Bought some Focus growbags back in May for tomatoes and the crop was
really disappointing. The first lot of tomatoes near the bottom of
the plants were okay, but on top were lots of small tomatoes, most of
them splitting open. I remember one grow bag had a chemical smell
coming from it like creosote. I don't know what Focus are putting in
their growbags but I'll not be buying them again.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Bought some Focus growbags back in May for tomatoes and the crop was
really disappointing. The first lot of tomatoes near the bottom of
the plants were okay, but on top were lots of small tomatoes, most of
them splitting open. I remember one grow bag had a chemical smell
coming from it like creosote. I don't know what Focus are putting in
their growbags but I'll not be buying them again.

So you're out of focus! ..... sorry

On Thu, 06 Sep 2007 08:53:18 -0700, wrote:

Bought some Focus growbags back in May for tomatoes and the crop was
really disappointing. The first lot of tomatoes near the bottom of
the plants were okay, but on top were lots of small tomatoes, most of
them splitting open. I remember one grow bag had a chemical smell
coming from it like creosote. I don't know what Focus are putting in
their growbags but I'll not be buying them again.

You should write their head office a nice letter explaining the
circumstances and saying how disappointed you are. They perhaps should
also have a sample of the contents to examine.
--
http://www.orderonlinepickupinstore.co.uk
Ah fetch it yourself if you can't wait for delivery
http://www.freedeliveryuk.co.uk
Or get it delivered for free

On 6 Sep, 16:53, wrote:
Bought some Focus growbags back in May for tomatoes and the crop was
really disappointing. The first lot of tomatoes near the bottom of
the plants were okay, but on top were lots of small tomatoes, most of
them splitting open. I remember one grow bag had a chemical smell
coming from it like creosote. I don't know what Focus are putting in
their growbags but I'll not be buying them again.

I just wonder
1. Did you punch holes in the bottom of the growbag and have it in a
position that water could drain out so as to prevent over watering?
2. Did you use a tomato feed when you watered the plants?
3. Did you let the growbags dry out often? (Split fruit are normally
caused by insufficient watering, causing the skin to start to ripen,
being followed by heavy watering, causing the inside of the tomato to
start to grow again, this spliting the skin to get more growing room.)
4. I just wonder if the smell you have is from waterloged (Stagnant )
compost caused by water being trapped in the growbag.

Growing a good crop of tomatoes in a growbag is not just a case of
plonk them in and chuck some water on occasionally.
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

wrote in message
ups.com...
Bought some Focus growbags back in May for tomatoes and the crop was
really disappointing. The first lot of tomatoes near the bottom of
the plants were okay, but on top were lots of small tomatoes, most of
them splitting open. I remember one grow bag had a chemical smell
coming from it like creosote. I don't know what Focus are putting in
their growbags but I'll not be buying them again.


I found that the growbags, and compost are made with part peat and part
recycled garden waste as recovered from green bins each fortnight, this is
more ECO friendly, but like peat substitute compost is not as good as peat
only, however, peat is not a fully renewable resource.
I have also found that cheaper growbags, such that supplied to, and under
the badge of Focus are not as weed free, very often find that weeds come up
quicker than the plants put in them.

regardss
Cineman