miracle grow soil

[micadesgns]

hey guys, i have a situation where i have to transplant 4 of my plants. got soil and nutes so messed up. i have a choice miracle grow potting mix or an organic one from the seed store. i need opinions on what others are doining. all suggestions appreciated...thnx

 

[Acrixx]

I would not go with miracle grow its just a bad potting soil all around i would suggest you see if your local hydroponic store has some Fox Farms Ocean Forest+a bag of Perlite to add to the soil for it could drain better

 

[kittykush]

hi i just had a couple ov babies pop and using miracle grow....wondering why you think its no good ? thanx

 

[Jogro]

If you have a situation where you've overfertilized (which is not an uncommon problem) one potential solution is to simply flush out your soil with multiple volumes of pure water, allowing the runoff (containing the excess nutes and salts) to drain out. Assuming the soil you started with is well draining and the nutrients are water soluble (not concentrated and slow-release), this alone could fix the problem.

To answer the specific question, Miracle grow potting mix contains peat moss, compost, inorganic fertilizer, perlite, and a wetting agent.

In other words, its basically a commercial version of a soilless (or low soil content) mix with some added fertilizer.

I'd agree there are better formulations out there (including Fox Farm), but this one certainly can work, and you could also do worse. Miracle Grow mix has two added benefits of being cheap and readily available. You can always amend it with more perlite, add more organic material, more peat moss, etc, as you see fit. If you choose this one, you probably should NOT add more nutrients for at least a few months until the ones in there already are depleted.

With regards to the other one you're alluding to, I'd hope that some proprietary organic mix would be better than Scott's cheap commercial product, but honestly it might not be. I really can't comment on the product without trying it, or at LEAST knowing more about it!

Some commercially bagged soil mixes are just horrible, containing pine bark and such, which is not only really coarse, but also lowers pH. Though products labelled as such might be excellent, just realize that the term "organic" is NOT synonymous with "good"!

If those are the only two products you have access to (which seems hard to believe), what you could do is simply buy a bag of each to test, and see which performs better for you.

In my experience, any Loews or even a Walmart, will usually have multiple types of bagged soil you can pick from, let alone an ACTUAL garden center. And if you are handy you can always blend your own mix, with compost, perlite, vermiculite, peat moss, or other similar amendments you can buy in bulk form at a garden center.

 

[smokinrav]

I've used MG in my vegetable garden and my indoor garden for over a decade now. It's a perfectly fine pre-fertilized potting soil.

 

[Jogro]

hi i just had a couple ov babies pop and using miracle grow....wondering why you think its no good ? thanx

I can give a couple reasons.

First of all, there is an entire industry revolving around selling you what is, in effect, overpriced dirt. So naturally there are those who have an interest in convincing you that the cheap stuff you find at Walmart can't *possibly* be any good, as well as those who need to convince themselves that their expensive dirt is the only way to go.

Next, since its cheap and easily found, Miracle Gro is usually the first "go to" product of complete noobs; people who have next to zero experience gardening ANYTHING. They make every classic blunder (overfeeding already nutrient-rich soil, overwatering/underwatering, bad lighting, etc) then have terrible results, blaming it on the soil.

Again, I'm not saying Miracle Gro is great, and there definitely ARE better soil mixes out there. Just that if you know what you're doing, its perfectly adequate (and yes, I've used it myself more than once, and I've never had any issue or problem with it).

I'd also point out that there are SEVERAL types of soils carrying the "Miracle Gro" brand name, including a "moisture control" mix that is basically a true soilless mix with coco coir and peat moss. I haven't tried that one yet, but at least based on the contents, it seems like it could be a good choice.

 

[1993stoner]

hi i just had a couple ov babies pop and using miracle grow....wondering why you think its no good ? thanx

I can give a couple reasons.

First of all, there is an entire industry revolving around selling you what is, in effect, overpriced dirt. So naturally there are those who have an interest in convincing you that the cheap stuff you find at Walmart can't *possibly* be any good, as well as those who need to convince themselves that their expensive dirt is the only way to go.

Next, since its cheap and easily found, Miracle Gro is usually the first "go to" product of complete noobs; people who have next to zero experience gardening ANYTHING. They make every classic blunder (overfeeding already nutrient-rich soil, overwatering/underwatering, bad lighting, etc) then have terrible results, blaming it on the soil.

Again, I'm not saying Miracle Gro is great, and there definitely ARE better soil mixes out there. Just that if you know what you're doing, its perfectly adequate (and yes, I've used it myself more than once, and I've never had any issue or problem with it).

I'd also point out that there are SEVERAL types of soils carrying the "Miracle Gro" brand name, including a "moisture control" mix that is basically a true soilless mix with coco coir and peat moss. I haven't tried that one yet, but at least based on the contents, it seems like it could be a good choice.

Awesome answer dude. I feel the same way about mg

 

[Dr Kynes]

miracle grow also contains a lot of pre-compost material which plants do not crave. miracle grow is not shit, but it could really use some. particularly some worm castings, guano, and bovine/equine manure. i get good results in miracle grow potting mix after i add the right stuff, straight out of the bag it's rough on your plants, stays too wet, dries unevenly, and forms a weird parchment-like crust on the surface as it dries.

this is the mix i been using for years on all manner of potted plants, from dwarf apple trees to zinnias:

the big sack of miracle grow (1/3 cu yard), dumped in my wheelbarrow
a small sack (1 cu foot) perlite
a coffee can full of sand from a nearby river bank (used to use well rinsed beach sand when i lived by the shore)
1/2 a coffee can full of used coffee grounds
couple shovels of home grown compost or you can buy a small sack of guano at any place that sells garden stuff if you dont have a compost pile
a fist full of red wigglers (from my worm farm, or your local bait shop)

mix well, moisten, let it sit for a few days, use and enjoy. i usually catch a few wigglers to throw into the pot as well

i know thats a lot of work, especially if you live in an apartment, but you can also pop by your local plant nursery, agricultural school, a nearby farm supply store, and buy what they recommend for roses or strawberries. or failing that, you can hit any area near your crib where plants grow wild (vacant lots, wooded glens, open spaces, disused pastures, parks, etc) and jack some soil. stolen soil is usually sweeter than miracle grow.

