miracle grow question

[HeadyPete]

I'm using the GHBB stuff and following their schedule and so far so good. My buddy used it for a few crops and they turned out great.

 

[Guest]

I have been going mad over all the hype of the expensive nutrients. I have been using mg for many years on many things. It makes my tomatoes plants Huge. I have had tomatoe plants that were 8' high before, and they grow faster than my indoor bud. No complaints here. It is easy to mix and judge results and I have never had bad tasting tomatoes. They taste better than you can buy in regular grocery store. My bud was pretty good too, but I generally just smoke the trichomes anymore anyway. I am excited to try some organic outdoor stuff a person I know growing this season, but I am fairly convinced that genetics are one of the most important factors in taste. I will continue to use MG until I have evidence not to.

 

[HeadyPete]

newRandude, hows this for evidence?

MG is crap. Sure it will grow a plant but that plant will be chock full of chem salts, heavy metals and other radiactive shit.

Marijuana is renown for it's ability to uptake compounds from the soil and store them in it's leaves. Then you smoke it and put that crap in your lungs.....

Miracle Gro - and many other chem nutes - do indeed contain radioactive ingredients. In fact, when Miracle Gro was first released onto the market in the 50's (before people fully understood the long term buildup/toxicity issues), they used to advertise about their proprietary blend of stuff including 'radioactive isotopes'. When the public started getting wiser about the issue they discreetly dropped the isotope reference, but not the actual compounds.

This article's been re-posted here a few times - and some folks take exception to it various grounds, like the fact that one of the scientists cited has his own line of nutes - but it's better to know and make your own decision than remain ignorant and never have the option.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Radioactive buds?

New study shows that many fertilizers are radioactive, producing potentially harmful pot.

By David Malmo-Levine and Dana Larsen


A recent study shows that many commonly used fertilizers are high in radioactive elements. The study was performed by Dr Paul Hornby, who holds a master’s degree in biochemistry and a PhD in human pathology from the University of British Columbia.

The study analyzed 25 different types of fertilizers, eight “organic” varieties and 17 “chemical” fertilizers. The results showed that the chemical fertilizers emitted on average five times the radiation of the organic group.

There are different ways of measuring radioactivity. The table shows the “counts per minute” (CPM) of radiation detected in each sample. The average for the organic fertilizers was 140, while the chemical fertilizers had an average radiation count of 675, an almost five-fold increase.

The lowest radiation was found in the organic blood meal fertilizers, which emitted only background radiation - the normal low radiation found in most objects. On the other end of the spectrum was the 5-20-20 berry food, with a radiation level about 24 times higher than background.

These levels of radiation don’t pose a danger through simply being around bags of fertilizer. However, cannabis and other plants are known to uptake radioactive elements from their growing medium. Radiation exposure is accumulative, so that repeated inhalation would present an increasing health risk.

Radiation also accumulates in the soil. Farmers who grow chemical-fed tobacco soon face soil vitality-loss, forcing them to use more and more chemical fertilizer every year to maintain the same level of productivity. That means that tobacco land gets more and more radioactive every year.

Numerous studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine and other health, science and radiation journals have indicated that it is the radioactive elements in tobacco which lead to lung cancer (CC#35, Radioactive tobacco). Tobacco is typically fed with high-phosphate, chemical fertilizers, including heavy foliar spraying. All of these factors would produce a high-level of radioactive elements in the tobacco leaf.

Although further research is needed, this study does point the way to some simple harm-reduction techniques for pot growers. Many growers believe that using organic fertilizers produces a tastier, higher-quality bud. This study indicates that they could also be producing a less harmful product than that produced with many chemical fertilizers.

Although cannabis and cannabinoids are non-toxic, radiation is a major cause of cancer. Further research is clearly needed, but it seems likely that the best way to keep your buds as safe and harmless as possible is to use non-chemical, organic fertilizers, to eliminate any potential radioactivity getting into your stash, and your lungs.

