Ecothrive Soil Food alternative: All Purpose 4-4-4 for growth, Bloom 2-8-4 for flowers
All Purpose 4-4-4 for growth, Bloom 2-8-4 for flowers
Ecothrive is a well-regarded UK brand. Its Soil Food range is Grow, Bloom and Re-Gen, and you can buy it from ecothrive.co.uk and from UK retailers. If you feed a garden through the season and want bigger bags at a lower price per kg, Dr Forest All Purpose 4-4-4 and Bloom 2-8-4 are hand-blended and packed in Stockport, and dispatched in 1 to 2 working days.
It is not the same recipe, and the NPKs are close but not identical. Every ingredient is on the label, with percentages.
The Feed Pair is 1.5 kg of All Purpose and 1.5 kg of Bloom, £21.50. Start with All Purpose, then switch to Bloom when the buds show.
£21.50 Feed Pair, 1.5 kg of each
Choose the Feed PairWant just one? All Purpose 4-4-4 or Bloom 2-8-4, from £12.00 for 1.5 kg.
★★★★★ 4.95/5 from 513 reviews. Free UK delivery over £40. In stock, dispatched in 1 to 2 working days. Hand-blended and packed in Stockport, compostable bags.
- Lowest price per kg of the brands on this page: from £5.11/kg in the 9 kg bag. Ecothrive list prices were £10.00 to £15.00/kg.
- Gram for gram, a top-dress costs less: 20 g on a 10-litre pot is £0.10 to £0.16, against £0.20 to £0.30.
- Close to Ecothrive Soil Food, not identical: All Purpose 4-4-4 against Grow 3.5-3-4.5, and Bloom 2-8-4 against Bloom 2-8-6.
- Granular, in bags from 1.5 to 60 kg, made for garden compost, pots and beds.
- Not vegan: both bags contain bone meal.
Used Ecothrive Soil Food Grow and Bloom? Why try Dr Forest
- Close NPKs, two stages. Ecothrive Soil Food Grow is 3.5-3-4.5 and Dr Forest All Purpose is 4-4-4. Ecothrive Soil Food Bloom is 2-8-6 and Dr Forest Bloom is 2-8-4. Nitrogen and phosphate are the same in the two Blooms. Dr Forest Bloom has less potash. You still feed in two stages, growth first and then flowers.
- Priced by weight, in bigger bags. £8.00/kg in the 1.5 kg bag, £6.13/kg in 4 kg and £5.11/kg in 9 kg. Ecothrive's list prices on 14 Oct 2026 were £15.00/kg for 1 kg and £10.00/kg for 5 kg. Rates differ, so compare cost per feed for your plants too: Ecothrive suggests 1 to 2 g per litre of soil, and Dr Forest top-dresses at 2 to 4 g per litre.
- Bigger bags for bigger gardens. 1.5, 4, 9, 15, 30 and 60 kg. Beds, borders and greenhouses use more than a few pots do.
- Every ingredient listed. Ten inputs in All Purpose and eleven in Bloom, each with its percentage. You can see what you are putting on.
- Granular, sprinkle on. No mixing and no measuring jug. Mix it into compost or top-dress, then water it in.
- Made here, compostable bags. Hand-blended and packed in small batches in Stockport. The bag goes in the compost bin once it is empty.
Ecothrive alternative: side by side
Ecothrive figures are from Ecothrive's own product page. Dr Forest figures are from the live product pages.
| Ecothrive Soil Food Grow | Dr Forest All Purpose | Ecothrive Soil Food Bloom | Dr Forest Bloom | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPK | 3.5-3-4.5 | 4-4-4 | 2-8-6 | 2-8-4 |
| Sizes | 1 kg, 5 kg | 1.5, 4, 9, 15, 30, 60 kg | 1 kg, 5 kg | 1.5, 4, 9, 15, 30, 60 kg |
| Price | 1 kg £15.00 · 5 kg £50.00 | 1.5 kg £12.00 · 4 kg £24.50 · 9 kg £46.00 | 1 kg £15.00 · 5 kg £50.00 | 1.5 kg £12.00 · 4 kg £24.50 · 9 kg £46.00 |
| Price per kg | £15.00 (1 kg) · £10.00 (5 kg) | £8.00 (1.5 kg) · £6.13 (4 kg) · £5.11 (9 kg) | £15.00 (1 kg) · £10.00 (5 kg) | £8.00 (1.5 kg) · £6.13 (4 kg) · £5.11 (9 kg) |
| Main inputs | Soy amino hydrolysate, mealworm frass, micronised rock phosphate, potassium sulphate, gypsum | 10 inputs with percentages (see below) | Potassium lignosulphonate, mealworm frass, alfalfa meal, micronised rock phosphate | 11 inputs with percentages (see below) |
| Form | Top-dress powder | Granular, sprinkle on | Top-dress powder | Granular, sprinkle on |
| Rates | 1 to 2 g per litre of soil. In open ground 100 to 200 g per m² | Mix 5 to 10 g per litre. Top-dress 2 to 4 g per litre. Beds 100 to 300 g per m² | 1 to 2 g per litre of soil. In open ground 100 to 200 g per m² | Mix 5 to 10 g per litre. Top-dress 2 to 4 g per litre. Beds 100 to 300 g per m² |
| Animal-derived inputs | Mealworm frass | Bone meal. Not vegan | Mealworm frass | Bone meal. Not vegan |
| Where to buy in the UK | ecothrive.co.uk and UK retailers | drforest.co.uk | ecothrive.co.uk and UK retailers | drforest.co.uk |
| Brand | UK | Stockport, UK | UK | Stockport, UK |
Ecothrive also sells Soil Food Re-Gen (3.5-5.5-3.5) and a bundle of all three: 1 kg of each £39.00, 5 kg of each £130.00. Dr Forest has no Re-Gen equivalent.