 

[everbgreen]

Organic is important to me so that is what I go with.

 

[georgyboy]

Depending on how you are growing, organic, hempy, whatever, Should also impact your decision. Chances are the local organic mix is better than regular mg. If a 30lb bag of the organic stuff is between 8-12 dollars, it is probably pretty good. But don't just buy it because the price is right. Read the ingredients on the bag. Look for things like wormcastings, kelp meal, manure, lime, and sphagum peat moss. These are pretty basic ingredients but are good indicators of quality soil. Take a look at the dirt in the bag if you can. It should be dark in color, almost black, and should smell earthy and feel nice in your hands. It should fall apart easily in your hand.
As for the mg, I like the point Jorgo made. MG is a victim of it's availability, and newbie failures add to it's poor reputation more than anything else. I just started a grow and I am using the MG organic choice potting mix. It's only 4 dollars for the 8qt bag. Now that I think about it, the good organic garden shit from my local nursery is only 10 for 2 cubic feet, so i think it is actually cheaper than the mg. wtf. anyways, I think the MG organic will make a fine base soil for me, I've added wormcastings, kelp meal, bat guano, bone meal, rock phosphate, greensand, mushroom compost, and lime. I transplant tomorrow. If I remember I'll come back here in a couple of weeks to show the results of growing in my soil. The soil looks a little heavy, so some chunky vermiculite is probably in order too.

 

[jpockets420]

if you have to buy soil from a store other than a hydro shop go to menards if you have one buy you and buy some pro-mix ultimate organic with mycorrhizae. It is great organic soil and I swear by it. It has a sea based compost and the bio root stimulator, dolamite lime added for a stable ph and it has excellent drainage. A 1 cubic foot bag costs only $6.44. No time release nutes like miracle grow either, just good ole organics.

 

[FilthyFletch]

Miracle grow works fine. I did 2 full grows in it and did journels of both to show how well it works. Now I would only reccomend Miracle Grow Moisture control soil and try to get it from some place its stored indoors as bag dirt like this can have bugs come with it. Us ph 7 water only and a 3 gallon pot has almost enough food to do an entire grow. or a whole grow depending on how big you want plants. I was gonna put a link but of course the sites search doesnt work and I did those post back in 2008. Think one was title Fletch gets dirty 2.0..

 

[chef423]

Happy Frog! Organic! Never ever use MG!

 

[georgyboy]

If you can find potting soil by espoma it is always enriched with mychorrizal fungi. I see it in alot of home improvement stores, a little more expensive but better too. I just got a bag of it and I think I will grow one plant with it and the rest with the mg and see if there is a notable difference in soil performance or plant quality. At a local True Value store, they had the mg for 4.38 a bag and the espoma at 7.89

 

[georgyboy]

here ya go filthyman

https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/42581-fletch-gettin-dirty-2-0-a.html

 

[AnimalMother1974]

miracle grow also contains a lot of pre-compost material which plants do not crave. miracle grow is not shit, but it could really use some. particularly some worm castings, guano, and bovine/equine manure. i get good results in miracle grow potting mix after i add the right stuff, straight out of the bag it's rough on your plants, stays too wet, dries unevenly, and forms a weird parchment-like crust on the surface as it dries.

this is the mix i been using for years on all manner of potted plants, from dwarf apple trees to zinnias:

the big sack of miracle grow (1/3 cu yard), dumped in my wheelbarrow
a small sack (1 cu foot) perlite
a coffee can full of sand from a nearby river bank (used to use well rinsed beach sand when i lived by the shore)
1/2 a coffee can full of used coffee grounds
couple shovels of home grown compost or you can buy a small sack of guano at any place that sells garden stuff if you dont have a compost pile
a fist full of red wigglers (from my worm farm, or your local bait shop)

mix well, moisten, let it sit for a few days, use and enjoy. i usually catch a few wigglers to throw into the pot as well

i know thats a lot of work, especially if you live in an apartment, but you can also pop by your local plant nursery, agricultural school, a nearby farm supply store, and buy what they recommend for roses or strawberries. or failing that, you can hit any area near your crib where plants grow wild (vacant lots, wooded glens, open spaces, disused pastures, parks, etc) and jack some soil. stolen soil is usually sweeter than miracle grow.

If you can add organic material to MG potting mix and it works, in theory you can add Kellogs or some other organic soil and mix it in too. right?

 

[Dr. Who]

If you can add organic material to MG potting mix and it works, in theory you can add Kellogs or some other organic soil and mix it in too. right?

First off.
This thread is over 5 years old.
The guy you questioned, is long gone and don't come back.

Secondly: MG soil?
RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!

Any MG soil that contains X amount of "month's" of feeding......Is garbage, and formulated to fuck up cannabis plants! They admitted that in an interview when Scott's bought G&H!
Same for their fertilizer products.

Some can make those work but, It ain't worth the trouble!

They do make an organic potting soil with no extended feeding.....That could use some amending but, again. Why bother? Far better products available.

Choose wisely!