# Miracle Gro Potting Mix



## JMN16150 (Jul 21, 2012)

I want to dirt my nano cube, but don't want to spend that much money. 
1. Will Miracle Gro work good for a planted tank?(experiences please)
2. Do you have to filter any bark out, or can you just put it directly in the tank with bark and all?
3. What cap works the best? I have Play sand and Eco complete already(seemingly nutrient used up)
4. How much inches of MGOPS do I put in the bottom?
5. How much inches should the cap be?
6. Would laterite help add more nutrients?
7. How long has the nutrients in the MGOPS last for you?
Thank You So Much


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## BBradbury (Nov 8, 2010)

*Using Miracle Gro*

Hello JMN...

The organic kind of Miracle Gro does work. But the process is messy and the product will only nourish the plants for a short time. Six months is about the longest. After this, you'll need to find another source for fertilizing.

I used the Miracle Gro product for a while and eventually went back to using pea size gravel, Seachem's Comprehensive and some root tabs. 

Try it out, if you like.

B


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## jarury (Aug 6, 2012)

BBradbury said:


> Hello JMN...
> 
> The organic kind of Miracle Gro does work. But the process is messy and the product will only nourish the plants for a short time. Six months is about the longest. After this, you'll need to find another source for fertilizing.
> 
> ...


Sorry to thread jack but how often do you dose comp? I started a dirted tank and everything stopped growing a few months ago 

Tank was set up about a year ago and now I wish I never used mgopm short amount of growth wasn't really worth it to me.


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## natebuchholz (Sep 28, 2013)

Every substrate, even ADA AS, will eventually lose its nutrients and require supplementation.


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## JMN16150 (Jul 21, 2012)

Thank you for the responses. If the miracle gro exhausts, can I use jobes palm and citrus food sticks?


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## alcimedes (Dec 7, 2014)

Mentioned this in another thread, but you want SOIL, not MIX. Mix is intended for potted plants, Soil is more dirt like.

Supposedly if you make up a batch of minerlized top soil you won't need to dose anything but potassium going forward. I've just set up a tank with MTS as the base substrate but it's only a few months in.


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## saty (Apr 1, 2015)

alcimedes said:


> Mentioned this in another thread, but you want SOIL, not MIX. Mix is intended for potted plants, Soil is more dirt like.
> 
> Supposedly if you make up a batch of minerlized top soil you won't need to dose anything but potassium going forward. I've just set up a tank with MTS as the base substrate but it's only a few months in.


Thanks so much, I went to HD and picked up mix and had a doubt ever since i came home. This answers my question. No Mix, look for Soil 

I got this http://www.acehardware.com/product/...&KPID=19736078&kpid=19736078&pla=pla_19736078

thanks again.


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## saty (Apr 1, 2015)

*new finding*

This guy says use mix instead of soil. See paragraph 3.

http://dirtaquarium.blogspot.com/2013/01/what-kind-of-dirt-should-you-use.html


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## lochaber (Jan 23, 2012)

I've used Mix - Miracle Grow Organic Choice Potting Mix (MGOCPM) on a couple of tanks, and didn't have any problems with it.

I've done tanks both sifted and straight out of the bag, for the unsifted tank, I had chunks of bark/sticks/etc. start to show up on the surface after a few months or so.

I think about ~1" of soil is probably pretty good, I've had up to ~2" in a tank before without noticeable issues. I've capped with flourite black, and flourite black sand. I think the smaller the grainsize, the better the cap or the less of it you need. You might be able to get away with ~1" or so of sand, but if you are using something more gravelly, I'd go with around ~2"


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## JMN16150 (Jul 21, 2012)

Thanks, I actually have soil on my hands so i guess i'll use it


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## Qwe (Jul 8, 2013)

I've used the potting mix on a few tanks, capped with sand, gravel, or Safe-T-Sorb. Always used it straight out of the bag, no sifting. About 1" dirt, about 2" cap. Longest running tank with it atm is 1.5 years.


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## alcimedes (Dec 7, 2014)

Mix contains a few things the soil version doesn't.

I wasn't sure what they were using as their "wetting agent", they also coat some of the nutrients for slow release, not sure if that coating is safe. It also contains perlite, which I presume no one wants in their tank.


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## Qwe (Jul 8, 2013)

alcimedes said:


> Mix contains a few things the soil version doesn't.
> 
> I wasn't sure what they were using as their "wetting agent", they also coat some of the nutrients for slow release, not sure if that coating is safe. It also contains perlite, which I presume no one wants in their tank.


You might be looking at the wrong mix, it's gotta be the "organic choice"








^no perlite


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## Steve001 (Feb 26, 2011)

JMN16150 said:


> I want to dirt my nano cube, but don't want to spend that much money.
> 1. Will Miracle Gro work good for a planted tank?(experiences please)
> 2. Do you have to filter any bark out, or can you just put it directly in the tank with bark and all?
> 3. What cap works the best? I have Play sand and Eco complete already(seemingly nutrient used up)
> ...


Question number 6. Depends on the source. Laterite's main purpose is its iron content.


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## alcimedes (Dec 7, 2014)

Interesting. There are quite a few Miracle Gro products, and I think *every* other Miracle Gro "mix" product will have stuff in it you don't want, but the organic bag seems fine.


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## Aplomado (Feb 20, 2013)

A friend used it. It grows plants well. It has peat, and it turned our basic water acidic- around six. He replaced it. Not a fan.


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