Is Miracle Grow worth the time and money? When to start using it? What are some other ways to fertilize plants?

Answer #1 · Maple Tree's Answer · Hi Josh-It is my opinion that there are better fertilizers I have found than the Miracle Gro products. Personally I do not use any of the Miracle Gro products. I realize it is probably the most used fertilizer by gardeners but this may be because they advertise heavily and sell a lot of bags at the big box stores. The fact that I see very little or no Miracle Gro products at the better nurseries and garden centers made me believe there may be better products to use. I very seldom use any liquid fertilizers for plants other than some house plants. You have to be careful not to burn plants with liquid or quick release fertilizers as they can release too much soluble nitrogen fairly quickly if not mixed properly. The other problem is that they don't last and are usually leached below the plants root system after just a couple of waterings. If I'm not mistaken Miracle Gro might still recommend applications every 7 to 14 days. With my poor memory this would mean I would have to keep a running log of all my fertilization throughout my gardens continually. I would rather put the time into enjoying my gardens and not worring about when was the last time I fertilized.

Because its easy to over fertilize and burn plants with quick release fertilizers I always use a granular time-release fertilizer such as Dynamite or Osmocote. I use osmocote mainly as I have had very good results with it on all my shrubs, trees, and groundcovers. I never have to worry about burning even new plants as it is a controlled release fertilizer and I know my plants will be continually feed for at least 4 months. These slow release fertiilizers not only don't burn plants but they are less harmful to soil beneficial micro organisms. Ferti-Lome is another product that has worked well for me with a time release nitrogen content and can be found in quality nurseries as a general feeding product or has fertilizers formulated for evergreens, acid loving plants, trees, palms, etc.. Many gardeners are going to all organic gardening now and like to fertilize organically. Unlike chemical fertilizers they contain very little salts and chemical residue to build up in the soil. This is especially helpful with potted plants. There are several good organic fertilizers available at your better nuseries and garden centers. Organic fertilizers unlike chemical fertilizers add organic material with natural nutrients that richen the soil. Most plants growing in nutrient rich soil actually need very little to no supplimental fertilization. As Brent Wilson has said, "feed the soil and not your plants. Synthietic fertilizers feed the plants and natural and organic plant food feeds the soil". Organic fertilizers stay in the soil and natually feed plants continually. A good ferilizer to use is Milorganite. Milorganite contains 85% organic matter, which promotes beneficial microbial activity and improves the soil’s ability to grow and sustain grass and plants. Because it doesn’t leach out of the soil, it is ideal for sandy soils. E. B. Stone is another organic product I see a lot in the better nurseries and have heard many have had good results with. I myself haven't used it. I noted a link below to an article in Gardenality that is a review of Milorganite that may be interesting to you. There are more fertilizer products available than you and I could count and you could go crazy trying all of them to see which may work best for you. There are also just as many factors that determine how effective they may be on a plant such as type of soil, type of plant, soil pH, soil moisture, and others. For this reason you can't go wrong listening to the professional at your local quality nurseries and garden centers, not the box stores, for advice regarding fertilization time and appropriate fertilizer for your specific need. Better quality nurseries will carry quality products made up of quality levels of nutrients and you might be surprised to find these products are the same price if not just a little more expensive than a lesser quality fertilizer elsewhere.

Organic fertilizers can be applied anytime of the year as they are always present in the soil and their slow releasing of nutrients will not burn even newly planted plants. Depending on the plant you are fertilizing will determine when and what type of fertilizer to use. You can search Gardenality plant files to find information regarding the fertilization of a particular plant by using the 'Plants' tab or search box above any page and typing in the plants name. There are many aticles with information regarding the fertiliztion of specific plants, ornamental and fruiting shrubs, vines, and trees you can find under the 'Articles' tab above when typing in the word Fertilize in the search box. Many of us gardeners have found using a well ballanced slow release general fertilizer throughout our gardens usually satisfies the nutrient needs of most plants.

I noted some links below to aricles in Gardenality on Fertiliztion that may be interesting and helpful to you.

http://www.gardenality.com/Articles/859/Reviews/Product-Reviews/Milorganite-Fertilizer/default.html

http://www.gardenality.com/Articles/496/How-To-Info/Fertilizing/How-To-Fertilize-Perennial-Plants/default.html

http://www.gardenality.com/Articles/92/How-To-Info/Fertilizing/How-To-Fertilize-Shrubs-And-Trees/default.html

http://www.gardenality.com/Articles/102/How-To-Info/Fertilizing/How-To-Fertilize-Groundcover-Plants/default.html

Hopefully this has helped with answering your question. Possibly other members will help in giving you other chemical or organic fertilizers that they feel have been helpful in keeping their plants healthy.

John)