Why is Miracle Grow junk?

[Chuck]

View attachment 77927 View attachment 77928 I would be very interested to hear what comments might be made on these two products - especially from @headfullofbees, and @Chuck.

Also, this product View attachment 77929(pretty) please

On the Tomorite, I have never seen it, but, it appears to be a good fertilizer, a low NPK ratio which leads me to believe it is a natural product. It is not a high yield NPK which is good. The only negative I can see at this time is that it is made by Scotts. Whether or not this is the same Scotts that make much of the garbage like Weed and Feed here in the US I don't know. About the Osmocote. Of all of the synthetic fertilizers Osmocote is the only one I can think of that I would use if I couldn't get an organic fertilizer. It is a true slow release fertilizer and although it has a high nitrogen content most of this nitrogen is tied up and unavailable to plants immediately and slowly leaches into the soil, thus providing long lasting nutrition. Before organics were available here I used it extensively. The Blood Fish and Bone appears to be just what it says it is. Blood Fish and Bone. I have never seen this exact product. Here we have Blood Meal, dried and liquid fish, and, fish emulsion, plus we have Bone Meal but not all three in one package. There is NOT anything artificial or engineered or altered about this product as far as I can tell from my limited research. I could use all three products. These are a far, far better than Miracle Grow.

 

[Tetters]

Thank you @Chuck for taking the time to check these out. Here in the UK the Blood fish & bone is widely used by the experienced gardeners when planting shrubs and trees etc. The Osmocote is one I always use in my compost mixes, and I use it because it was choice for the nursery where I used to be propagating shrubs and climbers. It`s the slow release that is favourite with all the growers I know in this neck of the woods. I choose to use it too while growing plants on, when the organic stuff would be more difficult to add to the potting mix - that goes directly into the garden where the plants end up. Tomorite is a favourite for tomatoes and flowering plants, and although Zigs likes to knock up liquid feed with the comfrey or stinging nettle plants, he will usually settle for this instead because his home made stuff stinks so bad....... that`s for when he thinks I`m not looking.

I am amazed that you don`t have access to Blood fish & bone there, and beginning to realise just how different things are between the USA and the UK.
We seem to often read how much of the ground is contaminated there by various chemicals and such that have leeched out to waterways.
Gardeners there seem to have to check with the authorities quite often to check the soil quality etc.

By the way, our Tomorite is made by Levington!

 

[cpp gardener]

I go with IPM techniques. Integrated Pest Management also works for fertilizing. Use both and get the best of both worlds. Oh and FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS!

 

[Chuck]

Thank you @Chuck for taking the time to check these out. Here in the UK the Blood fish & bone is widely used by the experienced gardeners when planting shrubs and trees etc. The Osmocote is one I always use in my compost mixes, and I use it because it was choice for the nursery where I used to be propagating shrubs and climbers. It`s the slow release that is favourite with all the growers I know in this neck of the woods. I choose to use it too while growing plants on, when the organic stuff would be more difficult to add to the potting mix - that goes directly into the garden where the plants end up. Tomorite is a favourite for tomatoes and flowering plants, and although Zigs likes to knock up liquid feed with the comfrey or stinging nettle plants, he will usually settle for this instead because his home made stuff stinks so bad....... that`s for when he thinks I`m not looking.

I am amazed that you don`t have access to Blood fish & bone there, and beginning to realise just how different things are between the USA and the UK.
We seem to often read how much of the ground is contaminated there by various chemicals and such that have leeched out to waterways.
Gardeners there seem to have to check with the authorities quite often to check the soil quality etc.

By the way, our Tomorite is made by Levington!

