Get the step by step to create, maintain, and enhance your own organic garden soil inside Gardenarys Soil School.
Get the step by step to create, maintain, and enhance your own organic garden soil inside Gardenarys Soil School.
Miracle-Gro is one of the most popular and widely available fertilizers on the market. Its bright blue crystalline formula is familiar to many gardeners. But is Miracle-Gro actually good for your plants? Specifically, is it high in nitrogen?
What is Miracle-Gro?
Miracle-Gro is a synthetic, water-soluble fertilizer produced by Scotts. It contains nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium – the three major nutrients plants need to grow.
The main ingredient in Miracle-Gro is urea, which provides a highly concentrated source of nitrogen Urea makes up about 45% of the nitrogen in Miracle-Gro Plant Food.
Is Miracle-Gro High in Nitrogen?
Yes, Miracle-Gro contains a very high concentration of nitrogen compared to most other fertilizers
The blue Miracle-Gro All Purpose Plant Food has a nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium ratio of 24-8-16. This means 24% of the fertilizer is nitrogen.
Other Miracle-Gro fertilizers have even higher nitrogen concentrations. For example, Miracle-Gro Bloom Booster has a 15-30-15 ratio, with 30% nitrogen.
This high nitrogen content is what makes plants grow so quickly after applying Miracle-Gro. The abundant nitrogen fuels rapid green growth and leafy expansion.
The Downsides of High Nitrogen Fertilizer
While nitrogen is crucial for healthy plant growth, too much can cause problems:
- Burning or scorching of plant roots and leaves
- Excessive, weak growth
- Increased susceptibility to diseases and pests
- Pollution when nitrogen leaches into groundwater
High levels of soluble nitrogen fertilizer can also damage soil health by destroying beneficial fungi and bacteria.
Additionally, the sodium in Miracle-Gro fertilizer can build up in soil over time. This can stress and even kill plants.
Alternatives to High Nitrogen Fertilizers
For gardeners concerned about the high nitrogen content in Miracle-Gro, there are several alternatives:
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Organic fertilizers like blood meal, fish emulsion, compost, manure, etc. These release nitrogen slowly.
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Synthetic, controlled-release fertilizers that provide a steady, low dose of nitrogen over time.
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Foliar sprays made from compost tea or liquid kelp extract. These provide microbes and minerals.
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Cover crops and green manures that naturally fix nitrogen from the air.
The key is choosing a balanced fertilizer that provides nitrogen levels plants can actually use, without overdosing. This enhances soil health and gives lasting, sustainable results.
Miracle-Gro does contain very high levels of nitrogen fertilizer, which drives fast growth but can damage soil and plants if over-applied. For best results, gardeners should use a balanced, slow-release source of nitrogen and focus on building healthy soil with organic matter. This creates the ideal environment for strong, resilient plants.
Miracle-Gro Destroys Beneficial Soil Life
Okay, this reason is really similar to the last, but I wanted to specifically focus on the microorganisms and worms that live in your soil. You might think of soil as an inanimate object, but its actually filled with life — theres an entire ecosystem living inside your garden beds. Soil organisms are responsible for breaking down organic matter, cycling through nutrients to make them more available to plants, and improving soil structure. Theyre absolutely essential for a healthy garden.
Unfortunately, harsh chemicals like ammonium and nitrates from synthetic fertilizers can destroy these microbes in a single season. Beneficial microbes that took years to colonize your soil can be wiped out with a couple doses of Miracle-Gro. Create Your Own Sustainable Soil
Get the step by step to create, maintain, and enhance your own organic garden soil inside Gardenarys Soil School.
Miracle-Gro Requires Fossil Fuels in Its Production
Another reason not to use Miracle-Gro in your garden is what it takes to make it. I mean, just look at the packaging. Its a big plastic box with more plastic inside to contain all those unnaturally blue granules that were made using fossil fuels.
Thats right. Production of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers actually requires a lot of natural gas. Even worse, urea-based fertilizers like Miracle-Gro are responsible for more than 450 million tons of CO2 released into the atmosphere each year. Thats a huge carbon footprint!
Every single part of this product costs the environment a lot, and for what?
The TRUTH About Miracle Gro
FAQ
How much nitrogen is in Miracle-Gro?
The numbers on the Miracle-Gro Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food is only for the fertilizer Analysis: 24-8-16, 24% Nitrogen – 8% Phosphate -16% Potash. Other ingredients and nutrients are listed on the product label.
Which fertilizers are high in nitrogen?
- Ammonium Sulfate 21-0-0.
- Crustacean Meal 4-0-0.
- Feather Meal 12-0-0.
- Blood Meal 13-0-0.
- Urea 46-0-0.
- Calcium Nitrate 15.5-0-0.
- Nitroform 39-0-0.
What is a better fertilizer than Miracle-Gro?
As opposed to Miracle-Gro which offers synthetic NPK (Nitrogen – N, Phosphorus – P & Potassium – K) and little else, Neptune’s Harvest products, made from fresh North Atlantic fish, contain vitamins, micro and macro nutrients, amino acids, and natural growth hormones.