How to do the math. Dissolve 10 TBSP Miracle grow in 10ounces of water ( which equals 1 TBSP miracle grow to 1 ounce of water). (use hot water to make it dissolve easier. If you want to spray at a rate 1 tbsp/ gallon of water, Simply set the dial to 1 ounce /gallon- which will be 1 TBSP/gallon of sprayer output. whatever you set the dial to will equal that amount of miracle grow per gallon. Should you have the good fortune to speak to the Miracle Grow people, tell them to call me, if they can handle 3rd grade Math, I should be able to teach them how to use their product. If not I have holes that need digging!

Irene, I'd like to send you a personal message, but your settings don't allow. Maybe you'd consider sending me your email addy in a Houzz message? Sometimes explanations get lost in the back and forth between people with different viewpoints, but the fact is, soils with a large % of fine particles are always going to pose limitations that result from too much water retention. Even though that fact is carved in stone and can't be argued (because it's governed by predictable laws of physics), there are those very few that insist on arguing the point over and over. Any roots existing within the perched water column will be deprived of O2 for the duration of the saturation. I made that last period bold, but you probably didn't even notice. ;-) The question isn't whether geography or hot dry hurricane windy conditions lift the limitation imposed by the saturation, they don't; the only question is, "How long will the limitations last". In many cases, the answer is measured in weeks, in some cases, in days. A good guess about how a soil like Mg amended with some bark & perlite (let's say 5 parts soil, 1 part perlite, and 1 part pine bark) performs might go like this: Day 1, grower waters established houseplants heavily, to beyond saturation, so water exits the drain. At that point, limitations are most severe. Day 2-5, the degree of limitation gradually decreases until day 5 when the soil is reasonably well aerated and the plant is pouring energy into replacing the fine roots killed by the soggy conditions. Day 5-6, The plant has grown at it's best these 2 days because the soil is moist and about as well aerated as it can be. Almost all the roots killed by saturation have been replaced at a considerable cost in terms of energy outlay. The plant is pretty happy, but the soil is now becoming too dry for the plant to efficiently take up water and the nutrients dissolved in water. It's on the verge of suffering drought stress. Day 7, the grower waters, cycle begins anew. That isn't an exaggeration. It describes a soil that needs weekly watering. Now, a soil in a soil that holds little perched water. The soil is based on a very high % of coarse material (pine bark, perlite, peat or a water retentive bagged soil). NOTE that the ingredients are the very same ingredients as the soil discussed immediately above. The ONLY difference is the ratio of ingredients used. Day 1, grower waters established houseplants heavily, to beyond saturation, so water exits the drain. At that point, limitations are most severe, but still minimal because the soil is designed so the ht of the perched water column and saturation is minimal. Day 2, Perched water is gone, the plant is enjoying a well-aerated soil from top to bottom. Fungus gnats on notice to find more favorable accommodations. This continues until day 4 or 5. Day 4 or 5, fungus gnats have sent out scouts. Other's making preparations to leave this God forsaken place. Plant still happy, but need to water growing imminent. Day 5, grower waters & cycle begins anew. The only price paid for the second scenario is the need to water more often. The first soil was 'amended' with pine bark and perlite, so those would have been on hand anyway. Some might say I'm not going to water 100 plants every 4th, third, every other, or even every day. That's fine, but that convenience demands a soil with enough water retention to get you through whatever interval is desired by the grower. The grower might like the respite from frequent watering, but the plant won't. Convenience very often comes at a price to the plant. That's not judgmental, it's simply how things work. The gritty mix you mentioned holds no perched water if made correctly, so plants are happy from watering time until such time they need another watering. Again, because we've moved away from a perched water table entirely, the need to water the gritty mix comes more frequently than say the 5:1:1 mix, and much more frequently than a soil like you're using. It's also sometimes a challenge to find the exact ingredients, but because the gritty mix recipe I offer as a starting point is nothing more than 1 way to embody a concept, it can be worked around fairly easily. I'll watch for a message with your address. Al

Well, it's not that they don't like chemical fertilizers, it's that the mediterranean herbs, oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme like the soil leaner... their flavor will be better if they struggle some. I wouldn't really feed them more than once a season. The basil and lemon grass will take more feedings.

I used the Jiffy mix (bought at WalMart) to start my seeds in. I purchased some VERY small tomato seedlings in Jan (We're talking 3" at the very most), when I knew absolutely nothing about what I was doing, and put them in the MG organic potting mix in containers outside, and kept them outside in some pretty chilly temps. (You may have seen some of my previous posts on this.) To my surprise, they are doing well. (They had a few unhappy days, but have since perked back up.) I bring them inside when the temps fall below 40 at night, but otherwise, they stay out and are growing. (We'll see how they produce in comparison to my other plants) I realize this doesn't answer your question about starting your seeds in the MG Organic mix, but it does at least give you some perspective as to how well some very small seedlings worked in that medium. : )