Westland Jack's Magic All Purpose Compost, 50L
Pallet delivery · cost shown at checkout
Unopened, you can return it within 14 days of delivery.
Delivery
Someone needs to be in to receive it, with a safe, accessible place to leave it.
14 days — unopened returns
Soil, compost and mulch
Quick specifications
In detail
Using it
Specifications
Further reading
What good soil doesfor topiary.
Six things this family does for topiary, in pots and in the ground.
N° 01
A better planting hole
For planting into the ground, compost is mixed with the soil you took from the hole and backfilled around the root ball. Jack's Magic adds seaweed and the West+2 formula for moisture; the Multi-Purpose Compost with John Innes adds loam. Plant in March–April or from September to mid-October.
N° 02
The honest compost line
For topiary that will live in its pot for years, the care guides recommend loam-based John Innes No. 3, and this range doesn't stock it. Multi-Purpose Compost with John Innes is not No. 3. The multi-purpose composts here suit the ground, beds and borders, and shorter-term pots.
N° 03
Mulch that holds moisture
Westland Landscape Bark, in 30–50mm chips, suppresses weeds, holds moisture in the soil and protects roots. Spread it 5cm deep and keep it 10cm clear of the stems.
N° 04
Tired ground, improved
Farmyard manure opens up heavy clay and helps light soil hold moisture; mix it into the soil from the hole. Top soil, a screened sandy clay loam, builds new and raised beds and fills hollows, mixed with compost.
N° 05
A fresh top each spring
In a pot, the compost sits 3–5cm below the rim, and each spring the top 5–8cm is replaced with fresh. In the loam-based John Innes No. 3 the care guides recommend, repotting comes every 5–10 years (yew 10–15); in the multi-purpose composts here, expect every 2–3 years. Either way, repot in March–April only.
N° 06
The right mix for the plant
Ericaceous Planting & Potting Mix is for acid-loving plants such as camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas. Choose it by what the plant needs, not by the shape it is clipped to.
Choose the bagor the pallet, then plant.
How the right amount reaches the right place.
01
Choose the size
A single bag suits a planting hole or a few pots. For a border, a new bed or a run of shorter-term pots, the bulk pallets come as a quarter, half or full pallet, and the two mixed pallets put more than one product on a single order.
Half pallets are priced 3% below buying the same bags one by one, and full pallets 5% below; a quarter pallet costs the same as its bags bought singly. Kits are priced 5% below buying the items separately.
02
How it travels
Every bag, pallet and kit in this family travels by pallet. Pallet delivery · cost shown at checkout. Someone needs to be in to receive it, with a safe, accessible place to leave it.
Unopened, you can return it within 14 days of delivery. Delivery and returns.
03
When and how to use it
Plant in March–April or from September to mid-October. In the ground, mix compost with the soil from the hole, backfill, firm and water in, then mulch 5cm deep, kept 10cm clear of the stems.
Rootgrow goes onto the roots at planting. The first feed waits until 6–8 weeks after planting, and an autumn planting waits for spring.
Questions about any step → answered below.
Below the roots,around them, on top.
Three jobs. One pinned frame. Scroll.
Planting into the ground
Compost does its first job underground. Mix Jack's Magic All Purpose Compost or the Multi-Purpose Compost with John Innes into the soil you took out of the hole, backfill around the root ball, firm it gently and water it in. On heavy clay or thin, sandy ground, farmyard manure goes into the same mix: it opens up clay and helps light soil hold moisture.
Rootgrow goes onto the roots as you plant; the NPK feed in the kits waits until six to eight weeks after planting. Plant in March–April or from September to mid-October.
The method, step by step: planting into the ground.
Pots and top-dressing
For a topiary that will live in its pot for years, the care guides recommend loam-based John Innes No. 3, which this range doesn't stock. The multi-purpose composts here suit shorter-term potting; in them, expect to repot every 2–3 years.
