Critical BuildASoil reviews
Every review rated 1, 2, or 3 stars — 489 total. We publish them all, unfiltered, alongside the positive ones. A growing product that works perfectly for every customer every time doesn't exist, and we'd rather you see the whole picture.
228 3-star·96 2-star·165 1-star·1.8% of all reviews
A note from BuildASoil
Over the last 13+ years, we've grown into a much better company — and a lot of that growth came directly from our critical reviews. Every 1, 2, or 3-star review on this page taught us something. New formulations, better packaging, improved shipping, clearer instructions, stronger customer support — almost all of it traces back to a customer who took the time to tell us what wasn't working.
If you haven't tried BuildASoil in a while — or you tried us early on and it didn't go great — we'd genuinely love another shot. We get better every year, and we have the receipts to prove it. See what's new at buildasoil.com →
Showing 76–100 of 158 critical reviews
K
Good consistency product but the bag was anaerobic when first opening. There were delays in the delivery time that likely contributed to being airtight for too long but the bag should be designed to let more airflow in so the product does not go Anaerobic so easily. Currently airing out before applying to my soil and using for teas.
on BuildAFlower Top Dress Kit →Lisa F.
I expected bran which which is defined as “ the partly ground husk of wheat or other grain, separated from flour meal by sifting.”
What I received was a fine powder that was useless for my intended purchase. If it’s bran powder, you should say it’s powder.
on Pajaro Valley Gold Organic Rice Bran →Aaron g.
I purchased the 3.0 soil to transplant sum plants into a bigger pot and before I used it I ph checked the soil with my direct soil measurer from hanna instruments and found the soil was siting at 6.2 when I brought this up to there support team instead of trying to fix my problem that told me the ph was in perimeters they set which if you ever looked at a ph availably chart shows that it is slightly acidic. altho its not a problem immediately it means you'll have to ph correct the soil faster than if the soil was siting around 6.8 which would be the optimal starting ph. I attached a picture showing a soil test I did of the 3.0 two months after growing in a 5 gallon pot watering at a 7.0ph threw the cycle.
on BuildASoil Potting Soil Recipe 3.0 →brian r.
I definitely received the incorrect castings.
These were the regular BAS castings
on Colorado Worm Company Premium Vermicompost Worm Castings →Allan J.
Waiting to break down my pots to see if there’s any dry spots will get back to you on that
on Yucca Meal - ThermX-15M →willie m.
Ever grew any mycelium or mushrooms. Just a bag of straw
on Blue Oyster Mushroom Straw Log (Living Mulch) →Curt S.
I ordered "Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss," but they sent me their "Base Blend Recipe."
I communicated with Zach Branson via email for two days. Explaining what had happened. I sent a picture of the "Base Blend Recipe" that I had received and Zach said, "The link you have shared is our Base Blend Recipe, which, by the picture of the contents of the bag, is not what you received."
So he's calling me a liar.
He told me that they don't sell that, but it is on their website.
The he told me that, "The label right under the bag branding that clearly states Fluffed Peat Moss."
They can't believe that one of them had shipped me the wrong product or maybe Zach thinks that the label is capable of boxing the right product.
I don't know if they are dishonest, not to bright, or they are in Colorado where pot is legal, so who knows.
Since I am unable to try the product I ordered, "Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss," I can't comment on wheather their products are good or not.
But I can say that Zach Branson is not a person I would want to deal with and will never purchase anything from them again.
There are many places to purchase what they sell, so beware if you go to buildasoil.com.
Build A Soil is probably a great company, but I wouldn't recommend ordering anything from them online.l
on Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss →Warren F.
Love this company, love this product. However. I ordered this during the Black Friday event. It shipped during the big feeeze for Christmas 2022. It arrived as a frozen block. So I figured let it thaw, put a dab of molasses in it to feed the microbes and allow them a few weeks to recover… the odor is a fraction of what it was previous times I ordered. I hate to leave a negative review on a product I love but this is the reason. Ferments are great but I don’t think shipping them when it’s so cold similar to insects is a good idea.
on Fermented Plant Extracts: Liquid Pumpkin Extract - Seasonal →Warren F.
