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Miracle-Gro Slow Release Plant Food
by paulshorse
Apparently Miracle-Gro Slow Release Plant Food is now called Miracle-Gro Continuous Release Plant Food, and it's on this basis that I have based my review.
BACKGROUND TO USING MIRACLE-GRO:-
We have a lot of trees surrounding the property which drain the goodness out of the soil and growing any kind of plant tends to ... be a bit hit and miss as it has to be tough to compete with the trees. Fortunately we've now got a lot of established bushes and shrubs in the garden, but growing flowering plants has tended to be a bit of a disaster. I like colour in the garden and so I usually plant a lot of tubs and pots with bedding plants at this time of year which has the added advantage of being portable so I can make different 'displays' if I want to throughout the summer. Because the bedding plants only last one year, I like to try and get the most out of them and I've found that using Miracle-Gro helps immensely.
PACKAGING:-
I buy the 2kg size container which is more than enough for the number of tubs and pots I fill (last year I had more than 60). The food is actually small pellets which have a coating that enables the nutrients to be released gradually. As the temperature of the soil becomes warmer and the plants start to grow more, the nutrients are released which give the plants an added boost. The food contains, amongst other things, nitrogen to help give the plants healthy leaves, phosphate for strong roots, and potash which helps the plants to resist disease. It's not organic, so bear this in mind as it can also be used for vegetables and fruit trees/bushes. The 2kg size container has 4 separate bags of feed inside together with a handy scoop. The container itself is bright yellow and green in colour and has quite comprehensive instructions as to how much food you need to use. It's very sturdy and has a useful wire handle for carrying - the lid, though, is very awkward to remove at first. You have to press a little yellow tab and then pull up on the edge of the lid which can be quite sharp, so I would recommend caution. Even when it's been opened a few times, the lid is still quite tight which, in a way, is good because you don't want thousands of little pellets rolling around the floor if you accidentally knock the container over. However, what I have found is that it's much easier to pour a couple of bags into an empty 1kg jar. It's simply a clear plastic container with a very useful plastic lid which is hinged in the middle. One side can be used for sprinkling the food - it has 6 small holes so you can easily control the amount you use. The other side has a larger opening which can be used with a small scoop to accurately measure the food. Both parts of the hinged lid close quite tightly so there's no risk of spillage if you accidentally knock the jar over.
USAGE:-
The scoop has markings for 25g and 50g which means that you can be quite accurate in how much feed you give - you just need to know how many litres of compost each pot holds. I found that after a while I get used to how much I need to use and so don't bother using the scoop. You simply sprinkle the pellets onto the compost before planting and mix them in with either your fingers or a trowel (it does recommend that you wear gloves). You can use this for established flowers in beds and borders, but we make our own compost for the garden which we use for these. The beauty of these pellets is that you can just forget about them and they will do their own thing throughout the season - you don't have to remember to mix soluble feed in the watering can or use any attachments on the garden hose.
MY EXPERIENCES WITH MIRACLE-GRO:-
It claims that plants will grow twice as big. I would say that in my experience this is a little optimistic, but the plants do seem to turn out healthy, with an abundance of flowers and last a long time. I don't normally give them any other feed and if I plant in April then they put on a nice display until late August - beginning of September. I'm no Alan Titchmarsh when it comes to gardening so I can't claim that the healthiness of the plants is down to my expertise, so it must be something to do with the Miracle-Gro. Of course you have to water and dead-head the plants, but I do believe that I have more success using Miracle-Gro. I've used similar products made by other companies, and I must say that in my experience Miracle-Gro seems to have the edge on them.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY:-
You can buy this in a 1kg shaker container and the larger 2kg one which I have reviewed. It's widely available from most DIY stores, garden centres and online and should cost around £6 for the 1kg size and £10 for 2kg, I've found that prices don't vary much at all and I usually buy it from our local independent garden centre simply to support the smaller businesses in our area (it can be found cheaper online, but bear in mind that you usually have to pay quite a substantial amount of postage on top).
CONCLUSION:-
Miracle-Gro does seem to be very effective, certainly for plants in pots and tubs, and gives you a long-lasting good display of flowers throughout summer. It contains a lot of chemicals, however, so if you're into organic gardening this is definitely not for you.
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Doff Hormone Rooting Powder
by Listerbelle
Doff Hormone Rooting Powder (75g)
+++ How I came to use this product +++
My now husband and I were good friends before we starting "seeing" each other over a decade ago. We both bought our first places within six weeks of each other, and helped each other turn the houses into homes as cheaply as possible. ...
When it came to the gardens, we realised that we would simply have to be patient as we were running low on money. A scientist friend gave me this rooting hormone powder as a (very original) housewarming present.
I never knew that such a thing existed. Commercial rooting powders usually contain auxin molecules, which coordinate plant development. Wikipedia explains that Auxins promote root initiation. Auxin induces both growth of pre-existing roots and adventitious root formation, i.e. branching of the roots. As more native auxin is transported down the stem to the roots, the overall development of the roots is stimulated.
+++ The Product & Price +++
The powder is housed in a plastic container. Mine is slightly different to the one pictured - it came with a dibber-lid. It costs £4 for 75g. (May 2013)
+++ Directions +++
The rooting powder is very easy to use. Firstly moisten the lower tip of the cutting.
Next apply powder to the moistened tip. You can dip the cutting tip into the container, or alternatively decant a small amount onto wax paper. Shake off the excess powder and plant in the chosen growing medium. I usually use perlite as it's a light product that supports plants when making roots. Ensure the growing medium remains moist.
+++ The results +++
I first used the rooting powder on various hardwood cuttings from friends' gardens. (I was particularly proud of my healthy rosemary plants, until I learned that they take well without any artificial hormones!)
I successfully created 18 new plants from cuttings in that first year of propagating with rooting hormone. I've lost track of the number of new plants I created from that one little pot of hormone.
+++ Recommendation +++
Highly recommended.
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