Whatever the compost, fill the pot with it all the way down, with no layer of stones underneath, and keep the surface 3–5cm below the rim. Each spring, take out the top 5–8cm and replace it with fresh compost.
More in the container care guide and on planting into a pot.
Mulching beds and borders
Westland Landscape Bark is cut in 30–50mm chips that suppress weeds, hold moisture in the soil and protect roots. Clear the weeds, water the soil, then spread the bark 5cm deep and keep it 10cm clear of the stems.
At that depth a 100L bag covers about 2 square metres, and a full pallet of 30 bags about 60. For an entrance border, the Entrance Mulch & Feed Kit brings two 100L bags of bark and an NPK feed.
Planting a border to mulch? See border plants by the metre.
From the planting holeto the spring top-up.
Pick the window
Plant topiary in March–April or from September to mid-October. Repotting is a spring job only: March–April.
Mar–Apr · Sep–mid-Oct
Mix compost into the dug soil
For planting into the ground, mix compost with the soil you took from the hole and backfill around the root ball. On heavy clay or thin, sandy soil, mix in farmyard manure as well.
Compost + the soil from the hole
Roots first, feed later
Rootgrow goes directly onto the roots at planting; it isn't a feed, so it can go on when feed must not. The first feed waits until 6–8 weeks after planting, and an autumn planting waits for spring.
First feed at 6–8 weeks
Firm, water, stake if needed
Firm the soil gently and water it in. New plants need consistent watering for their first 18–24 months. Establishment stakes come out after 12–18 months, once the roots anchor; lollipop standards keep a permanent support stake, with ties kept loose.
18–24 months of steady watering
Mulch, clear of the stems
Over moist, weeded soil, spread bark 5cm deep and keep it 10cm clear of the stems. It holds moisture in and keeps weeds down.
5cm deep · 10cm clear
Pots: compost all the way down
Fill the pot with the same compost from the base up, with no layer of stones or rubble underneath; the drainage holes do the work. Keep the surface 3–5cm below the rim.
3–5cm below the rim
Top-dress each spring
Each spring, take out the top 5–8cm of compost and replace it with fresh, keeping the surface 3–5cm below the rim.
Top 5–8cm · every spring
Repot when it's due
For a plant that will stay in its pot for years, the care guides recommend John Innes No. 3, which this range doesn't stock; in it, repot every 5–10 years (yew 10–15), led by the signs. In the multi-purpose composts here, expect every 2–3 years. Either way, repot only in March–April.
Led by the signs · Mar–Apr
Drag · Scroll
The full methods: the planting guide and the container care guide.
Compost, soil and bark,by bag, pallet or kit.
A bag for a hole, a pallet for a border, a kit for the whole planting. Each price is on its own page.
N° 01
Westland Jack's Magic All Purpose Compost, 50L
Seaweed-enriched compost for planting out, beds and containers.
See the price →
N° 02
Westland Multi-Purpose Compost with John Innes, 50L
Peat-reduced multi-purpose compost with loam, for potting and planting.
See the price →
N° 03
Westland The Gardener's Multi-Purpose Compost, 46L
Fine, peat-based compost with nutrients for four to five weeks.
See the price →
N° 04
Westland Ericaceous Planting & Potting Mix, 50L
For acid-loving plants: camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas.
See the price →
N° 05
Westland Farmyard Manure, 50L
Composted soil conditioner for heavy clay and thin, sandy ground.
See the price →
N° 06
Westland Top Soil Big Value Pack, 30L
Screened sandy clay loam for new beds, raised beds and hollows.
See the price →
N° 07
Westland Landscape Bark, 100L
30–50mm chips to mulch beds and borders, 5cm deep.
See the price →
N° 08
Jack's Magic Compost Bulk Pallet Deals
Jack's Magic by the quarter, half or full pallet: 12, 25 or 50 bags.
See the price →
N° 09
John Innes Compost Bulk Pallet Deals
Multi-Purpose Compost with John Innes by the pallet: 12, 25 or 50 bags.