I ordered this for the Black Friday they had in November, they shipped it during the big freeze we had during Christmas, and it arrived as a frozen block. I ordered this once last year and the odor was 10x what it was this time. I assume this is something to do with the fact it was frozen solid. I called BAS and said it was an act of god and there was nothing they could do about it. Put a dab of molasses in it and let it sit for a week. Still not that stinky but it is what it is.
on BuildASoil Liquid Peach Extract →Justin S.
Honestly, was disappointed. Seemed like less straw then how the logs used to come and there was hardly any if any mycelium on the straw.
on Blue Oyster Mushroom Straw Log (Living Mulch) →Johnny E.
This product is not the same product that I ordered . Also wouldn’t say fine grade.
on Conibo Organics Fine Grade Coconut Coir 50L →Thomas W.
This crud was clogging the tip. Not sure if it's supposed to be this way. Shook it up several times. I will use it on one of two clones to see if there's a difference. Then I can truly give it a review. So one star for now.
on Grower's Secret Professional →Chris H.
A simple note on your site, on the package, and before purchasing...: DOES NOT WORK ON 5G NETWORK. Could've saved me and I'm sure many others the aggravation , time, money blah, blah... I totally expect you to read and respond to this... Like every other
on Niwa Grow Hub+ →Jeremy G.
Wasn’t very inoculated at all. Will just use reg straw next time or inoculate myself.
on Blue Oyster Mushroom Straw Log (Living Mulch) →BRIAN M.
I love the Q60, this doesn’t seem to work nearly as well as the 60 using the respective correct dose and like I said both of mine had hard chunks that didn’t dissolve. Like water got into it even though it had a dry pack in it.
on BuildASoil Quillaja Saponaria Extract Powder 20 →Brian H.
Not sure .
1st user.
When opening the bag for first time the bag would not re seal and most was dumped onto the ground. Hopefully the couple tbsps. I salvaged will be a significant change and hopefully a reorder...
on Rootwise Mycrobe Complete →JEFF P.
This has changed and is not the same.
Buyer beware!
on Blue Oyster Mushroom Straw Log (Living Mulch) →Nicholas C.
It must have frozen in shipping. Because it never activated.
on Blue Oyster Mushroom Straw Log (Living Mulch) →Kerry P.
I seeded 7 raised garden beds with the seeds and none of it sprouted at all.
on Clover Cover Crop Blend - 12 Seed BuildASoil Mix 60% Clover →TT
I love BuildASoil. But I have to say this stuff smells. It’s not bad out of the bottle, just has a faint vomit smell which I think we all assume is the vinegar and microbes doing work. But I’m here to tell you that my tent smells like vinegar and vomit. No matter how many times I try, this mixture it smells.
I’m over this. I’ll go back to spraying hydrogen peroxide to clean. If I got a bad batch let me know. But if we should just let stuff smell like old vinegar and assume it’s clean, no. Tweetmint was far better.
on Formula EM-5 - All Natural Garden Cleaning Concentrate →Mike G.
Completely filled with big fat grubs. Product is unusable. Just like my blue oyster straw log that was filled with metal flakes. I'm a new customer to BAS and have only ordered a few things. Most products had something wrong. Broken open during shipping, grubs, metal, etc... dealing with this company has been a losing proposition for me.
on Colorado Family Combo →Grubs are part of living vermi-compost! Typically these are from the black soldier fly and are a beneficial part of the process. Please don't toss the castings out! Give them a try. BuildASoil specializes in living products and there can be some confusion because of the unique quality of our materials. If you would like a replacement we can send you a bag of our BuildASoil castings as these are made in bulk and more uniform without nearly as much life.. As far as the Blue Oyster log, we did find out that the shiny material in the straw was not metal flakes but was vermiculite from the Organic Mushroom farm as part of the manufacturing process. We really want you to have a positive experience, if there is anything we can do to help make this situation better for you please don't hesitate to reach out.
Jeremy H.
Trash. This is common no matter where you get these little one.
on Hygro-Thermometers →really? I like this little ones for reading in the ballpark. They often take a few hours to get accurate on humidity. How off was it?
Robert B.
I have been trying for months to get a shirt. Never in stock frustrating. Will post photo's of all the stuff I have bought soon. Guerilla grow
on Loyal To The Soil T-shirt →tom m.
Can't see any difference it might actually have caused some tip burn,can't b sure.
I hate the stuff.waste of money 4 me
on Fermented Plant Extracts: Liquid Pumpkin Extract - Seasonal →