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!

I've had mixed success with MGMC potting mix. After moving to AZ to be near my aging parents I decided to start a container garden in my backyard. I thought herbs would be the easiest way to start and in March I bought a variety of herbs and potted them in self-watering pots. They grew at an astounding rate (especially the Basil). After a couple of weeks I decided to expand by getting larger pots and buying a variety of Peppers and Eggplant. In addition to the Basil (and Mint) loving the MGMC soil, it seems like the Eggplant loves it as well. I was a little worried that the Eggplant did not seem to grow very much in April, but when the night temperatures consistently started getting over 60 degrees in May, it started taking off and flowering/fruiting. Because of the MGMC I only have to water them every other day at most, even when the temperatures hit 112 degrees. And they are producing quite nicely. The problem seems to be with the Peppers. I found that Peppers don't like "wet feet" and the combination of the water retention in MGMC and watering from the bottom with the self-watering pots was not good for the plants. When they started wilting AFTER watering I realized I was drowning them and the roots were rotting. I lost a couple of Pepper plants (the Bell Peppers) although the smaller hot pepper plants seem to be slowly recovering. And all this energy they are using to recover obviously makes pepper production a no-go. Next year I will forego the MGMC for pepper plants (I kinda have to keep the self-watering pots due to the expense but I no longer water from the bottom with Peppers), but will continue to use it for herbs and eggplant.

This adding vinegar to your tap water---of course, you have the water tested for its alkalinity. And the degree of alkalinity of the water by volume, is well known by yourself and thus, are able to add the proper amount of acidness to bring it into line. The water---from a well is it....and the well water is regularly tested. Peat and perlite would be an ideal mix for starting young plants and seeds....but not for a houseplant that you would wish would hold some moisture for the roots while giving good drainage qualities. Making your own soil has merits if it is sterilized. Going about to sterilize peat moss/perlite is not called for. Potting soil and potting mixes are so inexpensive that trying something out when you don't really know what benefits it is saving, is really not worth it. If you have questions about a product, coming into a garden chat room, no matter what trust you put in any of its members, is of questionable value.....the place you should be asking about any product is the maker...in this case Scott's Corporation. Scott's is at your door about any of its products and can better give assurance of how it is being used. You must have had some inkling of trust when you bought it and had something in mind about how you were going to use it. Did the package outline any uses the contents were explicitly for? What made you think it was for what you had in mind. Forget what the product has in it, or what it doesn't have. For your own peace of mind, contact Scott's....and tell them of your concerns.

The recommendation for no fertilizer at the time of planting is usually due to two things: people overdo it and burn the roots; or it's helpful to get the roots "searching" for nutrients so that they'll grow out and get well established. A weak solution of blue water won't cause the problems with the first reason, and for reason number two, you're not establishing the root system while it's soaking... you're simply getting the root system started. Blue water is often used for foliar feeding. It won't burn foliage. And if there are no roots, you're not going to burn them. But again, I'm just speculating. It doesn't sound like a bad idea, to me. I'll do some trials and see what happens.