BB, Lots of good nitrogen fertilizer info in that article. "Would that mean I cut it 240 to 1? 120000 ppm / 500 = 240. ex: 1 oz to 1.875 gallons " No, the 240 to 1 is on a mass basis. We need to convert that to a volume basis. Fertilizer labels, such as 12-4-8, refer to weight measures. And PPM usually refers to a weight basis as well. However, when we dilute our plant nutrients, we almost always do it on a volume basis. Scott's liquid product is probably somewhat denser than water. A gallon contains 128 fluid ounces and 1.875 x 128 = 240, but we need to convert to a mass basis to get the PPM right. We need the product density to convert volume to mass and vice versa. In other words, we need to know the specific gravity (density) of the liquid product. Its specific gravity is probably somewhat greater than 1. Water weighs about 8.3 pounds per gallon, so for the sake of argument, lets say that the liquid fertilizer weighs about 9 pounds per gallon. The label indicates it is 12% N, so 9 x .12 = 1.08 lbs N per gallon. Let's say you want to add 1 oz of LiquaFeed to G gallons of water and wind up with 500 PPM of nitrogen in the solution. That ounce contains 1/128 gal x 9 lb LiquaFeed/gal x .12 lb N / lb LF = 1.08/128 lb N = .0084375 lb N. We add that to G gallons of water to get .0005 lb N/ lb water. .0084375 lb N / ( G gallons x 8.3 lb/gal ) = .0005 N / lb water Solving that equation for G, G= .0084357 / (8.3 x .0005) Hence G is about 2.03 gallons. That's not too far from your 1.875 gallons, but it does take into account the fact that the PPM is on a weight basis. For a more accurate number, you would use the actual weight of one gallon of LiquaFeed, instead of the 9 lb/gal estimate that was used above. And in the calculations above, we neglected the amount of water in the 1 ounce of LiquaFeed. To be really exact, we would take that into account in the algebra. And we would use a more exact number than 8.3 pounds per gallon of water. But we are in the right neighborhood for the dilution if you plan to use Miracle-Gro LiquaFeed. You might want to check my math. I am a little rusty in that area. Other areas too, but we won't go into that. In your first message, you said "I contacted Miracle Gro (Scotts) about the PPM of Nitrogen in their Liquid fertilizer." Are you talking about their LiquaFeed product? I think that is probably the one that the MSDS I linked to referred to. Their LiquaFeed system is convenient, but not cost effective in my opinion. If you go down to the bottom of the page I just linked to, you will see a hose-end feeder that you simply screw a jar of solid Miracle-Gro into. I am not recommending that hose-end feeder (notice that it got low user ratings), but I am recommending the use of solid Miracle-Gro products as giving you more "bang for the buck". Also, the solid Miracle-Gro products (outdoors I use Miracle-Gro Tomato Food (18-18-21) for its higher magnesium content) also contain the trace element copper. The LiquFeed product apparently lacks both magnesium and copper. If you have copper plumbing, you may not need the copper, and some water supplies may already have some magnesium. But in our rural environment I need both, and my zinnias develop boron deficiency symptoms unless I add a trace of boron (in the form of boric acid) to the nutrient mix. I also grow zinnias and other plants indoors, which requires that I use urea-free nutrients that contain all of the trace elements, including boron and molybdenum and I have to supply calcium indoors -- I use calcium nitrate. Plants actually need a fair amount of calcium. Incidentally, although plants can live without silicon, they actually benefit from it in several ways. Rice growers usually include a considerable amount of soluble silicon in their fertilizers for stem strength. I use liquid potassium silicate concentrate to provide soluble silicon. ZM