See the price →
N° 10
Landscape Bark Bulk Pallet Deals
Landscape bark by the pallet: 8, 15 or 30 bags of 100L.
See the price →
N° 11
Mixed Planting & Finishing Pallet
Jack's Magic compost and landscape bark on a mixed pallet.
See the price →
N° 12
Mixed Soil Improvement & Mulching Pallet
Farmyard manure, top soil and landscape bark on a mixed pallet.
See the price →
N° 13
Complete Topiary Planting Kit
Two composts, bark, Rootgrow and NPK feed, for planting and mulching.
See the price →
N° 14
Soil Revival Pack
Manure, top soil and NPK feed for tired, thin or poor soil.
See the price →
N° 15
Entrance Mulch & Feed Kit
Two bags of landscape bark and NPK feed for an entrance border.
See the price →
N° 16
Topiary Potting Starter
Jack's Magic compost, Rootgrow and NPK feed, for shorter-term pots.
See the price →
N° 17
Twin Topiary Potting Kit
Two bags of multi-purpose with John Innes, Rootgrow and NPK feed, for shorter-term pots.
See the price →
Everything in this family travels by pallet. See all plant care & garden supplies.
Compost 3–5cm below the rim · the top 5–8cm renewed each spring
Good ground.Straight answers.
Which compost here suits planting into the ground?
Westland Jack's Magic All Purpose Compost or the Multi-Purpose Compost with John Innes. Mix it with the soil you took from the hole, backfill around the root ball and water in. Plant in March–April or from September to mid-October.
How many bags come on a quarter, half or full pallet?
It depends on the pallet. The two compost pallets, Jack's Magic and Multi-Purpose Compost with John Innes, hold 12, 25 or 50 bags of 50L (600, 1,250 or 2,500 litres). The Landscape Bark pallet holds 8, 15 or 30 bags of 100L (800, 1,500 or 3,000 litres). The Mixed Planting & Finishing Pallet holds 8, 16 or 32 bags, and the Mixed Soil Improvement & Mulching Pallet 13, 26 or 52 bags. Half pallets are priced 3% below buying the same bags one by one, and full pallets 5% below.
How much bark do I need to mulch around topiary?
Spread it 5cm deep and keep it 10cm clear of the stems. At that depth a 100L bag of Westland Landscape Bark covers about 2 square metres, and a full pallet of 30 bags about 60.
What's the difference between the two mixed pallets?
They carry different products. The Mixed Planting & Finishing Pallet combines Jack's Magic compost with landscape bark: a quarter pallet is five bags of compost and three of bark, 550 litres in all. The Mixed Soil Improvement & Mulching Pallet holds farmyard manure, top soil and bark: a quarter pallet is five bags of manure, five of top soil and three of bark, 700 litres in all.
When would I use farmyard manure or top soil?
Farmyard manure conditions the ground: it opens up heavy clay and helps light soil hold moisture, and for planting it is mixed into the soil you took from the hole before backfilling. Top soil builds new and raised beds and fills hollows, mixed with compost.
Does topiary need ericaceous compost?
Only if the plant is acid-loving. Westland Ericaceous Planting & Potting Mix is for plants that need acidic conditions around their roots, such as camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas; plants that don't need acidic conditions are better in a standard multi-purpose compost. Choose by what the plant needs, not by its shape, and check its needs first.
Should there be stones in the bottom of a pot?
No. Don't put a layer of stones or rubble under the compost: it creates a perched water table. Fill the pot with consistent compost all the way down and rely on the drainage holes; the one exception is a thin 3–5cm layer of expanded clay in containers of 70cm and over.
Below the shape,the ground that holds it.
Compost for the hole, bark for the surface, a fresh top layer each spring.
Pallet delivery · cost shown at checkout. Someone needs to be in to receive it, with a safe, accessible place to leave it.
Unopened, you can return it within 14 days of delivery. Delivery and returns.
The compost chapter of the container care guide, for pots, beds and the ground.