Comparing root growth Miracle Grow vs Compost vs Pro-Mix. The Results may surprise you!
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- Part two of seed starting medium comparisons. Find out which of the three did the best. Also check out part one of this experiment to see the initial plant check outs.
link to first video. • Compost as potting soi...
Neat experiment! Thanks for following up and showing the roots. I’m thinking of things I may try to play around with in my garden this year just to see what happens! ‘Cause science!
Thank you. I always like to do experiments. That's the best way to learn
exactly the video that I was looking for .... exceeded my expectations ... thank you
Thank you very much, glad I could help
Thanks for showing to us the comparisons of root growing of your plants. Very helpful. Cheers from the top of the mountain.
Thanks again. Glad you enjoyed it
This year I planted my tomato plants in 25gal tubs with MG for ground, soil and sphagnum peat moss, about 30% to which I added a handful of organic fertilizer for tomatoes and a handful of gypsum plus a little Epsom salt. I'm seeing remarkable growth even in lower temperatures. Miracle Grow causes it's own problems though, best to stay organic and have a healthy bio.
I agree. Organic is the best way to go
next time use the double cup method with the inner cup being clear. This way you can monitor the root growth and it will give you a great indication as to when to transplant to a larger pot
I'm so glad I stopped to read some comments. I'm using the double cup method now with both of my Solo cups being red. I thought the double cup method was used for a drainage catch trick. I have rocks inside my outside cup to raise the cup with the soil in it so I don't need to put them in a tray. Your idea of the inside cup being clear is a GREAT IDEA!! I'll be looking for clear solo cups now to put in my gardening arsenal. Thank you!!
Dude that's wildly smart. Ty so much, imma have to use this
Dude that's wildly smart. Ty so much, imma have to use this
Make a lot of small holes for air prunning...
I am you're 1000th subscriber Congratulations
Thank you very much, it means a lot
I was looking for this comparison for growing cannabis but this was pretty neat! Thank you!
Yep, it's fun to experiment with different fertilizer and soils etc just to see what happens. Sometimes the results are not what we expected
Oh 💀
*I was surprised!* that miracle gro actually put out some vigorous growth, very nice. :)
Yes I liked the whole experiment and will do more of them in the future. Only by trying And comparing actual results can we learn
@@DaveTheHillsideGardener honestly really impressive, like I was genuinely surprised! I thought it wouldn’t put out much growth. 😳
That slug is like yess...... bring it. nom nom nom
Slugs are so bad here in the spring they will destroy everything.
Anyone else witness the tragic life of the snail in the background?
Slug
Ive used miracle gro soil for years and ive never had a problem. The plants are healthier the root ball is way better than other soils.
Miracle grow soil seems to have a bunch of wood chips and is not good for seedlings
@@DaveTheHillsideGardener thanks, I was just wondering about that.
@@DaveTheHillsideGardener I recently bought 10 bags of MG Performance Organics and didn't find much wood chips in mine. I think it depends on the region you live as to the local sources available and manufacturing plant. I'm in the central/southern Virginia area and there's no issues. It's only an assumption and based only on other soil type products/brands that I've bought. Thank you for taking the time to share your findings.
@@gonzolandshark8726you can sift out the wood chips for seed starting, throw the wood chips out as mulch.
Miracle grow is garbage soil compared to many. If it's not full of wood chips it's full of wood chips ground up. And horrible drainage. In the end what your growing makes a difference too. But it causes root rott more.
I've used this Miracle-Gro in my inoculating my biochar and had very good success
Yes it makes a good base but I feel needs "kicked up" for better results
@@DaveTheHillsideGardener What was miracle gro ratio to water used by volume?
It stayed fairly moist. Most likely the peat moss that is in the mix retains water
I love organics, but I hate when people talk badly about chemical fertilizers, or act like the only way to produce good and healthy produce is through organic means only. Organics are great. Compost is great. I make my own compost, about 4 piles a year, each one is about 10-20 cubic yards. But if you want to get plants the nutrients they need right away, in a water soluble form that the roots can take up directly, then supplementing with chemical fertilizers is the best way to go. Organics are good in the long term, breaking down slowly, building soil structure and releasing nutrients. Chemical fertilizers are good in moderation to supplement the needs of the plant to support growth.
Also, if you're growing in straight compost, that's not good. The organic matter content is too high, and leads to root rot. That's probably why the roots are brown. You really don't want more than about 25 percent compost in any growing medium.
Make a plant fermentation and you have readily available food without needing chemical fertilizer
@@kyletent414 i don't know much about this plant fermentation, but I do know that fermentation is anaerobic, and plant roots need oxygen, and anaerobic bacteria tend to be bad for plants
I use chemical fertilizers for things that grow fast or are extremely heavy feeders like onions or radishes.
