Garden Watering Additives

Hello Folks,

Just been out doing my evening gardening - dead-heading and watering. I normally buy Phostrogen but ended up buying Miracle Gro on my last trip to the garden centre. However, I'm not sure that I'll renew that purchase because its blue dye is beyond a pain to remove from my hands.

So, which is your favourite of these two products, or do you make your own? If so, what's your recipe for success? One other question, does the use of either of these products mean an end to the idea of gardening organically?

Regards,
Steve

 

Mostly make my own from kitchen waste.

 

Am using miracle grow as it was on a billy bob bargain when I got it.

 

Phostrogen and Miracle Gro have different balance of nutrients. I have used both, over the years, and find Miracle Gro better for getting things to grow and thereby maintain flowering as well. Its higher in Nitrogen, so not surprising that it has that effect

Miracle Gro doesn't have any Magnesium in it, so if you use that (long term) also apply Epsom Salts. Probably makes no odds for most things that are in containers for a single season.

For flowering find the cheapest (in terms of the total volume of diluted feed that it will make, rather than buying a posh brand) Tomato fertilizer. Crystals that need dissolving will usually be significantly cheaper than a liquid to be diluted.

 

I bought Lidyls equivalent of both flower and tomato feeds. Still have some of the flower one but I am now on Tomorite for the tomatoes and my favourite planters ( mostly Fuchsias).

 

I have used MG for quite a few years . This year I changed to Phostrogen as kristen said a powder is a lot cheaper . I can't say I have noticed any differnce between the two . From mid July I use Wilkos tomato food or any other that is on a cheapo offer , for my baskets and containers.

 

I've switched to phostrogen and I'm very happy with the results. Previously used MG, but I'll keep using the phostrogen. Everything has grown like billio, good foliage and great flowering. A thumbs up from me ( and it's cheaper than MG too!)

 

Just a note on Tomato food . I bought a bottle from Wilkos yesterday 0.8 Litres and one 15ml capful to a 7 litre watering can. This = £0.04 / watering can
Last year I bought B n Q's 1 litre at 15ml capful to a 7 litre watering can , but new stock on the shelf had the dosage as 2 capfuls ! This = £0.09 / watering can.
In effect B n Q had doubled the price of the Tom Feed

 

Dunno if you have been as uncharacteristically wet up your way as we have in East Anglia? But if so its been a great growing year here, so comparison of feeding with (say) last year won't exactly be like-for-like. Sadly you need to do side-by-side for that test :(

 

we have been very, very wet. in my previous house and the ones before that, the soil was heavy clay, whereas this garden is sandy. still happy with the phostrogen tho, so i'll keep using it.