Tomato Grow bags

[Smurfy]

Year before last, we bought several bag of general purpose compost from B & Q and it was dreadful stuff. Nothing thrived in it and little survived. Healthy seedlings transplanted into it turned yellow and wilted within a very short time and we had to re-sow everything. Needless to say, we haven't bought it again. We might have known though as there was alot of twigs and stuff not completely rotted down in it....even shredded plastic!!

I had exactly the same problem - i bought 4 big bags of compost from B and Q used most of it for seedlings (which all died) and had a half bag left, when i went back to the half bag a few days later it had all rotted and gone white and horrible. I took the half bag back to B and Q and got a full refund on the 4 bags plus a packet of tomato seeds as a good will gesture - i would deifnately recommend going back to focus and asking for a refund it doesn't get you your plants back but does take away some of the bad taste.

[brumbly]

Thanks everyone for your replies. We've been away for a few days, so before leaving I gave the increasingly sick looking tomatoes a feed of tomato food + a general purpose food. Thinking I would return home to dead plants, I was very suprised to see they had all perked up. Sort of kill or cure- fortunately the latter in this instance. Next year I'll avoid growbags and use my own mix.
Incidentally I was told by Scotts that the white powdery coating is mycellium ( not too sure of spelling) , and that it is harmless. I wonder??

[FelixLeiter]

Incidentally I was told by Scotts that the white powdery coating is mycellium ( not too sure of spelling) , and that it is harmless. I wonder??

Yes it's harmless, but it also indicates that the ingredients have not been fully composted and are continuing to decompose. I don't think the problem is that it's old stock, but that it's a bit too fresh and "long".

It's a particular hobby-horse of mine that growbags are never any good. They were originally developed for commercial growers, where the plants are constantly drip-fed with precisely measured levels of nutrients and water. This is not so easily achieved by the amateur gardener. Buy some nice big tubs — they'll last a lifetime — and use a good potting compost in those, or make your own. A pot's easier to water than a bag, too.