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 209 critical reviews
Travis A.
Directs water downwards? So does gravity and a slow feeding.
on Grassroots Living Soil Pots →Demetrios l.
Know what your getting before buying, would be the perfect product but three main downsides, must have a 2.4g Chanel on WiFi network and cannot use more than 15A in total for all four outlets I think is pretty stupid considering how much it limits the ability to control many products some bas promotes. Please be aware and also you can’t only use one type of device per grow hub, example you can’t use two fans on one strip. If they manage to fix these issues it would be the most flawless device to use with absolute ease
on Niwa Grow Hub+ →Kenneth Y.
3 stars because the hole is misaligned makes the cover fit wonky otherwise it’s great I like the black one side white on the other you can choose which one is right for your usage
on EarthBox Accessories →Michael H.
Good stuff but it took forever and the dr zymes came leaking and still waiting for the replacement. Had issues at first in receiving a replacement but settled when I asserted myself. The replace the is on the way....
on IPM Kit #3 - Enzymes (Free Shipping) →Johnny
The Pro mix in this makes it not organic since Pro mix has no organic products, not even the BX.
on BuildASoil Heady Start Seedling Soil Recipe →Brian H.
First time using this on some autos.
You could see the difference in a short time, definitely would purchase again!
on BuildASoil Craft Blend - Nutrient Pack →Joe L.
This might be quite beneficial but there does seem to be quite a bit of wood filler in it. I am using 5 gallon air pots. I am using it in conjunction with the Fox Farms trio and the Fox Farms Ocean Forest soil. I have been growing for 16 years but have never really dabbled in organics or varied my regimen much at all.
on BuildAFlower Top Dress Kit →Russell
Looks like good soil but out of 2 bags I didn't see even 1 worm. A little disappointed!
on BuildASoil Potting Soil Recipe 3.0 →david J.
The tests were certainly thorough. For the price, I could have had the same tests done by my local county extension 3 times over. Overall, I'm happy with the results despite paying more than I had to.
on BuildASoil Complete - Most Comprehensive Logan Labs Testing →ERIK F.
Ok so as of 10/10/2022 using it on some cuttings not getting slime build up yet. I wish that the price of aloe was less expensive, this way I would use more of it on everything. Things are tight and thats with everybody so I'm trying it at different projects. Next project is starting 40 year old seeds, this will have a big hand in the different combination of enzymes, nutrients and minerals. I gave it a 3 star because of price and I have not used it enough to see what it can do. I will be back to change the rating when I'm done doing what I'm doing. As far as Build A Soil goes they are a fantastic company with a new way to treat our soil and our planet, getting back to the old ways of farming that has been pushed aside.
on BuildASoil Horticultural Aloe →Steve P.
Haven’t used yet sorry for the 3 star but I don’t want to over or under rate
on Malted Barley Grain for SST - Certified Organic →Warren F.
good book, solid tenets, pruning and soil stuff is fairly basic.
on "How To Grow World Record Tomatoes" →Patrick B.
A cubic foot of straw is a pretty loose term since it doesn’t really account for density. I was expecting this to be stuffed more densely in the bag than what I received for the price. I realize that most of the price is to pay for shipping, so I figured it wouldn’t be hard to add more straw to these bags. This is the first build-a-soil product I haven’t been extremely happy with though.
on Certified Organic Straw Mulch →Bennie L.
The mulch is good. I used it in 6 3 gallon pots so far I had to cut it because it was long compared to the pots and I waned coverage on the edges. I had to cut it with scissors quite a bit to cover all edges. I only had 1 seed sprout from it so it is weed free pretty much. It comes with a tad of moisture in it, but not a bad thing.
on Certified Organic Straw Mulch →Richard C.
Giving 3 stars only because there is no application instructions and I haven't had a chance to use it yet. Shipping was good and the product looks good also
on Alfalfa Meal Organic →Off2cWsP
Look, I love the cowoco story and everything they do. And maybe I got caught up in Jeremy’s excitement about their castings and had higher expectations than i should have. I’m sure a lot of this is batch to batch but in my experience so far, I kind of like the BAS castings better. And they are a lot cheaper. They were def more moist, dark, and full of life. My COWOCO castings seem very dry, and I’ve only seen one beetle so far. I also like the zip lock style bag on the BAS castings better. No hate at all toward cowoco I know the castings are extremely high quality. But my honest review so far, as a new Gardner who has bought one bag of each, I like the BAS castings better. Cheers everybody!
on Colorado Worm Company Premium Vermicompost Worm Castings →Scot D.
I like the ingredients in this product. It’s a little course for my liking I make my own soil also. And add amendments to my own liking. But the ingredients in this could be ground slightly better and have less chunks matted together of particular individual ingredients. I’m not giving this a bad review by any means. But I had to re-crush or pulverize some of the ingredients better for a fast break down and availability to my plants. Overall a very good product. Would be great if processing was a little more thorough. Thanks build a soil for your ur hard work and research and great videos.
on BuildASoil Craft Blend - Nutrient Pack →Steve P.
Can’t really see a difference more time maybe ?
on Organics Alive V-PK Dry Soluble Bloom Formula →Jon C.
WTF, how do I know! Used it, it stinks, how ever to early to see results.
on Growing Organic - ALFALFA Fermented Plant Extract →Wade B.
I really don't care for this product I know it's a necessity but it clogs up my sprayer every time. Wish it was a little more broke down or More soluble.
on BuildASoil BIG 6 Micronutrients + Humic Acid →Wade B.
I still have fungus gnats .😳 The rove beetles are everywhere,not sure if there were predator mites in my order but my eyes are not as good as they used to be
on Beneficial Insect Combo Packs (Small) →Dev D.
Was really excited to give this a try after seeing it on the 10x10 YouTube series. Of 7 seeds that popped a healthy taproot in water and then placed into soil, 6 of them sprouted. Used a dome until all the sprouts popped.
Gave that 7th seed 2 weeks to sprout, holding onto hope lol no dice.
Now in the product video Jeremy says you shouldn't have run into a limiting factor before transplant. After about 2 weeks, once the girls were big enough to transplant, they were DEFINITELY getting hungry for multiple nutrients.
Now this next part may be user error. I'm not sure. But for the first time on any of my grows, I had the root ball collapse on me during transplant. I noticed the soil was SUPER airy compared to what I usually use for seedlings, not sure if that's why or if I let the soil dry out too much prior to transplant but it was no fun having vigorous seedlings with collapsed rootballs.
I also never got any of that fungal growth across the top of my soil like in the video.
I will definitely continue using this soil but may need to tweak it a bit to correct those issues.
on BuildASoil Heady Start Seedling Soil Recipe →