Container gardens can make it easy for those living in small spaces to enjoy the thrill of growing plants. But choosing suitable soil can be challenging, as there are many types from which to choose. Many gardeners wonder: Can I use Miracle-Gro Garden Soil in pots?
While it’s possible to grow container plants in Miracle-Gro Garden Soil, it’s far better to choose Miracle-Gro Potting Soil. Miracle-Gro Potting Soil comes in several varieties suited to specific plant types. In addition, Manufacturers design it to drain quickly, reducing the risk of root rot.
This article will explore the different types of Miracle-Gro soil and discuproviss which options are best for you to use in pots. You can use this information to ensure that your container garden flourishes with minimal effort.
Different Types of Miracle-Gro Garden Soil
Before we can establish whether one can use Miracle-Gro Garden Soil in pots, it’s crucial to examine the different types of Miracle-Gro Garden Soil.
For example, this brand-specific soil comes in two varieties:
- All-Purpose Miracle-Gro Garden Soil.
- Vegetables & Herbs Miracle-Gro Garden Soil.
Both have specific properties that differentiate them from other types of gardening soil.
All-Purpose Miracle-Gro Garden Soil
This type of garden soil is loamy and dark. It contains up to three months of fertilizer, reducing the need for gardeners to fertilize plants immediately. Manufacturers specifically design this type of soil for in-ground use.
The best way to use this soil is to till it into pre-existing outdoor soil. Essentially, Miracle-Gro Garden Soil (available on Amazon.com) is a soil amendment that can help make native soil more fertile. It’s also the most affordable type of Miracle-Gro Garden Soil.
It’s general-purpose dirt appropriate for outdoor gardens, particularly those with shrubs and flowering plants. However, those looking to grow vegetables and herbs may prefer to use Vegetables & Herbs Miracle-Gro Garden Soil.
Vegetables & Herbs Miracle-Gro Garden Soil
Vegetables and herbs often require more nutrients than shrubs. So if you’d like to start an outdoor vegetable garden or grow herbs on your property, Miracle-Gro Vegetables and Herbs (available on Amazon.com) may be the better alternative over the all-purpose variety.
Like the all-purpose garden soil, this dirt contains up to three months of fertilizer, and manufacturers design it for in-ground use.
However, unlike all-purpose soil, this type contains a higher percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. It also includes a wide range of micronutrients, including calcium, copper, and zinc.
Reasons Why Miracle-Gro Garden Soil is Not Good For Pots
Both types of Miracle-Gro Garden Soil share several qualities. For example, these garden soils:
- Contain up to three months of fertilizer.
- Hold onto moisture longer than potting soil.
- Are designed to amend native soils.
- May not be treated to kill insects or pests.
- Aren’t plant-specific.
While some of these attributes may seem beneficial, when we take a closer look, Miracle-Gro Garden soil is not suited to plants in containers.
Miracle-Gro Garden Soil Contains Fertilizer That May Harm Your Plants
Both types of Miracle-Gro Garden Soil are pre-mixed with fertilizer. This feature can be beneficial for outdoor plants, but it can also be detrimental to potted plants.
You should mix Miracle-Gro Garden Soil into your yard’s current native soil. This blending allows the fertilizer to spread out over a wider area. However, when confined to a single container, it can overwhelm your potted plant with fertilizer.
Signs of overfertilization include:
- A crusty surface that cracks when depressed.
- Inhibited plant growth.
- Yellowing or browning leaves.
- Premature plant death.
Using Miracle-Gro Garden Soil for your potted plants can lead to their untimely deaths, and in more ways than one. This soil isn’t designed for optimal drainage and can also be a death sentence for container plants.
Miracle-Gro Garden Soil May Cause Root Rot
Because Miracle-Gro Garden Soil is a soil amendment, it’s an excellent addition to outdoor soil, particularly dirt that’s sandy and low in humus. After all, Miracle-Gro Garden Soil can retain moisture, helping lackluster soil keep roots healthy, even during dry spells.
But though this feature is beneficial for outdoor gardens, it can contribute to several problems for potted plants. Container plants that don’t have small holes or openings along their bottoms to let water pass through can hold onto too much moisture, resulting in symptoms of overwatering.
Plants suffering from overwatering may:
- Begin to wilt.
- Develop yellowing leaves.
- Show signs of mold growth.
- Begin to develop algae colonies.
- Suffer from root rot.
Root rot, in particular, can be dangerous for potted plants; when roots come in contact with high-moisture soil for an extended time. The watery environment attracts moisture-loving bacteria, fungi, and pathogens that can destroy root systems.
Because a plant’s roots absorb nutrients to promote growth, rotten roots can lead to premature plant death.