I've been gardening now in my home for 27 years and can only go by my experience, but I don't have problems with MG potting mix causing any problems in my gardens. When first dug, as there where no gardens anywhere on the acre of land we purchased with our home, I added plenty of peat, humous and top soil to the gardens. Kept turning them over and over and planted a few annuals the first year. As my gardens expanded to many different ones, I would put a handful of MG potting mix in the hole when the seedlings went in the ground. I always fertilized with MG fertilizer. My container pots got miracle grow potting mix in them and at the end of the season, the soil went into a compost area for next season. In the spring it was loaded with worms etc. I would mix the compost and MG soil in the containers and use the MG potting mix when planting in the gardens and the MG fertilizer for the plants. All of my flower and veggie beds are covered with bark mulch purchased by cubic yards from a local nursery and it decays over time into the soil. 4 years ago, I started WS seeds and used MG potting mix in all my containers to start the seeds and have had at least 90% germination every year. What ever didn't germinate went into a "let's see what happens" bed and some seeds have germinated in the area. I just let mother nature water them and see what happens. As I have dug out these seedlings do transplant I have found many, many earth worms in the soil there that is mostly sand and MG potting mix. This past fall, I wasn't in the best of health as I was emptying my containers of soil for the winter and decided to just dump the soil in left over plastic bags that had held the many cubic feet of MG potting mix I had purchased. I left the soil in the bags in the back of the house all winter. They where covered in snow, rained on, sleet, ice etc. Typical stuff for winter in New England. I hoped that the sun and heat within the bags would make a compost that was fairly good to use. Well, Saturday I decided to check the soil and see what had happened to it. Hubby dumped one of the bags that was almost full, making it about 2 cubic feet of soil, into a lawn cart. It smelled rich and much like a compost and it was full of earth worms. At least 30 of them in that one bag. Based on what I found in just 1 bag out of 4 of them, I fail to see how the MG soil is such a problem to the ground and gardens that we have. If, as you say, the MG potting mix would deplete the soil of good nutrients and not good for the soil, how is it that I have a bags of it left outside and they are full of earthworms, smells like compost and looks rich and healthy. I have had my soil tested many times in the areas of my gardens and the soil has always been good for my plants and that's with use of MG fertilizer. Now my lawns are another story, but I just keep digging up more and more of it as I think beautiful green lawns are a waste of time and money. New England weather does not produce perfect green lawns unless lots of chemical stuff and water is used. I prefer to have beautiful gardens instead. The only pesticide I have ever used is roundup on poison ivy and I don't like to use it but have no choice. My daughter is anaphylactly allergic to the stuff and when she was young, almost died twice from contact with it. My gardens are full of healthy beneficial insects, butterflies, birds etc. The only insects I gave up on dealing with is the red lily leaf beatle. When that problem became an hourly pick off the things, I pulled out all my lilies and got rid of them. Too many other beautiful plants to put in the ground without dealing with them. I recycle everything we possibly can, separating for the recycle pick up. For WS, we use only the recylces that are deep enough. My plastic bags are on their 4th year of use and still appear to be able to reuse another year, as are most of my containers. The ones we can't use, will go in the recycle bin. I use styrofoam cups for plant swaps and ask that the cups be returned for use in follow up years and they have been. The ones I use for starting seeds in, are in their 4th year of use right now and still in good shape for another year. When they can't be used anymore for seeds, I will break them up and use them in the bottom of containers for drainage. Personally, I think there are many more concerns for our gardens than he worry about MG soil. Bees disappeared from my gardens until the neighbors moved. They had to have a perfect lawn and the chemicals the lawn company used kept the bees away. Now they are gone and the insects are back. The attitude the public has "a little bit is good so a lot is better", is the dangerous thing. The products that are sold to the public and used for everything under the sun are a much bigger concern. The aim for a perfect lawn and all Scotts perfect lawn method is far more serious than MG soil problems, if they exist. It's improper use of chemicals that is the real problem. Just wish they could come up with a way to eradicate the misquito. that one serves no purpose and their bite can kill people. Like a student in high school that was a student of my daughter. That scares me a lot. Not MG potting mix. Fran

There are as many different opinions on fertilizer, it seems. A guy I know grows tremendous trees says it really doesn't matter too much what you use as long as you follow package directions. He says that the flushing type watering we do removes the excess, unused portion. I tend to follow his advice, and have no problems to report. There are many specialty fertilizers and techniques out there that I think us novices need not worry about. ez

I use Foliage Pro 936 on everything from mesembs to caudiciforms. But I don't like vigorous shapeless growth so I use it in a very dilute solution of about 3 drops to a gallon even though all my plants are in one form of gritty mix or the other. Adeniums are a little different---they complain when underfed (leaves start to discolor) so they get more, plus I give them 7-7-7 after they start budding or they start being miserable and the buds tend to abort. I say "tend" because some adeniums just go about their business whether you feed them or not, as long as they're hot. At the rate I'm using it, I don't think I'll go through my 32-oz container of FP until the zombie apocalypse.