem to love it. If I were you repot your plants ASAP the rootball does nothing in that stuff.

I have gone back to cheap and cheerfull peat based MP and vermiculite seems to suite me and the plants.

JOM

Tried germing my seeds in it....the few that did sprout are all stunted....it appears by all accounts to be pretty sh*te....not even cheap....how do they get away with it...

Is it any good for more mature plants when potting up etc?

i love westlands+, but i have noticed you have to use there "multicompost" all the otheres like pete free etc are rubbish.

I feel for you Savage, have exactly the same prob going on here with the Westlands, although my mums are doing great after 4 or 5 applications of essence.

I must be the only person who gets good bags of this stuff. +advanced is the one I always go for. Big sun flower type thing on the front. Never tried their multipurpose one

I've grown plants from seed to bud with this stuff. Always does me good. Although it took me a grow or two to figure out how to use it. It ain't like the old compost I used to use.

Used to get leaf problems with Westlands Advanced until I started mixing in loam and rockdust, with those additions it seems like a near perfect medium

I add loam to my WMP+JI and I get alright results. I was asked what I would like for Crimbo from Mrs C the other day, I said, Rockdust please!!

I have had a bad bag or two, but I can usually tell by the smell when I open it, it looks iffy too.

Hi Blayz'd,

Is the West you use the same as the one in the pic I posted in the following link....just wondering if it can be used for potting up later in grow as I have a few bags of the stuff?


http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?show...98957&st=30

Cheers

KDD

I've finally got around to buying another bag, and so far they seem ok (been in it a couple of weeks). The last bag i used resulted in plants similiar to the OP's picture, if not worse. Have no idea why either

Yo KDD. The stuff I use is different to that mate. That's multipurpose. I use +advanced. Must've gone through at least 10-15 bags of it now without a dogey one. I've cracked seeds in it, potted up into it. Used it without the addition of loam... which does help plenty... and the only problems I've had were when I first started using it. The stuff was turning to stone on me. I've heard the same story from various sources, many from people who I believe to be good growers too. I think it's just a strange medium to use compared to the rest. What I know is my plants have thrived on it. When I pot up thyey literally explode with new growth compared to the multipurpose composts. Like the B&Q one and similar. Never compared it against any of the well known composts, like plagron and stuff. As soon as I learned how to keep it at the consistency of spongecake it did me well every time.

No clue what that is KC. I can't remember ever having that. Sounds like there was probably some nasties in it or maybe it was old stock. I also think it depends how and where it has been stored. Where I get mine they're stored on pallets outdoors. They don't rip all the wrapping off the pallet either. You rip the wrapping off the top part of the pallet and take the top bag, leaving the rest wrapped in celophane type stuff. So maybe it's how they store it where you get it from. Not quite sure bro. Would need to know exactly what the cause of the damage to the plant to figure it out I guess. Never had a problem like that with it. My problems were self created