RocketGro compost test April 2026

RocketGro – traditional multipurpose compost review

Brand: Rocket Gro MPC | Supplier: Amazon | Price: £0.30/litre


Personal observations

RocketGro, like many others, have a dozen or so composts in its range. I’m not a fan of this approach – see the link! I have met the team at various trade shows over the years. I chose this item as it seemed to represent what they do best: green waste and farm manure conversion to compost. This compost is noticeably darker than many others tested, which is consistent with the source materials used. The colour immediately suggests a well-humified material rather than a wood-fibre growing medium. It forms a reasonably cohesive ball in the hand, slightly sticky, with a neutral earthy smell and no contamination visible. No obvious woody fragments at all. The sieve result shows a fine-dominated profile: nearly 59% below 2mm, with the rest in the mid-fraction and nothing above 10mm. This is a well-processed product. The dark colour and cohesive texture suggest genuine composting inputs rather than wood-fibre processing. At £0.30 per litre online it sits in the mainstream bracket, though in-store equivalents of similar quality would be cheaper. The test data supports the product positioning: this behaves more like a traditional compost than many of its competitors.


Quick-test data (April 2026)

MetricBandValueContext
Bulk density (dry)M0.22 g/mlMid-range — typical mature organic
Water held per g dry weight (WHC)M3.1×Mid-range — consistent with humic/digestate binding
Dry-down time20 minAverage
Sieve: <2mm fraction58.7%High — well-processed, fine profile
Sieve: 2–10mm fraction42.2%Moderate
Sieve: >10mm fraction0.0%Negligible — very clean
Price per litreMainstream£0.30Online via Amazon — P&P included in price shown

WHC in the expected range for a digestate and PAS100 green waste blend — water held by humic and organic matter binding rather than structural trapping. The dark colour and cohesive hand-feel are consistent with a well-humified material. Reliable, predictable seasonal behaviour expected.

Price includes P&P — online only. Also available from the manufacturer direct. Comparable quality products at mainstream garden centre retail would typically be £0.18–0.25/l in store. For an explanation of why brands offer multiple product types at different price points, see our FAQ [link].

Comparative hands-on testing, April 2026. Consistent method across all 18 products. See methodology note.

At-a-glance rating breakdown

CategoryWeightScore
Ease of use40%8.0
Composition & quality35%6.5
Sustainability25%7.7
Overall (weighted)100%7.6

What we liked

  • Familiar texture and behaviour for long-time gardeners.
  • Robust UK sustainability story based around recycling local green waste and farm manures.

Summary: I like this one. If nothing else, it demonstrates the quality that can be achieved using the PAS100 ‘large scale’ composting process.

How to?

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