There are numerous things available where you are that isn't available here. For instance Hoof and Horn. For a good, quick nitrogen source all we have is blood meal. And 99.9% of the home gardeners do not have access to any type of manures, except for commercial organic fertilizers. About the soil quality and checking with the authorities, here in Texas there are NO authoritative rules or laws or restrictions, AFAIK, nor in any states. People just use what is available and unfortunately most gardeners are stuck with the likes of Miracle Grow and Scotts products. I am sure that this is because of the massive advertising that these companies do. Organic gardening was unheard of 30 years ago. All there was, was chemicals. Only in the last 20 years or so has there been any interest or knowledge of organic gardening. Texas, I am proud to say is leading the US effort to change from chemicals to organics. There are many large commercial farms that are changing from chemicals to organics. Plus, many golf courses are also changing. They are finding that in the long term, organics are actually less expensive. I can only hope that this course of action continues.

 

[Tetters]

Well done Texas !! I was totally unaware of the situation there, and find it quite alarming. There were some mistakes made here too - for example, when the hedges were removed to make the fields bigger. Happily, miles and miles of these hedgerows are being reinstated, and the birds and other wildlife benefits. We also have areas around farming land that is left for insects and other wildlife to live and proliferate. This is so important. Good grazing is necessary for the farm animals, and results in fantastic manure which, when rotted a bit, improves the land and increases the crops - it is a circle of benefit that mankind generally needs to heed, otherwise the poison will result in dire consequences.

 

[the lawnsman]

sheesh.

I've been using MG in all my potted annuals for years.

 

[mgmine]

Millions and millions of acres of farmland are treated with liquid fertilizer. Could certainly be a polluter but a soil destroyer?

 

[Chuck]

Millions and millions of acres of farmland are treated with liquid fertilizer. Could certainly be a polluter but a soil destroyer?

Yes, a soil destroyer. And here is why. All chemical fertilizers leave a little mineral salt behind after use. These salts build up over time and kills the soil microbes and burns up the organic matter in the soil. After years of unregulated use the soil is dead and the only reason that plants can continue to grow is because of continued use of chemical fertilizers. More and more fertilizers are required to maintain the same amount of plant growth, until finally it costs too much money to maintain this growth. The result of this is why there are literally thousands of what is called "burned out farms" for sale across the US. This use of chemical fertilizers, both liquid and granular, can be, and is mitigated by methods such as no till farming and the use of carbohydrates. These methods maintain microbial life in the soil but at a monetary cost.

 

[headfullofbees]

Tomorite likes to kid on it's organic with its "added seaweed," but it isn't, it's petro-gro; if it was organic, Levington would have it all over the bottle.

It was introduced in the sixties, when more Brits grew tomatoes in gro-bags, which people put on their gardens after the tomatoes had finished, giving the compost 6 months to recover.
It's not in the same class as Miracle-Gro, but it's far from organic, as is growmore.

The Osmocote Pro, I've never seen before, but the NPK numbers shout armaments.
Just had a quick look at the makers, ICL, and it's as bad as Miracle-Gro.

Blood, fish & bone is organic, fish meal, fish bone, & afaik fish blood, is my favoured bought fertiliser (I now mostly grow and forage my fertiliser, comfrey & seaweed)
The fish bonemeal supplies a little nitrogen and a good, but not harmful, dose of long-lasting phosphate; the fish blood supplies good levels of nitrogen, & the fishmeal supplies a decent level of potash.
It's only drawback is that it can attract predatory animals, who smell it & burrow to look for dead animals.

 

[headfullofbees]

For anyone who wishes to grow their own comfrey (which is propagated by cuttings, as the "Bocking 14" is sterile, may I suggest you look to:
Comfrey Bocking 14 – Organically Grown- Attracts Bees Approximately 5x 1-2cm Pieces– Fast Growing – High Yield- Fertiliser: Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors

But only if your local garden centre doesn't stock it.

 

[Chuck]

Tomorite likes to kid on it's organic with its "added seaweed," but it isn't, it's petro-gro; if it was organic, Levington would have it all over the bottle.

It was introduced in the sixties, when more Brits grew tomatoes in gro-bags, which people put on their gardens after the tomatoes had finished, giving the compost 6 months to recover.
It's not in the same class as Miracle-Gro, but it's far from organic, as is growmore.

