Miracle grow starting mix
- Thread starter freddog23
- Start date
Cronic The Hemp Hog
Active Member
i wouldn't trust it...i'm sure it was formulated for houseplants and such. You can always test it out, do a side by side comparison and see how well it works, then post your results
Kriegs
Well-Known Member
Good answer. I've had great results with it, both as a "seed starter" and using it to cut high-nute soils down to something gentler for sensitive strains.
Adding perlite is a very good idea, though - it will pack down on you.
Early Shadow
Active Member
Idk man I tried the miracle grow organics a few years back for my first grow, And it really messed my plants up. It was great for starting them, But if you choose to use it just plan on moving it to better soil later on.....that's my suggestion at least.
Kriegs
Well-Known Member
The OP is talking seed starter - that's a diff product than MG Organic.
MGO has the same issue -- it needs perlite for drainage. That's probably what messed you up (lack of drainage).
My current grow is in a 40/40/10/10 mix of MG Organic / MG pre-ferted potting soil / perlite / mushroom compost, and blowing it out (link in sig line).
Jack in the Bud
Active Member
hey Kriegs,
On my next grow I believe I'm going to put 2 or 3 plants in MG Organic (with extra perlite and some vermiculite) with that pocket of seed starting mix like you're doing. I like the sound of that idea.
I started out learning to grow in nothing but that regular MG potting soil. And while they were far from being the best grows I've had I now know that there were lots of other things that I didn't have dialed in as best I could.
While I'm not going to claim that MG potting soils are the best thing you can grow in I've got a sneaky suspecion that a lot of the folks who have strong opinions against it; because they got bad results with it, were probably making some other serious mistakes that the soil had nothing to do with.
I totally agree with you that the MG potting soils do need some more perlite in them because they do tend to pack down a little to tight by the end of a grow.
Jack
Kriegs
Well-Known Member
Yeah.. last year, I went straight MG pre-ferted potting soil start to finish. Worked out okay, but would've been better had I put a little more creativity into it.
A lot of people hate MG because it's a mega-corporation, not because of results (can't talk them down). Those who quibble with it on results just aren't thinking thru the needs of the plant at different stages, or have other issues (incorrect watering, lighting, temps, etc) that they pin on the soil instead. That has included me at times.
One thing: forget the "pocket" idea I suggested earlier. The roots grow past that in a couple, few days. I would also skip the vermiculite -- it holds water, and conflicts with the purpose of perlite (drainage). The MG pre-fert potting soil ("feeds for 3 months" stuff) is the only product in their line that I think has enough perlite / drainage right out of the bag.
MG pre-fert, MGO and the seed starter are all great products. You just have to think about what is overkill, and what is missing in each. The pre-fert soils are too strong for most MJ in early growth. My superskunks didn't like it at all early on, but loved it once they grew out a bit. Next time around, I mixed up a 40/40/20 MG seed starter/MGO/ perlite mix and they just went apeshit - loved it (that's what I'd recommend starting seeds in). I then transplated into the mix I described just one post ago - a little stronger. Now, they're loving that.
It's great stuff, it's cheap, and effective. I've done a lot of playing around with their different products this time around, and I'm finding some very effective mixes for diff plant stages (check link for details, photos, etc.).
im pretty new to growing. i started other plants with this stuff and had pretty good results. Ive also tried miracle grow organic not good at alll. has so much bark in it and is to heavy for seed starting. i germinated the seeds before i put them in soil and they still didnt grow. i should have just got the starting mix again. the first time i grew in the starting mix i didnt even have to germinate the seeds and they were okay. dont try that with miracle grow organic soil. idk i wish i would have never bought it. ill post my results with the starting mix..
sin semilla
Member
I cant help you with the MG seed starter, I have never used it. What I can say is do not use the MGO.
MGO will worked fine for me for like 2.5 weeks. I started from seed. Now my oldest plant which is 4 weeks is haveing problem. like stated there are some other factors than just the MGO happening. Im about about to transplant into a new medium. It is very compacted like stated before, I didnt add any perlite....opps.
If I could replant them, id use a diffrent medium. MGO's NPK is very low. and the Ph is whacky. Its a poor choice. stay clear just my nooby 2 cents.
MGO will worked fine for me for like 2.5 weeks. I started from seed. Now my oldest plant which is 4 weeks is haveing problem. like stated there are some other factors than just the MGO happening. Im about about to transplant into a new medium. It is very compacted like stated before, I didnt add any perlite....opps.
If I could replant them, id use a diffrent medium. MGO's NPK is very low. and the Ph is whacky. Its a poor choice. stay clear just my nooby 2 cents.
Jack in the Bud
Active Member
Kriegs,
A couple months back UB posted a recommendation for a potting soil mix that I went with this time. It contained equal parts of both perlite and vermiculite. And I've gotta say I'm really likeing both it's drainage and water holding characteristics.
At the time I made this mix up I did some reading up on vermiculite in Wikipedia. The big thing about it that I recall was that it was suppose to help with cation exchange in the root zone.
Being as you're a lab rat you probably have a better understanding of what all that means than I do. If you get a chance to give that a read please let me know what you think about it.
Jack
Kriegs
Well-Known Member
Well, I'd take UB's word over mine any time. I guess I'd think about it in terms of how you manage your plants. If you have to travel or can't see them daily sometimes, some extra water holding might be handy. As long as you add it sparingly - that's where I've seen problems.
Cation exchange is most important in soils where the inherent soil nutrition is the primary source of cations and buffers, like agricultural soils that are used year after year and tilled. When we have growers around who can add things like dolomite and micros, and water to runoff to remove excess H+, it's less necessary. But heck, a little vermiculite with CE won't hurt, for sure.