Prices checked 14 Oct 2026. Source: ecothrive.co.uk/products/soil-food. NPKs from the typical analysis on the same Ecothrive page, rechecked 14 Oct 2026. Ecothrive is also stocked by UK retailers.
Ecothrive is a trademark of its owner; Dr Forest is not affiliated.
Cost per feed, gram for gram
At the same dose, a Dr Forest top-dress costs less, because the price per kg is lower at every bag size.
One top-dress of a 10-litre pot at 2 g per litre: 20 g of feed.
| Bag | Price per kg | One 20 g top-dress |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Forest, 1.5 kg bag | £8.00 | £0.16 |
| Dr Forest, 9 kg bag | £5.11 | £0.10 |
| Ecothrive Soil Food, 1 kg | £15.00 | £0.30 |
| Ecothrive Soil Food, 5 kg | £10.00 | £0.20 |
Ecothrive's label allows 1 to 2 g per litre, measured on the top 15 cm of soil, and assumes Ecothrive Living Soil underneath, so the total over a season depends on how much you use and how often. Our feeding schedule uses 2 g per litre (lighter) to 3 g per litre (full).
Prices checked 14 Oct 2026. Source: ecothrive.co.uk/products/soil-food. Dr Forest prices from drforest.co.uk on the same day.
What is in the bag
All Purpose 4-4-4, 10 inputs: alfalfa meal 33%, bone meal 18%, nitrogen plant extract 18%, flaxseed meal 10%, gypsum 6%, sulphate of potash 5.5%, kieserite 5%, Scottish seaweed 2%, humic and fulvic acid 1%, fermented biochar 1%.
Bloom 2-8-4, 11 inputs: bone meal 43%, alfalfa meal 20%, zeolite 11%, sulphate of potash 8%, kieserite 6%, gypsum 5%, flaxseed 2%, Scottish seaweed 2%, humic and fulvic acid 1%, nitrogen plant extract 1%, fermented biochar 1%.
Both are hand-blended and packed in small batches in Stockport, in compostable bags.
What the pair is for. It is stage feeding, the same idea as running Ecothrive Soil Food Grow and then Bloom. All Purpose is balanced at 4-4-4 for the growing stage. Bloom drops the nitrogen to 2 and raises the phosphate to 8, for when the plant turns to flowers and fruit. For a few pots, one small bag of each covers the season; beds and borders need more.
Switching from Ecothrive Soil Food: how to use All Purpose and Bloom
Ecothrive's 1 to 2 g per litre is written for living soil. Dr Forest is made for garden compost, pots and beds, so the rates are higher; use these, not the Ecothrive label.
| Stage | Product | Top-dress rate |
|---|---|---|
| Growth, before buds | All Purpose 4-4-4 | 2 to 4 g per litre of soil |
| From buds and first flowers | Bloom 2-8-4 | 2 to 4 g per litre of soil |
Full rates for beds, roses, fruit and potting mixes are on the All Purpose and Bloom product pages.
We provide one of the most comprehensive, easy-to-use feeding schedules available: week-by-week stage feeding with All Purpose 4-4-4 and Bloom 2-8-4. Enter your pot size for exact doses, the bags to buy and the cost per plant.
When to stay with Ecothrive
A switch is not right for everyone. Stay with Ecothrive if:
- you grow in Ecothrive Living Soil. Soil Food is designed for it, and we have not tested ours in it.
- you use Soil Food Re-Gen. We have no equivalent.
Common questions
Is Dr Forest the same as Ecothrive Soil Food?
No. The recipes are different and the NPKs are close but not identical. Grow is 3.5-3-4.5 and All Purpose is 4-4-4. Ecothrive Bloom is 2-8-6 and Dr Forest Bloom is 2-8-4, so it has less potash. Dr Forest is our own blend, hand-blended and packed in Stockport, and every ingredient and percentage is listed above. Ecothrive is a separate UK brand. Ecothrive is a trademark of its owner; Dr Forest is not affiliated.
Vegan, and organic status?
Not vegan: Dr Forest All Purpose has 18% bone meal and Bloom 43%, and Ecothrive Soil Food contains mealworm frass. For both Dr Forest bags: Made with organic ingredients. It's not certified organic.
Can I use it in Ecothrive Living Soil?
Ecothrive designed Soil Food for Ecothrive Living Soil. We have not tested Dr Forest in Ecothrive Living Soil. Dr Forest is made for garden compost, pots and beds, and the rates on this page are for those.
What if I still have Ecothrive Soil Food left?
Finish the Ecothrive bag at the rate on its label, then carry on with Dr Forest at the rates on this page. If you were on Soil Food Grow, move to All Purpose. If you were on Soil Food Bloom, move to Bloom.
Other brand alternatives
- Gaia Green UK alternative
- Dr Organics Living Soil alternative
- BioBizz alternative
- All organic fertilisers
Grow, then bloom, from a UK bag
Start with All Purpose 4-4-4 for growth. Switch to Bloom 2-8-4 when the buds show. The Feed Pair gives you both, from £21.50.
£21.50 Feed Pair, 1.5 kg of each
★★★★★ 4.95/5 from 513 reviews. Free UK delivery over £40. In stock, dispatched in 1 to 2 working days. Hand-blended and packed in Stockport, compostable bags.
Ecothrive prices: ecothrive.co.uk, prices checked 14 Oct 2026; retailer prices vary. Ecothrive is a trademark of its owner; Dr Forest is not affiliated.