So...what's so bad about MG?

[LassChance]

People say to avoid Miracle Grow soil and fert. Why?
Reason I ask is, MG is one of the FEW products easily available in my tiny little town. I dont mind ordering ferts and paying for shipping, but soil? Jeeez. Bad enough I can only get the small bags of perlite, LOL, not to mention vermiculite.
Man...Im starting to miss City life!

Lass

 

[bombbudpuffa]

Nothing is wrong with MG products. The MG soil needs to have lime added to it and given just water for at least 3 months and the fertilizer needs to be used at about 1/8 strength but I have friends who successfully use both.

 

[blancolighter]

People get down on using MG soil, especially with the unexperienced, because it's easy to over fert with, and you can't flush out your soil when you do because of the slow release nutrients in the soil. Many also try staqrting their seeds in MG soil and the young plants just instantly wither up from too much nutes. Because these problems pop up over and over again in the Sick Plants section, many people have found it easier to say just dont use MG.

That being said, nothing is wrong with MG, you just have to be a bit careful with your plants and MG. Theres a number of experienced growers here that use MG with great results, I think pcduck is one of them maybe? Anyways, one of them will pop in here I'm sure, and when they do, check out their grow journals and I bet you could pick up a few tricks for successfull MG MJ gardening.

 

[PencilHead]

I don't know the answer to this, so I'm asking: doesn't MG make a soil without time-released nutes? Wouldn't LC be better off just getting regular potting soil without added nutes even if it was Brand X?

LC, I think the major issue people here have with MG is that it is formulated for potted plants, not pot plants.

And what Blanco said.

 

[pcduck]

I use MG soil and ferts on my outdoor grows and my candy grow:laugh:. Just follow what Bombbudpuffa said. Most the time it is not the mg soil it is what people add to it, you just need to add the right stuff at the right time.

When I am working with clones, I pretty much hammer them whenever I water with a 1 tbs/gal mg with water. I also give my plants a plenty of water when ever I water. This depends on how much rain we get. I also bury dead fish at the bottom of my bucket/hole.

Towards harvest use nutes with little or no nitrogen.

 

[Sir_Tokie]

The thing "I" don't like about Scotts/MG is the wood filler they use for their product. It's "old pallets" and these pallets carry an array of different products on them. Oils, grease, acids, chemicals ect.. And at times they leak onto the pallet and the wood soaks them in. I know they use pallets because I use to work building pallets and have hauled scrap pallets to their facility for this purpose. They have been in a few "JAMS" with EPA violations over the yrs. But they always say that their within the guide lines and they don't know how their product got contaminated. I say by using the dirty pallets. But you can grow MJ and many other plants using it you just have to be careful not to over fert. And yes they do make a soil without time released fert in it. But "I" don't use any of their product, I like to know what goes into my soil mix, with MG you just never know. Also "Blue" water belongs in the toilet not on a plant IMO. Search The Columbus Dispatch news paper archives some time and you'll find articles about Scotts/MG issues with the Ohio EPA...take care..

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Thanks Sir Tokie, I was not aware of that--it is a good thing to know.

The basic problem with any pre-nuted soil is that you really have no control over what and how many nutes your plants are getting--they are released when you water. Seedlings and clones do not need any nutes for 2-4 weeks, so as Blanco mentioned, new growers tend to kill their small plants because they are getting too many nutes.

 

[ArtVandolay]

I've been using MG but it's too strong for seedlings. I killed a bunch before Hick figured out the MG soil was the culprit. Now I germ and let them grow 2-3 weeks in plain old top soil.

As the experts mentioned, I also overfertilized my (2nd) last grow

 

[LassChance]

WQell I sure am glad I asked. I get it now.
That's why I was confused, because Ive used it for house plants and did fine. Allrighty, then...

I appreciate you guys SO much, I cant tell you. Many Blessings!

Lass

 

[astrobud]

if you have to use mg try the organic mix, go thur it and take out all the big chunks of wood, add some perlite. let them start for a week or two then graduly start adding ferts. worked ok for me but i now use fox farms ocean forest

 

[slowmo77]

i've looked all over the internet and have never been able to find anything that says that mg uses old pallets in its products. i've used mg soil and nutes and after you figure out how to use it theres no problems. it is to hot for seddlings, but once they've grown a bit they do fine in it.

no nutes till you notice yellow leaves around the bottom from nitogen dif.. when you do start nutes start out with light doses and work your way up.jmo

 

[pcduck]

I would think that the lime they add would neutralize any contaminants. But what do I know..I am :stoned:

 

[winstonwolf]

LC, I think the major issue people here have with MG is that it is formulated for potted plants, not pot plants.

Well said.

 

[Pepper]

People say to avoid Miracle Grow soil and fert. Why?
Reason I ask is, MG is one of the FEW products easily available in my tiny little town. I dont mind ordering ferts and paying for shipping, but soil? Jeeez. Bad enough I can only get the small bags of perlite, LOL, not to mention vermiculite.
Man...Im starting to miss City life!

Lass

Go hydro, simple dwc is perfect, much easier than soil, and you will never have to ask that same question again

 

[Hick]

I would think that the lime they add would neutralize any contaminants. But what do I know..I am :stoned:

I have never seen lime as an ingredient in MG.
I hope all of you mg growers can take this with a 'grain of salt', but over the years, I have used "several" different brand of soils, MG is the bottom of the barrel.. "IMO/E". I've had different bags of their soil vary as much as 2 full points on ph. I've had bags that looked to be nearlly nothing BUT wood chunks.
IMO their quality control is about as good as the Blakely, Ga., operation of Peanut Corp. of America......:hubba:

 

[Mutt]

I used MG prefert and organic as a newb. always thought wow...this is easy just add water. but the buds never tasted quite right.
Now i make my organic soilmixes. its still "just add water" and i get great yeilds for the size i grow em and the flavor is excellent.
I would put down the MG soil and read up on the different soilmixes. Plus unlike MG you can easily reuse organic soilmixes and not harming the enviro. Plus my mix is free...other mixes are cheap. much better than what MG charges for crap.

 

[slowmo77]

ya don't get me wrong, mg isn't the best soil to use. but it can be used. imho your best bet would be to find a local nursery and buy a bag of soil there. they'll have a better selection than wal mart or home depot. and it normally costs less. i've found several places around my home that carry promix, you just have to ask them for the soil they use.

 

[pcduck]

I have never seen lime as an ingredient in MG.
I hope all of you mg growers can take this with a 'grain of salt', but over the years, I have used "several" different brand of soils, MG is the bottom of the barrel.. "IMO/E". I've had different bags of their soil vary as much as 2 full points on ph. I've had bags that looked to be nearlly nothing BUT wood chunks.
IMO their quality control is about as good as the Blakely, Ga., operation of Peanut Corp. of America......:hubba:

My bad Hick, I doubled checked my bags and I read the wrong bag description. My MG soil does not have lime on the description.