Kitchen Garden Forum

I need to order another big tub of these, ' probably online, and wonder if any of you have any experience as to whether any brand is specifically superior to another in terms of price or composition. I'm not sure whether any other ingredients are added which might be beneficial or otherwise. Any advice ?

I would suggest the cost of delivery would be high, most garden centres near me are currently doing offers along the line of buy 2 and get one free(that's presuming you need that amount).

Maybe the chickens up your way have the runs

I don't use the pellets as found they don't always dissolve by end of season - in fact look exactly the same as when I put them in so questioned their effectiveness. Now I only buy 6X in a flakey form & a big bag lasts more than a season. I found the flakey stuff on Amazon as lottie shed & local garden centre only had the pellets. Flakey stuff weighs less as well! Just my opinion mind.

I hadn't thought about the flakey stuff but that's certainly an option. I wonder if some manufacturers pellets are harder than others because of the type of binding agent which has been used to "stick" the ingredients together. I've never noticed any undissolved pellets in my pots or tubs at the end of the season but will certainly keep a more vigilant eye out for them now you've mentioned it and I've just emptied my current big tub.

Since speaking to one of the gardeners at Wisley I am not a great lover or user of chicken pellets. The view at Wisley was chicken pellets promote top growth, so if using them with potatoes for instance you might well get an abundance of haulm at possible expense of tuber growth. That was exactly the experience I had encountered.

I found 6X fertiliser to be excellent, pricey but good.
The danger is that you use it like normal fertiliser when in fact you need far less of it
Price seems to vary considerably.
Last time I purchased some (a while back now) I found Mole Country Stores had the lowest price.

http://www.molecountrystores.co.uk/our-stores

There are of course alternative suppliers.

Thanks Pa, My mind is open to alternative options. To be honest, the pellets in a plastic tub have in the past seemed to be the easiest option where I can just grab a handful and scatter (Yes, I know, not terribly scientific ) but obviously for general vegetable growing it's the "edible bits" where I want to encourage growth, not the future compostable parts, so may consider an alternative option.

I've also noticed pellets failing to dissolve, even after a few months in the winter. I have an old watering can which I now put handfuls of pellets into and leave to soak for a few days. Even that doesn't fully dissolve them, but it provides some nice "manury water" to join them on the patch!

The only chicken pellets I've bought and used has been from wilkies they always disolved

I don't understand some of this discussion.
Remember Growmore is regarded as balanced fertiliser with N:P:K at 7 : 7 : 7
6X Manure is quoted as 5.8 : 3.5 : 3 correct that to N=7 and you get 7 : 4.2 : 3.6 so much higher in Nitrogen than P or K.
Typical chicken pellet analysis 4 : 3 : 2.5 again correct to N=7 and you get 7 : 7.4 : 4.4 so lower than 6X in Nitogen and better for Phosphate.
I think the best organic fertiliser is Fish, Blood and Bone. Typically 5 : 5 : 6.5 again correct to N=7 you get 7 : 7 : 9.5 so rich in Potash so considering high Potash tomato feeds are often suggested for vegetables it looks good.

FBB, probably one of the most versatile all rounders, good for fruit bushes and trees & strawberries.

Available in same physical size tubs as Growmore & Chicken Pellets>

Just seen some 6X fibrous at £9.99

I prefer BFB to be honest, more balanced.

I used to buy 6X from Marshalls but they sell Organic extra now instead which looks and smells the same as the 6X. It also contains seaweed and other trace elements. I've tried to find out the NPK but can't, I think because it's a bit too variable to state specific numbers on the bag. The plants like it and it's a lot easier to handle than tons of manure. Marshalls also usually do an offer where you get a second bag half price. If you don't need it by the sack full they also have very large tubs.

We had a discussion down the plot yesterday ,earlier in the year the council tipped a lot of manure just outside the plot it came from the kiddies corner in a local park after they cleared all the animals out and closed it down ( due to cost) I was one of a number of us that spread some on the plot it was well rotted so I put it straight on the spud patch, it's the best year for potatoes I've ever had but the weeds are unbelievable I've got everything from nettles to poppies I've now decided that's the last manure I will be using from now it's fertilizer and chicken muck and I'm hoping seaweed

I too have been invaded by "weeds" from manure, but also in bagged MPC as well, my troughs(window boxes) in the green house with strawberries in have grass and weeds growing in them too.