Why is Miracle Grow junk?

[Don Perry]

I have used Miracle Grow in the past and had very good results. I have been told to throw that JUNK away. WHY?

 

[mgmine]

They probably read something on the internet or a magazine. If you say it loud enough and often enough it must be true. There could also be an agenda from a rival company to start a miss information campaign. Few people will bother to look into the issue.

 

[Don Perry]

I will go back to previous posts and look there , then ask a pointed question of the person that told me to throw it away.

 

[Sean Regan]

My wife because of her disability, buys a lot of stuff on shopping channels. For this reason I'm aware and have used this stuff for years.
It works fine, but is expensive. £25 for 2.5kg plus postage.

 

[Don Perry]

Never seen that over here , this side of the pond. Miracle grow is a USA product.

 

[Chuck]

I have used Miracle Grow in the past and had very good results. I have been told to throw that JUNK away. WHY?

The main reason is because IF you are a serious gardener you strive to build up your soil. And a built up soil has lots of organic material in it. MG destroys the organic matter and when this happens the soil microbes which break down the organic matter are destroyed as well. When soil microbes are destroyed the only thing which feeds the plant is MG. Organic fertilizers feed the soil, not the plant. And in doing so in a natural way you will have far fewer problems such as diseases and pests. MG is not a forgiving product either. Use too much and you damage or kill your plant. Use to little and the plant gets very little nutrition. MG leaches out of the soil very easily, especially in container grown plants. If you use the same soil year after year the soil dies and you have to use more fertilizer to make up for the lack of soil microbes. And more fertilizer the next year and on and on it goes. Have you ever heard the term "burned out farmland?" The soil is dead because of the use of chemical fertilizers of which MG is. There is a scientific term for a difference between organic fertilizers and chemical fertilizers. It is called Cation Exchange Capacity. This is a rather complicated subject but I will try to simplify it. Organic fertilizers have positive charged ions called cations. Chemical fertilizers have anions and are negatively charged. Cations cling to soil which means it doesn't leach away like anions in chemical fertilizers do. This is why chemical fertilizers have such high NPK numbers and organic fertilizers have such low numbers. So actually when you buy MG you are paying for something that will not and cannot be used because it leaches away everytime it rains or you water. When organic fertilizers are used on a continuous basis year after year you actually need to buy less and less fertilizer.

I just read you last post. I am probably the guy who told you to throw it away. I hope the above is reasons are enough to persuade you to throw it away.

 

[Tetters]

I fully endorse what Chuck has written and it should answer this question to anyone who wants to know. This stuff is very good for the bin.
Chuck it out (sorry for the pun)

Horse poo is good

 

[Don Perry]

Thank you for your very informative post . I have ceased using MG on my raised containers and will use up what is left on my pasture land. Once won't hurt it and its all weeds anyway. No cattle, no crops, no chickens or turkeys. just me n my new tractor.
Thanks, Tetters, for the horse poop tip. I have some cow manure and horse manure, available from The Agriplex here . I think I can get them to dump a load right in my pickup.

 

[Sean Regan]

Never seen that over here , this side of the pond. Miracle grow is a USA product.

Miracle grow is commonly available everywhere in the UK, but I've not used it in years.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

About 50 years ago an old nurseryman told the wife and i fertilizer is what keeps him in business. i.e. kills enough plants to keep his business thriving. When he wanted to push a plant's growth it was done with sheep tea.

 

[Don Perry]

So where am I supposed to get sheep tea. Senior Citizen?

 

[Chuck]

Thank you for your very informative post . I have ceased using MG on my raised containers and will use up what is left on my pasture land. Once won't hurt it and its all weeds anyway. No cattle, no crops, no chickens or turkeys. just me n my new tractor.
Thanks, Tetters, for the horse poop tip. I have some cow manure and horse manure, available from The Agriplex here . I think I can get them to dump a load right in my pickup.

Be very careful of any cattle or horse manures. It is very possible that this manure is contaminated with Picloram, a chemical herbicide used on hay fields. The animal eats the hay and the chemical passes through it. This chemical persists in soil for months if not years and will destroy any plants you may wish to grow except grasses. Most commercial hay growers use this product. A simple test is to fill a bucket half full of the manure and then finish filling it with water. Let it stand for a couple of days stirring occasionally. Then pour this liquid over a weed such as a dandelion. If, after 72 hours the weed shows no detrimental signs it is safe to use. But, getting manure from different animals all in one batch complicates this little test as one animal's manure may be OK and another animals manure contaminated. You've gotta be careful using raw manures in the US.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

I prefer to use natural stuff. although, at some house auctions my husband will bring home some of the miracle grow he has gotten in just a box lot for really cheap, so we use it. Cheap as in $2.00 for many boxes.

 

[Tetters]

I prefer to use natural stuff. although, at some house auctions my husband will bring home some of the miracle grow he has gotten in just a box lot for really cheap, so we use it. Cheap as in $2.00 for many boxes.

Well, there goes another otherwise useful and informative thread @Esther Knapicius

 

[Chuck]

Well, there goes another otherwise useful and informative thread @Esther Knapicius

Well, for many boxes of the stuff @ $2.00 per box at least they weren't overcharged too much. As they say "One man's garbage is another man's treasure."