Category: Miracle Gro

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Using Too Much Miracle Gro

miracle-gro potting soil by Rakka

TheGardenLady received this question from Jennifer.

Is there anything I can do after I used too much Miracle Gro to save the plants?

If you put too much Miracle-Gro in a potted or container plant, you can pour a lot water into the pot until the water flows out the bottom of the pot and keep adding water for a few more minutes. This will flush the excess Miracle- Gro out of the pot. After this, in the future, you will just water the plant normally. Or you can repot the plant in new soil. If you repot the plant in new soil, you will then water the plant normally.

If you put too much Miracle-Gro on plants that are in your garden, give the soil around the plant a good watering to dilute the fertilizer. Do not overwater or flood the plant. Flooding would do more damage to the roots of the plant.

You did not tell me which type of Miracle- Gro you used. If you used spikes remove the spikes from the ground. If you used granular Miracle- Gro, try to remove extra granules around the plant. After removing the spikes or granules, give the plant a good watering one time to dilute the fertilizer. Do not flood the plant.

Should you continue to have problems, call the Scotts Miracle-Gro Help Center at 1-888-270 3714

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Overdosing Acid Loving Plants

miracle gro by ooweeishjohn
miracle gro by ooweeishjohn

TheGardenLady received this question from Rene.

I have two adult Lady of the Night plants. I fed them Miracle Gro for Acid Loving Plants. Will anything happen to them? And if so what can I do to save them?

Lady of the night by wiccked
Lady of the night by wiccked

TheGardenLady is assuming your Lady of the Night Plant is Brunfelsia americana. How lovely to have this plant reputed to be the most fragrant of all the Brunfelsia plants which are very fragrant and the MOST fragrant of all plants.

Brunfelsia’s soil pH requirements are 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) to 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral).

Moderate occasional food and moderate water is all that is required. This Lady of the Night plant even handles dry soil well. They are very long lived. Brunfelsia plants are light eaters which means they don’t need much fertilizer.

But your concern is that you fed them Miracle Gro for Acid Loving plants. TheGardenLady doubts that you will have any problem from the one time only feeding of Miracle Gro for Acid Loving plants.

If you fed them as the Miracle Gro label says to feed plants and not given them an overdose (Remember to ALWAYS follow label instructions when applying fertilizers!) there should be no problem but don’t give these plants any more fertilizer. Brunfelsia don’t really need fertilizer- or if you feel you need to feed, highly dilute the fertilizer.

However, if you feel that you overdosed the plants on Miracle Gro, you can try flushing the soil with water. Brunfelsia plants don’t like overwatering just as they don’t need much fertilizer, so this is only to be done if you think you may have given the plants a gross amount of fertilizer.

Now if you have a problem with any Scotts’ product and Miracle Gro is a Scotts’ product, call them at 1-888-270 3714 as TheGardenLady did to be sure she was advising you correctly. They suggested that if you feel you must fertilize your Brunfelsia their recommendation is that you should use their all purpose fertilizer which has the numbers 24-8-16 on the box.