The Osmocote Pro, I've never seen before, but the NPK numbers shout armaments.
Just had a quick look at the makers, ICL, and it's as bad as Miracle-Gro.

Blood, fish & bone is organic, fish meal, fish bone, & afaik fish blood, is my favoured bought fertiliser (I now mostly grow and forage my fertiliser, comfrey & seaweed)
The fish bonemeal supplies a little nitrogen and a good, but not harmful, dose of long-lasting phosphate; the fish blood supplies good levels of nitrogen, & the fishmeal supplies a decent level of potash.
It's only drawback is that it can attract predatory animals, who smell it & burrow to look for dead animals.

Here in the US if one wants to advertise a product as organic it has to meet a LOT of requirements and once these requirements are met one is authorized to use the OMRI label on the product. Meeting all of these requirements is very expensive to say the least. There are many products here that are mostly organic. One product like this is Medina Liquid Plant Food. It is totally organic except it has manufactured urea instead of natural. That Tomorite product reminded me of this. Here in the US a product that has such low NPK numbers (4-3-8) as the Tomorite is one of these products that is almost all natural or organic. All chemical fertilizers here have high NPK numbers simply because of the Cation Exchange Capacity of the product. This means that there must be much more NPK in the product than the plant can ever possibly uptake because the product cannot adhere to the soil and it quickly leaches away. As I said, I have never seen this product and only went by what is available here and thought the Tomorite might be similar.

 

[Don Perry]

This post has degraded into an organic verses (what most of us are struggling with), no access to natural products . I will continue to use what I can as natural as I can find , but the truth is I will continue to use the non-organics as I have to use them. I thank all who have added input and I believe I am better for it.

 

[cpp gardener]

As I said before, a mix of both organic and synthetic works very well. Since the organics, especially plant based, tend to be low analysis it doesn't hurt to use a synthetic as well. A nice layer of compost on the surface adds any organic matter (mostly Carbon) that soil micro-organisms need and Miracle-Gro or the like can supply extra nutrients for increased plant growth. The cation exchange capacity includes the ability of both mineral and organic matter soil components to hold charged particles. Highly organic potting soils have no issues with the use of synthetic fertilizers.
As for authoritative sources of gardening information, here in California the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener program does an excellent job of training its volunteer staff. There may be some bias toward synthetics but they advise on organics too.
If Miracle-Gro didn't work or caused soil sterility they wouldn't still be around and wouldn't sell as much product as they do. Organic is not the be-all-end-all of good gardening and neither is synthetic. They can be used together to achieve a beautiful, productive garden full of life.

 

[Chuck]

I wonder? Has there been any studies done about insect damage of chemicals vs organic? My evidence is only anecdotal but I RARELY EVER have any kind of insect attacks. The only thing I ever have are caterpillars while my gardening friends here have to spray numerous times per season for everything from beetles to stink bugs. Could it be because I am organic? I wonder?

 

[headfullofbees]

Here in the US if one wants to advertise a product as organic it has to meet a LOT of requirements and once these requirements are met one is authorized to use the OMRI label on the product. Meeting all of these requirements is very expensive to say the least. There are many products here that are mostly organic. One product like this is Medina Liquid Plant Food. It is totally organic except it has manufactured urea instead of natural. That Tomorite product reminded me of this. Here in the US a product that has such low NPK numbers (4-3-8) as the Tomorite is one of these products that is almost all natural or organic. All chemical fertilizers here have high NPK numbers simply because of the Cation Exchange Capacity of the product. This means that there must be much more NPK in the product than the plant can ever possibly uptake because the product cannot adhere to the soil and it quickly leaches away. As I said, I have never seen this product and only went by what is available here and thought the Tomorite might be similar.

I don't think you're very far wrong; certainly with the much lower NPK numbers, you're not going to leave as much in salts behind, so it's not the worst, but most natural products have a wider range of nutrients so using again and again would demineralise the soil.
Bang goes your flavour!