An interesting variation on this experiment would be to add an organic plant manure--either from animal or plants--to the one grown in compost. I bet that one would be similar in growth to the other two.
That's a good idea. Worth some investigation
Fascinating results! Thanks for sharing. :) I wonder if adding some perlite to the compost would've helped the compost kale? I've found that compost-only plants can have trouble in containers because sometimes the structure is too heavy and the roots don't get as much oxygen. So I mix 1/3rd kitchen compost with 2/3 Pro-Mix and a bit of extra perlite and voila'! The plants take off and are super healthy. I've also read that leaf mould (100% pure leaf compost, shredded and aged 2-3 years) is lighter than compost but super nutrient dense, so that might be worth looking into, as well.
Yes the compost only was a bit heavy it does need more airflow
I used ProMix in my 11 EarthBoxes and the plants explode dwith growth. At first I thought it might be too fine structure-wise, but the results have shown that my concern was unwarranted. I have found that with Miracle Grow, the medium seems to lose its fertility after about one year and the plants start to decline.
Yea it’s only good for about 1 growing season. Try adding a bag of compost to it the next year for fertility
I know The Pro Mix has had Endomycorhorizae added to the medium for several years now. Maybe this is why it had great roots, along with "smaller root ends"(fungi hyphae..?!).
IDT Miracle Gro Soil has Endomycorhorizae, but it may have some microbe supplements..?!🤔
Thanks for the short, but very interesting clip.👍💯✌️
That’s a good explanation and thank you
Endomycorhorizae is only useful if you're having organic (locked) source of nutrients in the mix like worm castings. With hydropnonics/salt based it's not needed. In fact, plants refuse to feed these fungi because it costs energy.
The big difference is miracle grow moisture control, is the price. Though pro mix is a Canadian company, and Miracle Grow is American, it is still cheaper for us to buy Miracle Grow. Have had good luck with it, though have never tried pro mix..maybe I will if it goes on sale.
Yes! Pro mix has literally doubled in price in the last few years. I have a connection who can get it at a wholesale price. $35 vs75$ per bail or else I wouldn’t use it personally
@@DaveTheHillsideGardener I get the miracle grow moisture control potting soil for $13.95 a bag, at Costco. I think Pro Mix is like $21 or $24! And it is made not far from here. I might try one bag, but I use about 13 bags a season, as I replace all the soil in my container. Not sure if I really need to change all of it, but I get great results
Nitrogen run off is a serious problem in Florida. Composted soil locks in nitrogen with microorganisms. These plants when grown out will all look similar.
The one grown in just compost never caught up it was always very stunted. I think I did a follow up or mentioned it in another video but that was a while ago and I don’t remember exactly where.
@@DaveTheHillsideGardener There is enough and then too much with castings and compost. Thank you for the update. 👍
On the fence about pro mix, this should help my decision
Glad it could help in some way. Good luck
Enjoy the video thanks
Thanks for checking it out
I need your advice on how to make the tree grow as fast and strong as possible.
Keeping the soil mulched and consistent moisture will definitely help
Holding it just out of reach from that slug 😂 Was reaching for it
Slugs are savage creatures for sure!
Now you need to do a taste test. Cook dinner and invite me.
Guess I’ll need more plants. 🌱 don’t think three plants will make much of a meal
How did the three plants fare when after planting in the ground?
They all did ok. The compost only one was always stunted and never caught up to the others
Hi! I have some palm trees , recently moved them in front of the house , that would give them direct sunlight but started to have these brown strings on them and also some yellowish patches on the branches. Do you know what is happening to them? Please let me know. Thank you
It sounds like transplant shock. I'd make sure it stays watered and try a weak blend of fertilizer. Don't forget to mulch to retain moisture and prevent the roots from drying out
Good video...
Thank you. Glad you liked it
Hi Dave, good follow up video from the first one. Just curious what will happen if we add compost to promix or miracle potting mix? just finished my first compost pile i started 6 months ago and now i want to try whats best for my plants. Thanks and 🍻 from Toronto 🇨🇦
I always amend my outdoor pots with compost and potting soil. I'd be careful brining it inside just in case it contains insect eggs or something which may go unchecked indoors
I mixed pro mix and miracle grow and got fungus gnat problem was also told it was because of miracle grow soil known for that problem??
Yes I’ve hear that as well. I tried the Happy Frog brand and got a mealy bug infestation so now I just use promix
Promix is now too expensive to use. Looking for an alternative.
