From Organic Gardening Magazine, July/August 2000 Issue.
Miracle-Gro is a synthetic
fertilizer that contains ammonium
phosphate and several other chemicals that can be
toxic to your
soil and plants. It is prohibited from use in certified
-organic farming. Heres what
soil expert Robert Parnes, Ph.D., says in his book Fertile Soil: "[Ammonium
fertilizer] acidifies the
soil, and thus it is probably more harmful to
soil organisms than any other nitrogen
fertilizer . . . . The application has to be timed carefully and placed properly to avoid burning the leaves and roots . . . . In addition, ammonium tends to
inhibit the release of . . .
potassium . . . Ammonium fertilizers are deliberately manufactured to be spread at high application rates in
order to obtain maximum yields with no regard to adverse effects on the
soil. Probably nowhere is the conflict between the mass production of food to feed the world and the preservation of the
soil more obvious than in the confrontation over the use of either ammonium fertilizers or liquid
ammonia."
And theres more: long-term studies at the University of Wisconsin have shown that
acidic chemical fertilizers are causing serious, permanent damage to our soils. Usually these fertilizers are also highly soluble, so they leach away and pollute our water systems, too. Soil fertility
authority Garn Wallace, Ph.D., of Wallace Laboratories in El Segundo, California, points out that Miracle-Gro contains muriate of
potash, which contains excess chlorine that will burn plants and
inhibit the uptake of
nitrogen. Dr. Wallace also warns that products such as Miracle-Gro often contain unsafe levels of
zinc and
copper that will be
toxic to
soil life.
And if all thats not enough to convince you to avoid this stuff, consider this: you have to mix Miracle-Gro with water and apply it ever "7 to 14 days." If you opt to fertilize organically, on the other hand, all you have to do is mix a ½-inch layer of
[URL="http://davesgarden.com/guides/terms/go/2776/"] grass clippings [/URL]into your beds before each crop. As the
grass decomposes, it will improve your
soils
texture and stimulate microbial life and help prevent disease, all while releasing plenty of
nutrients to feed your plants. (For full details on
organic fertilizers, see "How to Fertilize Your Garden," Organic Gardening, July/August 2000.)
-KATHY BAUMGARTNER, Fremont, Michigan
And in Closing I Must Add...
"Real Gardeners Grow Without Miracles!"