· Dr Paul Hornby is available for testing of fertilizers and can also test marijuana for cannabinoid profiles: [email protected]


Fertilizer Type............................................Radioactivity score

Evergro Specialty Fertilizer..........................90
Blood Meal 12-0-0

Green Valley....................................................96
Blood Meal Fertilizer
12-0-0

RainGrow Organic Fertilizer.........................102
Bloom-A-Long
0-12-0

SeaSpray Organic Fertilizer..........................125
0.5-1.0-0.5

Green Valley Blood and Bone..........................154
Meal Fertilizer
7-11-0

RainGrow Organic Fertilizer..........................160
4-2-3

Homestead 100% Organic................................174
Bone Meal
4-14-0

DML Bird Guano...............................................178
NPK unknown

-----------------------------
Those above are all organic.
Those below are all synthetic.
-----------------------------


Miracid Soil Acidifier...................................248
Plant Food
30-10-10

Shultz All Purpose Plant Food.......................258
10-15-10

Miracle-Gro For Roses...................................285
18-24-16

Green Valley....................................................326
Rhododendron and Azalea Food
10-8-6

Shultz African Violet Plus...................................393
8-14-9

General Hydroponics..............................................400
Flora Grow
2-1-6

Miracle-Gro Water Soluble..................................409
Plant Food
15-30-15

Greenleaf Evergreen...............................................437
Tree and Hedge Feeder
13-6-7

Stern's Miracle-Gro..............................................538
For Tomatoes
18-18-21

Miracle-Gro...........................................................547
Plant Food Engrais
15-30-15

Greenleaf Shur Gro....................................................672
Soluble Plant Food
20-20-20

Greenleaf Shur Gro....................................................693
Soluble Plant Food
20-20-20

Shultz-Instant.............................................................740
Orchid Plant Food
19-31-17

Shultz Tomato Plus....................................................874
18-19-30

Evergro Fruit Tree....................................................1037
and Berry Food
4-20-20

Osmocote....................................................................2021
Time Release Fertilizer
18-6-12

Green Valley Berry Food...........................................2384
5-20-20

You say expensive ferts, but is that like expensive food, as compared to the crap McDonalds sells? You know, something from the dollar menu as opposed to buying some veggies, potatoes and meat from the store? It's your body and if you want to cheap out on ferts/food, that is your choice. You should be informed about your decisions, though.

I never understood buying the cheapest food available and putting it in my body. There are a lot of things in life I would cheap out on before food.

You are what you eat/smoke!

 

[budvapor]

how about MG soil? i've tested different types/brands available at local stores like walmart and lowe's, and the regular MG potting soil seems to consistently lead to faster growth... i would imagine the same problems mentioned about the ferts apply to the MG soil...? i'm still going organic, but i was curious to try it, and i'm curious if anyone has more info on that...

 

[lotatokin]

do NOT grow in miracle grow soil !!! or even use miracle grow ferts ! the stuff is murderous !look it up. too much amonia and urea nitrate,,plants will ****ing DIE from it ! i know i had many problems with that shit. im just now getting everything straightened out .

this fox farm soil comes highly recomended. ocean forest and no ferts for the 1st month,,( it is high in N ) and then planting mix soil, with tiger bloom ferts for 12/12 !

this other stuff is just things i have played around with

some of the garden,,,,it is actually starting to come back around after losing 3 nice plantsand many of "the others" being sick from the lethal toxins in miracle grow



also,,,my cloner,,,,,its working great !

 

[HeadyPete]

how about MG soil? i've tested different types/brands available at local stores like walmart and lowe's, and the regular MG potting soil seems to consistently lead to faster growth... i would imagine the same problems mentioned about the ferts apply to the MG soil...? i'm still going organic, but i was curious to try it, and i'm curious if anyone has more info on that...

Of course the MG potting soil is as bad as the fertilizers. Same stuff.

Any chem based fert is going to be much more toxic than any organic nutrient.

Strong chem ferts will lead to faster growth, but they work on a whole different principle than organics.

