Is Miracle Grow Fertilizer alright?
tomatoes4ever
17 years ago
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17 years agolast modified: 9 years agoyardenman
17 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Miracle Grow Expand and Grow
Comments (3)I'd say that particular study puts coir in a light that's something less than favorable - at least for the plants included in the study. I've done several side by side tests with some lose controls in place, using a variety of cuttings in coir vs peat and CHCs vs pine bark, and have always been disappointed with the coconut products results. Here is something I wrote on a reply to a thread back in '07 about coir and CHCs. It's interesting how closely the study mirrors my comments, or the other way around, if you prefer. I'm sure that part of it may come from the fact that I have the text by Handrek & Black on soilless media (it's a very good one) they referred to and may have referenced it while I was writing. At any rate, here is what I wrote: Generally, commercial ops try to keep coir to less than a 10% fraction of the o/a mix because of its high pH, salinity, and high K content. If you're intent on using a more significant fraction, you might wish to eliminate half or all of the lime and substitute gypsum for the portion of lime not used. FWIW - I think people are being sold a bill of goods on that whole 'peat/sustainability' thing. Some things I've offered before on peat vs coir and the sustainability of peat: Sphagnum peat and coir have nearly identical water retention curves. They both retain about 90-95% of their volume in water at saturation and release it over approximately the same curve until they both lock water up so tightly it's unavailable for plant uptake at about 30-33% saturation. Coir actually has less loft than sphagnum peat, and therefore, less aeration. Because of this propensity, coir should be used in mixes at lower %s than peat. Because of the tendency to compact, in the greenhouse industry, coir is primarily used in containers in sub-irrigation (bottom-watering) situations. Many sources produce coir that is high in soluble salts, so this can also be an issue. Using coir as the primary component of container media virtually eliminates lime or dolomitic lime as a possible Ca source because of coir's high pH (6+). Gypsum should be used as a Ca source, which eliminates coir's low S content. All coir products are very high in K, very low in Ca, and have a potentially high Mn content, which can interfere with the uptake of Fe. I have done some testing of coir and CHCs (coconut husk chips) with some loose controls in place. After very thoroughly leaching and rinsing the chips, I made a 5:1:1 soil of pine bark:peat:perlite (which I know to be very productive) and a 5:1:1 mix of CHCs:peat:perlite. I planted 6 cuttings of snapdragon and 6 cuttings of Coleus (each from the same plant to help reduce genetic influences) in containers (same size/shape) of the different soils. I added dolomitic lime to the bark soil and gypsum to the CHC soil. After the cuttings struck, I eliminated all but the three strongest in each of the 4 containers. I watered each container with a weak solution of MG 12-4-8 with STEM added at each watering, and watered on an 'as needed basis', not on a schedule. The only difference in the fertilizer regimen was the fact that I included a small amount of MgSO4 (Epsom salts) to provide MG (the dolomitic lime in the bark soil contained the MG, while the gypsum (CaSO4) in the CHC soil did not. This difference was necessary because or the high pH of CHCs and coir.) for the CHC soil. The results were startling. In both cases, the cuttings grown in the CHC's exhibited only about 1/2 the biomass at summers end as the plants in the bark mix. I just find it very difficult for a solid case to be made (besides "It works for me") for the use of coir or CHC's. They're more expensive and more difficult to use effectively. The fact that some believe peat is in short supply (no where near true, btw) is easily offset by the effect of the carbon footprint of coir in its trek to the US from Sri Lanka or other exotic locales. That's the view from here. YMMV All that aside, I think you'd be much better served if you were looking toward a soil primarily comprised of particles larger than either peat or coir. Something pine/fir bark-based, or something based on larger inorganic particles like Turface, perlite, crushed granite, scoria, calcined DE, Haydite ......, all in appropriate sizes, would serve you better than the water-retentive medium you're considering. Al...See MoreMiracle Grow Fertilizer Spikes for Citrus Trees
Comments (4)Leona, where do you live? I don't know what FTW stands for. sorry. I don't care for citrus or any other plant sticks. They're okay as a last feeding in Oct, but other than that I wouldn't count on them..One reason is they only fertilize the area you stick them in..the fertilizer doesn't permeate around the whole root ball. If it's winter there, they will be okay, but I'd use regular plant food in summer. If you can't find Citrus food, Azalia food does wonders..Toni...See MoreExperiments with VF-11,SuperThrive,Miracle Grow
Comments (12)Listen, guys, here is the deal. I am not in any way saying that VF-11 is no good. It is good, but is NOT A MIRACLE. It has all the right stuff. Just like many fertilizers. There is no such thing as "immediate" results. Another thing is, what makes a flowering plant bloom is plenty of real light, sunshine; fertilizer that is high in second and third number on a bottle (0.01-0.3-0.7 for example) high-phosphorus fertilizer. SuperThrive is a hormone that might help your plants grow a bit faster. It helped mine. Another thing with SuperThrive, it is not a MIRACALE. No "one drop per gallon" stuff! I use a teaspoon a gallon and that seems to work. Another thing, Hoyas come from all over the world. Some like it hot and sunny, and some like it shady. They are (most of them) considered succulents. If you are really into giving them what they want, check out where your particular Hoya came from originally (I do not mean nursery in Chicago). If it is originated in Thailand, you can check what climate it is there and try to simulate the climate yourself. But it is too much work. I grow my Hoyas under special florescent lights and they are doing fine. This is what I have learned from reading books, and talking to people: You want them to grow use hormone filled fertilizer. Fertilizers with high amount of nitrogen will produce rapid but week growth. You want them to bloom use High-Phosphorus one. Take your Hoyas outside in a nice, sunny day. Do not over-spray Hoyas-Wet leaves mean fungus. Again, none of this is a "rule of thumb", but this is what helped me to take care of my plants. Common sense, knowledge of your plant origins, and some knowledge of a plant structure and function (botany stuff) is what you need to make any plant happy1...See MoreHow quickly is miracle grow absorbed.
Comments (36)korney19, thank you for providing the link. It looks like they have a pretty complete database and I will keep that link for future reference. It's always good to have information like that. Quote: self-proclaimed OGers are not truly OGers! I realize that is a small part of what you said. I would like to point out that Espoma does not say garden tone is an organic product. (again...I never used it) The packaging states "Rich in Natural Organics". I would agree with you that this product is not 100% organic. It is a tough distinction though, and I think some of your comments are a little harsh on OGers. The government does a very good job of giving loop-holes in advertising of organic products. There is a distinction between 100 percent organic, organic, and made with organic ingredients. (See USDA organic program) Products labeled organic are only required to be 95% organic. Someone purchasing a product labeled organic probably doesn't know that it is not 100% organic. Take what you want from that, but the government doesn't think organic is 100%. But, that's why we have open forums so we can help eachother find information. I'm rambling, but anyway, I realize your frustration is more aimed towards your discussion with kubotabx2200 (and I see it's not the first time), but please be carefull with your generalization and steriotyping of all OGers. Espoma does have some good organic products. I'm not trying to be hard on them or anyone else. But, they do not claim that garden tone/plant tone is an organic product. I'm done rambling now :)...See Morececilsgarden
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