Miracle-Gro is one of the most popular choices for avid gardeners looking to boost their outside space. While commercial products can often help, there are many reasons why you should avoid using Miracle-Gro Soil for your space: here are 17 of them.
It Contains Synthetic Chemicals
In order for it to do its job, Miracle-Gro contains synthetic fertilizers – and while fertilization can be the desired effect, it’s often more harmful than beneficial to organisms in your soil. These chemicals can lead to bigger problems over time, including nutrient imbalances and soil pollution.
It’s More of a ‘Quick Fix’
Another reason to avoid this is that Miracle-Gro is more of a quick fix than having any long-term beneficial effects. It provides a suitable nutrient boost, but in the long term, it’s not a solution for overall soil health. It can also cause your soil to degrade over time if you constantly use it.
It Might Cause Over-Fertilization
In a tragic case of ‘too much of a good thing’, you might actually fertilize your garden too much by using Miracle-Gro. Its high nutrient concentration means you might be giving your plants a dangerous amount. Signs of over-fertilization, according to Homes & Gardens, include leaf discoloration and stunted growth.
It Has a Negative Environmental Impact
You might also want to avoid using Miracle-Gro due to its negative environmental impact, which includes both its manufacturing and use. Producing synthetic fertilizers means excess energy consumption and carbon emissions, and using them may also harm local ecosystems.
It May Harm Insects and Microbes
Using Miracle-Gro may also harm insects and microbes that are actually beneficial to your garden, including bees and earthworms. Synthetic chemicals can disrupt the natural balance and risk killing them, negatively impacting your garden’s biodiversity.
Miracle-Gro Contains Peat Moss
Peat Moss is often used to keep moisture in the soil and is also an ingredient in Miracle-Gro. However, it’s been known to damage ecosystems through its extraction, not to mention the acidic properties posing a risk to grass and earthworms. There are many better options for peat moss, including coconut coir.
Plants May Become Dependent on It
You might also want to avoid Miracle-Gro if you don’t want your garden to become addicted to chemicals! Over-use of this product means that plants may come to depend on synthetic fertilizers, so much so they’ll suffer if you stop using it and will likely fail to thrive in naturally fertile soil.
It Lacks Organic Matter
Healthy soil in your garden requires organic matter, which Miracle-Gro Soil often lacks. Organic matter is needed for your plants to retain water and develop roots in the soil. If you’re using Miracle-Gro, you might be hindering your soil’s ability to provide the right environment.
It Isn’t Suitable if You Want an Organic Garden
The synthetic fertilizers and chemicals in Miracle-Gro are also unsuitable for organic gardens and produce. But while organic gardening means you don’t use synthetic fertilizers, it doesn’t mean you can’t use other tools to bolster plant health, says Good Housekeeping, including natural bacteria that deter pests.
Miracle-Gro Risks Buildup of Salt
Another reason to avoid Miracle-Gro is that it can often lead to high salt buildup in your soil, which can damage plant roots and negatively impact water retention. Over time, this salt buildup will damage your soil’s quality, so the more you use Miracle-Gro, the more this will happen.
It’s Expensive
Using Miracle-Gro Soil is often not a one-time thing, as you’ll need to keep using it if you want the same conditions for your garden. This inevitably turns into a high-cost commitment over time. Your money can be better used on sustainable ways to improve soil health from the very beginning.
Underlying Soil Problems Can Go Unnoticed
If your soil has root fertility issues or other problems, using Miracle-Gro is only going to mask what’s really going on, meaning you’ll be covering up the issue rather than fixing it. This can also escalate to neglecting soil testing and failing to improve simply by depending on Miracle-Gro too much.
There Are Potential Health Concerns from the Chemicals
RHS discusses how using chemicals in your garden means that you have to think about protecting children and wildlife, as well as any pets. As Miracle-Gro Soil contains chemicals, you’re constantly exposing yourself to the risks of harmful substances every time you use it.
Miracle-Gro Provides Limited Nutrients
Additionally, a reason to avoid using Miracle-Gro is that it might not be providing as many nutrients as you think. Synthetic fertilizers are known for providing a limited amount of nutrients, meaning natural fertilizers are the preferable choice if you want your soil to have balanced nutrition.
It Contains Non-Biodegradable Ingredients
Miracle-Gro products have also been known to contain non-biodegradable ingredients, which is bad news for avoiding soil and water pollution over time. These non-biodegradable ingredients mean that you can’t hope for a more sustainable and eco-friendly garden while you’re using this product.
It Negatively Impacts Soil pH Levels
The pH of your soil “can make or break the health of everything growing”, says The Spruce, which is why it’s so important to maintain the right balance. Unfortunately, synthetic fertilizers, like those in Miracle-Gro, can disrupt the correct pH balance, so you’ll want to avoid it.
It Isn’t Sustainable
Ultimately, one of the biggest reasons to avoid using Miracle-Gro Soil is that it simply isn’t sustainable. If you’re looking for a healthy and stable garden in the long term, this product will be inferior to organic gardening methods and more eco-friendly products.
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