Chem ferts are produced as salts, heavy metals, minerals, etc which are readily available to the plant, whereas organic ferts must break down in the soil first, before a plant can use them. Chems feed the plant, Organics feed the soil, which feeds the plant. Science tries to do what nature does, but on a very simplistic scale. As usual, arrogant man feels he can do better what Mother Nature has done perfectly since the beginning of time.

Chems will degrade the biological action of your soil, kill the micro flora and fauna, drive away earthworms, etc. This is more for general gardening than MJ growing. Your lawn (or soil grown mj) will be better with organic ferts. Compost, guanos, castings are high in microbial activity, and they improve soil over time. Humus is produced, holding the soil together, trapping nutrients, and holding moisture. Humus is very important to soil biology.

The biggest concern is the health issues from chems. They may grow great petunias, but they harm the environment, and pose a health risk to humans, especially through consumption.

Organic weed smells better, tastes better and is better for you, just like a tomato.

 

[budvapor]

thanks HeadyPete! Very informative. Been learning a lot over here over the past few months. It's great! I'm going to start a little worm farm soon...

Of course the MG potting soil is as bad as the fertilizers. Same stuff.

Any chem based fert is going to be much more toxic than any organic nutrient.

Strong chem ferts will lead to faster growth, but they work on a whole different principle than organics.

Chem ferts are produced as salts, heavy metals, minerals, etc which are readily available to the plant, whereas organic ferts must break down in the soil first, before a plant can use them. Chems feed the plant, Organics feed the soil, which feeds the plant. Science tries to do what nature does, but on a very simplistic scale. As usual, arrogant man feels he can do better what Mother Nature has done perfectly since the beginning of time.

Chems will degrade the biological action of your soil, kill the micro flora and fauna, drive away earthworms, etc. This is more for general gardening than MJ growing. Your lawn (or soil grown mj) will be better with organic ferts. Compost, guanos, castings are high in microbial activity, and they improve soil over time. Humus is produced, holding the soil together, trapping nutrients, and holding moisture. Humus is very important to soil biology.

The biggest concern is the health issues from chems. They may grow great petunias, but they harm the environment, and pose a health risk to humans, especially through consumption.

Organic weed smells better, tastes better and is better for you, just like a tomato.

 

[Guest]

Is that evidence or some propaganda that a fert seller puts up to impress us. How many of you guys ever buy weed? Do you take it to Dr Hornsby for an inspection first or just smoke away. I eat well, no Mc Donalds myself unless it is an emergency. My plants eat well too. My tomatoes are better than you can get in a store and some businesses even want to buy them. MG

 

[namo420]

lets keep in mind that the Vancouver Island Seed Co,who has made quite a few keeper strains,has ALLWAYS used miracle grow with there strains,so that the consumer can ALSO use miracle grow.....


so if you think they dont work,check VISC.

 

[HeadyPete]

Namo dude, no one said it doesn't work, I said it wasn't healthy.

I'm not here to argue with or convince anyone. You want to use chemmy MG, go ahead. It's your health, not mine.

randude, if you want to get snarky then you can keep it to yourself.

The reason I gro my own organically is so I don't have to buy unknown chem weed any more. Of course I would have prefered to buy organic weed but last time I looked there is no organic Whole Foods for weed, it is illegal and you take what you can get. That is why I made the decision to gro organically.

Any homegrown tomato is gonna be better than commercial store grown and you want a prize for that?

You go ahead and use the MG to spite me or whatever. I prefer to err on the side of caution and this is a no brainer.

Good luck with your chemi-weed and your red herring arguements. Do YOU work for Miracle Grow?

 

[B.C.]

