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!

There's a lot of things wrong with that copy/paste from a fertilizer company that was just posted...and some things right. For the most part a plant does not know the difference between an organic or chemical fertilizer. The pathways for nutrient exchange do not care about the compounds that created the nutrient. NO3 is NO3...NH4 is NH4...and by the time it gets to the plant and it's uptake filtering...it's just N+. It is true that the compounds that create the nutrients do effect the soil, though. Excessive sodium based nutrients will de-aggregate soil, but you'd need a lot of additions without much water moving it out of the soil...this isn't an issue for many people's soil, but it is a concern (especially when used a lot, and very especially when used a lot in arid areas) to people with saline or sodic soil. Soil additions must be chosen and used correctly or it will negatively effect how nutrients move through the soil. If you dump a bunch of uncomposted organic matter in your soil, the microorganisms will tie up N and, depending on the material, release undesired tanins and phenols in the soil effecting both the soil chemistry and the nutrient availability. If you dump a bunch of chemical ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) in your soil and water it in, the N in it is available so quickly you can saturate your soil with N and at the same time spiking your pH low until the soil buffers itself...which greatly effects nutrient availability via pH and N saturation. Anything you add to the soil will effect how it "works" but there are ways to do it right without a detrimental effect on balance while adding what you need. Proper use of composted (or top-applied uncomposted) organic matter and proper use of ammonium sulfate lead to no bad issues if it's what your soil needs. Use any addition wisely...and don't ever use ammonium sulfate on acid soils unless you want to further lower your pH...I just used this as an example. "Minerals are transferred via “colloidal humus particles” found in healthy soil." Humus is only part of the equation...the mineral (non-humus/non-organic) part of the soil is as important (or more important, some would argue) since it doesn't degrade and actually holds exchangeable charges/nutrients for a much longer period of time than humus/organic fractions of the soil. Most people suggest you don't have more than 5-7% organic fraction in your soil to begin with. The mineral part of your soil, especially clay, holds a LOT of nutrient charge and practically acts as a battery keeping the nutrients available for exchange when chemical fertilizers are added or humus is being degraded by microorganisms. "Compounding the problem of not providing trace elements, chemical fertilizers also prevent the plant from absorbing them from the soil." ...this is total b/s. Also, the "flavor and nutrition" parts of the claims range from highly debatable to suspect...especially the flavor part of it. Vitamin C, Iron, Mg, and a few (mostly flavorless, but somewhat astringent on whole) anthocyanins compounds have been found in higher concentrations in organic grown food...aside from that, there's not a lot going on except marginal gains/losses compared to each other. This post was edited by nc-crn on Sun, Jun 30, 13 at 13:20

BUMPO

Hi Patti, I think it should be safe to use MiracleGro Shake N Feed without the formality of a soil analysis. Its 12-4-8 formula is not particularly strong, so it shouldn't be dangerous to apply it without a soil analysis. Just don't overdo it. Follow the directions on the label (or in the video at the link). I use several Miracle-Gro products myself on my zinnias. I prefer to use water soluble products myself, and I find that the Miracle-Gro Tomato Food works particularly well on my zinnias. It has more Magnesium than some formulas, and Magnesium is a component of chlorophyll. ZM (not associated with any product or vendor mentioned or linked)