Miracle-Gro Garden Soil Is Designed to Amend Native Soils
Those living in arid, coastal, or mountainous environments may struggle to grow outdoor plants. Soil types in these locations aren’t typically rich in humus, a natural fertilizer that makes loamy soil fertile.
The primary purpose of Miracle-Gro Garden Soil is to make native soils more fertile. As a result, they’re rich in humus and multiple soil types (sand, silt, clay), providing a fruitful growing media for various vegetation.
But when used exclusively, especially in containers, the soil amendment can be harmful to some plants. This potential harm is especially true for plants with specific soil requirements like orchids, succulents, cacti, and fruit-bearing plants.
Miracle-Gro Garden Soil May Contain Insects
Because Miracle-Gro Garden Soil is designed for in-ground use, it’s not typically treated with pesticides. Additionally, most retailers keep Miracle-Gro Garden Soil outdoors on massive wood pallets.
Unfortunately, this storage method doesn’t keep insects from burrowing into partially-opened bags of soil. It also doesn’t exterminate insect larvae that may have been packed away into the bags during the packaging process.
When you take this soil home, you may find it full of insects. While these bugs aren’t too harmful when allowed to spread out across your yard, they can be detrimental to container plants.
Using this garden soil for indoor plants is particularly troublesome, as insects inside the dirt can become household pests.
Miracle-Gro Garden Soil Isn’t Plant-Specific
While Miracle-Gro Garden Soil does come in a vegetable-friendly (and herb-friendly) variety, it’s not nearly as specialized as Miracle-Gro Potting Soil.
Consequently, this dirt may contribute to slower plant growth, especially when growing sensitive plants like orchids or succulents. For this reason, it’s often far better to choose plant-specific potting soil instead of all-purpose garden soil.
Benefits of Using Miracle-Gro Potting Soil Instead of Garden Soil
There are a handful of reasons you might want to use Miracle-Gro Potting Soil instead of Garden Soil. Some of the most notable benefits include:
- Improved drainage to reduce root rot.
- Lessened risk of inviting insects into your home.
- Access to a greater variety of plant-specific soils.
Miracle-Gro Potting Soil Offers Improved Drainage
Every plant has a preferred moisture level, but in-ground garden soils don’t typically account for these preferences. On the other hand, potting soil is often amended with pebbles or clay to help it drain more readily.
Overall, Miracle-Gro Potting has more pores than Miracle-Gro Garden Soil. These tiny pockets allow air and water to pass through, helping prevent overwatering (and root rot) in potted plants.
Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Soil Often Contains Fewer Insects
Though indoor potting soil may be left outdoors at garden centers and plant nurseries, you can also find it in sealed bags inside stores. This type of potting soil is often treated with pesticides before being bagged, making it a safer option for indoor container plants.
After all, one of the most frustrating things that indoor gardeners can experience is a sudden increase in household insect populations. So, if you’re eager to avoid household ants, flies, fleas, and gnats, you’ll want to avoid large bags of garden soil and choose well-sealed indoor mixes instead.
Miracle-Gro Potting Soil Is Plant-Specific
Instead of using Miracle-Gro Garden Soil for your potted plants, why not invest in Miracle-Gro Potting Soil? There are several types from which to choose, including:
- Miracle-Gro Potting Mix (All-Purpose).
- Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix.
- Miracle-Gro Cactus, Palm & Citrus Potting Mix
- Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix.
- Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix
- Miracle-Gro Orchid Potting Mix.
- Miracle-Gro Tropical Potting Mix.
- Miracle-Gro Succulent Potting Mix.
- Miracle-Gro Indoor Houseplant Potting Mix.
This incredible range of options ensures that every container plant can enjoy a suitable soil that drains appropriately and contains an ideal mix of nutrients.
For example, flowering plants, fruits, and vegetables thrive when placed in Miracle-Gro Potting Mix (an all-purpose growing medium for potted plants). But succulents, which prefer rocky substrates that drain quickly, are better suited to Miracle-Gro Succulent Potting Mix.
Gardeners looking to provide the best possible soil for their potted plants will want to select Miracle-Gro Potting Mix instead of Miracle-Gro Garden Soil.
Conclusion
Miracle-Gro Garden Soil is designed for in-ground use. It’s essentially a type of soil amendment that can make native soils more fertile. However, it’s not an ideal choice for container plants.
If you’re planning to start a container garden, you’ll want to choose potting soil. Fortunately, there are several types of Miracle-Gro Potting Soil. So, no matter what kinds of plants you’d like to grow, there’s a Miracle-Gro Potting Soil designed to help your plants thrive.