Yeah,there's no need fer snarkasim.lol

Yeah,there's no need fer snarkasim.lol

Many years ago I used MG on my maders,they did great the frist year,but every year after they got progressivly smaller.By the third year they only got waist high,and didn't look happy at all.That fall I tilled in a ton of cow pie compost and staw.The next spring as soon as I could till again I added blood and bone meal along with some hardwood ashes and let it set until it was time ta plant.That year my maders out grew the cages.Since then I've had 8'cages made (2'in the ground 6'above) outa rebar.They easily out grow these too.I'm sure they would get 10' if the support was there,maybe even higher! And all I do is till in my amendments at the beginning of the year,mulch em and ferget em.They get huge and man are they tasty! People always ask me what's my secret,I tell em stay away from MG and use organics.Yud be surprised how many folks have told me the same thing about their plants gettin smaller every year usein MG.If I had know what was in MG all them years back I'd a never used it ta begin with.Seems it worked out fer the best anyway.Ya live (hopefully) ya learn.Btw that's what we're all doin here,learning and tryin ta have alil fun along the way.So don't get yer bowles ina uproar,it doesn't do any of us any good! Take care...BC

 

[Guest]

When you see Miracle Grow products and think of growing bud,,,, run, run away.

It can be done, but it would require a bit of luck or skill. Yes some hav this lucl of skill - most have added ingredients and ammended with other additives - which is ok, but do you know what and how much?



Can you say Fox Farms?
Add a little dolomite lime and a lot of pearlite. your good to grow.

I used to thnk people must be CRAZY to pay $24 for a bag of dirt.


call me crazy.

 

[Surfnfisher]

For cheap peters works well. Carful not to overdosem

 

[extinctx11]

I used to thnk people must be CRAZY to pay $24 for a bag of dirt.

call me crazy.

Haha, right on, call me crazy too while your at it. The first time I went out to buy some Fox Farm Ocean Forest for my very first grow ever (after buying MG and almost killing everything) I walked into the store thinking ok, Ill buy a few bags of this "Fox Farm" stuff everyone talks so highly about.. whats that like $5 a bag?

Man I think my nuts shriveled up when the guy behind the counter said twenty five dollars. It was like, what, 3 weeks before they returned to normal after that ass rape. but call me crazy, it was worth every penny, i dont even have to fert them anymore, just add more dirt and perlite when they look hungry. FF soil contains so much food already...

 

[Guest]

I would never pay 24$ for dirt, yes I must be crazy.With proper information and some testing material you can create some dirt just as good as FF.This is where the crazy stuff starts.people buy ff then mix it with other things.Is it not good enough?I can produce cubic metres of good soil for what 1 bag of ff costs. Very cool bag though!

 

[JJScorpio]

I didn't want to have to say this, but now I'm going to. For all of you that are saying MG killed your plants, I think you need to look at at your growing practices. How long do you think they'd be in biz if this were the case? To state that their products kills plants is an outright lie. Do you also think Fox Farm is Organic? You better take a look at the label.

My advice to people is if you don't know how to read the word "preferted", stay away from it.

 

[Levitikuz]

Ive been using MG for 4 years now, but im switching to hydro as we speak, but MG is fine in my books, heres a nice frosty ass plant in all MG.








Those are all in MG

 

[Guest]

I have not known that MG kills plants, I chose not to use it. I have used it the plants look fine just crappy taste. Matter of factly MG will grow dam nice plants. I would use it in a seed crop just not what I smoke.Has anybody out there had MG kill your plants?I would also suggest your agricultural skills are limited. Newbee's tend to over think, over water and over fertilize.These practices will only assure complete and utter failure.

 

[Guest]

Some one needs to grow a miracle grow plant with miracle grow dirt and miracle grow fertilizer. This person should be good with a camera, eliminating me and others.This will prove or not if miracle grow will grow or not.I think it works but the weed will be nasty.Can good curing reduce this nastiness?

 

[JJScorpio]

Here's a few MG plants. The thing with MG is you actually have to understand it's a strong fertiliser. You can't use it to soon, you need to make sure you don't use more than directed and you need to stop at least 2 weeks before you intend to harvest. I use it on all my outside plants because of the cost. I think it's a much better outdoor fert because of the strength. If you are going to use it indoors, you have to be able to measure it correctly. If not IT WILL burn your plants. It's not forgiving.