I agree. The price has literally doubled. I used the Fox Farms soil but that also get really expensive. I think it’s best to just get a cheap potting mix and add in a bunch of sifted compost, worm castings and coco coir to make a blend that works for you.
Looking underside roots, I prefer Promix as it will probably grow stronger ! What do you think ? We need to see Part #3 Plz ;)
Promix is an all around good choice for raised beds and containers. I will usually add some homemade compost or worm castings to boost the fertility
Does anyone have a problem with gnats when starting seeds indoors.
Typically not when starting indoors but when I bring plants inside In the fall sometimes little bugs come with them so you need to be careful
Well the problem with this experiment is that miracle grow does have an advantage in the long term. Miracle grow is relatively great if you always water when dry and then use it for just 6 months. However, if you grew something more permanent, like a long term houseplant or maybe a tree, or even a tomato plant that lasts a full season for 6 months, I'm sure you'll start noticing a massive difference in the soil and eventually plant health. Compost as a medium in pots is pretty bad not going to lie. It holds too much water, depletes oxygen, and plant roots suffer. Pro mix is pretty good from what I hear and the root health shows. The miracle grow works short term but from personal experience, it's pretty shiz. I had a 50-50 miracle grow compost mix and everything died. Changed to coco and vermiculite, so far so good for my citrus. But miracle grow is cheap and easy and fairly good for one season, but for trees again something more permanent I like. Mayeb try something like a tomato with miracle grow v pro mix v pumice/vermiculite/maybe/etc. You'd have to water and fertilize way more, but I'm of the philosophy that you should be able to water nearly every single day and not worry about over watering.
Yea it was just a spur of the moment experiment. I can in the future make a more complex analysis and full season trail but this was just something I did for general comparison. I do agree compost keeps everything too moist. And miracle grow soil is jacked full of synthetic fertilizer so it's really not fair in the long run. I'll probably do something more precise when I have time but spring is always so busy it may have to wait a while. Thanks for your interest and comments
@@DaveTheHillsideGardener thanks 😊 it was just a thought. I love these types of soil experiment videos. Unfortunately, not that many of them really.
I tried using miracle grow potting mix and spruce needle compost (from under my spruce tree) to start my watermelon and cantaloupe seedlings this year and the ones in compost did better. I found that it was easier to control the moisture with the compost, while the miracle kept going dry at first, and then once the seeds germinated and I decided to lower the moisture content to reduce risk of root rot, the miracle grow was more prone to remaining waterlogged. This was most likely due to peat moss being the main ingredient of the miracle grow potting mix.
@@Lochness19 it depends on the compost and how we treat each soil. In addition, if you started the seeds in small cups, the compost may do better if there is drainage because small amounts of soil dry much faster than 15 gallon containers or if in the ground. In all depends.
Miracle grow has higher P.K thats why
Do you still need to replace the soil with potted plants?
If you're growing in a container I'd recommend 1/2 compost and 1/2 promix it seems to be the best blend
Did anyone notice the slug in the background 😊
It was a bad day to be a slug 🌻
No, not even close. The compost was by far the worst. Roots were waterlogged - soil looks like it had clay in it. But much more likely is the PH of the compost was off leading to poor nutrient uptake (promix and MG would have been adjusted to 6.5-7 for optimal nutrient uptake).
Yea it was just an off hand experiment during lockdown I could have made it more scientific but it was just for fun
Add some lava rock to your compost and 💪💪💪
That's a good idea 💡
Are these different seeds or identical clones. Impossible to do a side by side comparison with 3 different seeds, needs to be identical clones to truly see variables.
Amend pro mix with Down to Earth amendments and ditch miracle gro/chemical ferts altogether
Miracle grow is fine and also no such thing truly as organic, as all fertilizers organic or other are chemicals the only difference is that so called chemical ferts are pure and therefore stronger and better organic works good just has filler and other junk in it.
That compost is unfinished, so it wasn’t done justice.
Your compost was free and micro nutrients and natural
finer roots are a better sign than fat roots.
I will never use miracle grow. I will use pro mix potting and and some compost for some plants as I do all container gardening and their are many different fertilizers and plant foods to choose from to feed in between besides miracle grow. I try to not purchase most products from their parent company but again that’s my choice. Others may choose to use it and that’s their choice but to me it’s just not worth it for very little difference in yield.
I myself try to be as natural and organic. I think people associate the quick shot of nitrogen from the chemical fertilizer as a sign of healthy plants when it actually makes them more dependent on more fertilizer. In my opinion
Miracle Grow isn’t helping the soil food web. Feed your soil not the plants.
Peace