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Post by Juliet on Feb 14, 2008 20:49:08 GMT
Anyone know where I can get a really small tub of organic chicken pellets or advise me what plant food I could use for my roses & clems instead? - bearing in mind that it must be organic, easy to use, and not something I need to mix with water or water in because garden's already soggy & I don't want it to turn into a bog. Oh - it needs to be something which wouldn't harm any other plants too, so not too high in any one thing, because all my borders are mixed. I normally just bung a trowelful of chicken pellets at the base of each rose & clem in Feb, but I ran out last year and don't want to buy a enormous tub (smallest I've found in GCs is 7.5 kg, & I can't even lift that  !) and have to move house with most of it! |
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Post by Biggles on Feb 14, 2008 21:29:46 GMT
Juliet, Have you a Wilco or simlar shop near where you live? Chicken Pellets are sold in handy sized boxes which are not very heavy and are a handy size to 'carry' around.. Wilco-(Wilkinsons) have a web-site so you can browse and see what they have on offer.  ---£3.99p per box I am sure there must be other type of 'handyman's' stores which sell something similar. I have never managed to see them for sale (in this size) at the GC. It would be worth looking at these stores in the Gardening section. |
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Post by Juliet on Feb 14, 2008 23:13:19 GMT
Thanks Biggles - sadly we've no Wilco here  but we occasionally go to the one in Ely so that might be possible - not sure whether I can persuade R it's worth a special trip though! I'm also not sure they're likely to sell organic pellets (from organically farmed chickens that is, obviously all manure is organic in the old meaning of the word!), but it's certainly worth a look if we're there. |
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Post by Chuckles on Feb 15, 2008 7:33:46 GMT
Everyone has a Wilkinson Plus online  "A natural organic plant food with a quick nutrient release; ideal for feeding all types of plants around the garden.Wilko Poultry Manure Pellets 4kg £2.49 or buy 2 for £4" www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/0223723 |
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Post by Weeterrier on Feb 15, 2008 9:38:20 GMT
This is something that I wonder about. Do you think that they make chicken pellets from what lies on the floor of the barns they keep battery hens in? That production method of rearing chicks really upsets me, so I would be encouraging it if I were to buy a by-product.
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Post by Chuckles on Feb 15, 2008 11:44:06 GMT
Mmmmm I guess you have a piont there Wee and it would be something you would need to contact them and ask about. There is a contact us on the site.
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Post by Amo on Feb 15, 2008 12:08:28 GMT
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Post by Juliet on Feb 15, 2008 13:26:36 GMT
Do you think that they make chicken pellets from what lies on the floor of the barns they keep battery hens in? Quite possibly - that's what I meant when I said I'm also not sure they're likely to sell organic pellets (from organically farmed chickens that is, obviously all manure is organic in the old meaning of the word!) I notice that while both the Wilko & Westland pellets say they are organic, neither of them seem to have a certification symbol (eg from Soil Association) to say they are suitable for use in organic gardening, so I suspect they may just be craftily using the word organic in its original meaning and hoping most people won't realise that the pellets are from battery hens. I could be wrong of course - there might be a symbol round the back which we can't see in the online pictures. I might order something from Organic Gardening catalogue, just to be on the safe side, but no idea what to get instead of chicken pellets, and of course it's all a heck of a lot more expensive so I don't want to get it wrong. |
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Post by Weeterrier on Feb 17, 2008 23:03:16 GMT
Thanks Amo, that is the one I buy usually. There is always blood fish and bone, bonemeal etc., |
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Post by Juliet on Feb 17, 2008 23:12:20 GMT
Well, as it happened R suggested going into Ely today so I was able to look at the stuff in Wilkos. As I suspected, they seem to be using the word "organic" just to mean it's all chicken poo, with no added chemicals. It doesn't have any organic certification, and it doesn't have anything on it (which some of the other organic stuff has) to say it conforms to the legal requirements for use in organic farming/gardening. So it is almost certainly from non-organic chickens  Can I just use bonemeal to feed things like clems and roses then, without damaging any of my other plants? I normally only use it when I'm planting & there's nothing already in the hole. But I already have some organic bonemeal so if I can just use that it would be really handy  |
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Post by Spruance on Feb 17, 2008 23:35:23 GMT
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Post by Amo on Feb 18, 2008 8:42:00 GMT
She did say she was a little worried about the price there Sprue.
Is there anyway that Westland and the like can be questioned about their use of the word Organic? Poo is the end product of what is put in. If it's not good stuff going in, which it wouldn't be for battery hens, it's not organic comming out, is it? Surley the Soil Association or someone could investigate?
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Post by Juliet on Feb 18, 2008 13:20:53 GMT
Hi Spru, I buy from Organic gardening catalogue a lot - they're definitely genuine: they're the HDRA's own shop! However, their only chicken pellets (with added seaweed) come in a 25 kg pack, and the reason I didn't get the GC's chicken pellets is because I want something smaller than 7.5 kg! And I just don't know enough about feeding plants (clems and roses are the only things I have which need feeding, & I usually do it once a year, with chicken pellets) to know what else to get - while I don't mind paying for the right thing, they are expensive and I don't want to waste money on the wrong thing. Amo, yes I think it's worth contacting the Soil Association - I don't know what the Westland stuff says on the tub - it may be OK - but the Wilko packet definitely didn't mention any certification or anything like that. I'll try to get round to emailing them (not very good at getting round to things unconnected with moving at the moment  ) - they might be able to tell me what products they have certified too! |
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!) and have to move house with most of it!
but we occasionally go to the one in Ely so that might be possible - not sure whether I can persuade R it's worth a special trip though! I'm also not sure they're likely to sell organic pellets (from organically farmed chickens that is, obviously all manure is organic in the old meaning of the word!), but it's certainly worth a look if we're there.
) - they might be able to tell me what products they have certified too!