# Is Miracle Grow bad?



## Mbartole (Nov 11, 2014)

Should I avoid using miracle grow in my garden where my bees are?
If so why?


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## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

I use it with no trouble. There will be others that invariably disagree as it's not truly organic or something similar. You'll still have to make the final decision though.


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## Matt F (Oct 7, 2014)

my uneducated opinion is don't worry about it. A 1/4 acre garden is three thousandths of one percent of your bees' forage area (8,000 acres in a 2-mile circle). Assuming you live with other houses nearby there are certainly others using it that your bees are exposed to already. If you're more than three miles from anyone else, well it's only 0.003% so it's not going to matter.


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## suburbanrancher (Aug 5, 2011)

Using it in your garden shoudn't hurt the bees. But you can read about Miracle Grow and salt-based fertilizers on gardening sites if you wanted more "gardencentric" advice.


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## Dave1958 (Mar 25, 2013)

It's the seven dust you need to avoid


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Miracle grow is a fertilizer, not an insecticide. There might be types of Miracle grow with insecticide in them. Read the instructions.


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## Mike Gillmore (Feb 25, 2006)

If you are using Miracle Grow "potting soil" check the label. Some of the commercial bagged potting soils now contain neonicotinoids, if that might be a concern for you.


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## jdmidwest (Jul 9, 2012)

Bees don't really pay much attention to gardens unless you have melons or cucumbers. Some flowers get their attention.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Miracle Grow is a chemical salt by product. Use them for 3-4 years and you don't have
earthworms anymore. This is a guarantee! Just ask the chemical user gardeners.
I go for the organic compost/fertilizers. It is better for the environment and your bees too no
matter what you grow in your garden.


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## jdmidwest (Jul 9, 2012)

Put some good ole cow poop or chicken manure on it. Then you only have to worry about E Coli or Salmonella in your leafy greens. But your bees will be safe. They like manure piles too.


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## Retroguy (Jul 16, 2014)

Earthworms aren't native to North America. Whether they're a benefit or not is up for debate. They've definitely changed the ecosystems of hardwood forests since their arrival in the early 1600's. On the other hand I don't know what I'd use for bait about half the time I'm fishing.:scratch:


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Earthworms are proven that they are good for the soil. So whatever you plant for
your bees they will benefit those as well. Not sure why earthworms got into this thread.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

beepro said:


> Not sure why earthworms got into this thread.


Perhaps because *you *brought the subject up in post #9... 



beepro said:


> Use them for 3-4 years and you don't have earthworms anymore.



[hr] [/hr]

Note that _Miracle Grow_ is a brand name with many _different _products. Seems to me that one would need to know _which _Miracle Grow product the OP is considering using to be able to accurately answer the question.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Thanks, Radar. I would be lost without you pointing my way.
Too bad Ace has not get this point yet. Maybe one day he will. 
So I am the culprit, eh. My apology! Shame on me. I side tracked from the bees to the earthworms. But it
is true though. Had it happened here from a veggies grower before.


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## enjambres (Jun 30, 2013)

Earthworms may be good for garden-soil tilth and productivity, but they may still be bad for the larger environment, including forests. 

I am a professional horticulturist and I use the commercial equivalent of "Miracle-Gro" in my operations, and have no loss of earthworm populations (because I also pay close attention to soil structure and other vital-to-humus factors.) Nor does "Miracle-Gro" have any negative effect on my bees. Not even when I apply it as a foliar (spray) application. Of course, I am careful to spray without _emulsifying and sticking adjuvants _when there's any chance bees might be foraging. 

Enj.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Matt F said:


> A 1/4 acre garden is three thousandths of one percent of your bees' forage area (8,000 acres in a 2-mile circle).


Math is a wonderful thing. In the last few hours of daylight that 2 mile circle shrinks down to about a 100 ft so a 1/4 acre garden is more like 90% of the forage area at that time. I don't believe a chemical fertilizer is bad for bees. Earthworms kill forest, that is a new one for me.


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## Nabber86 (Apr 15, 2009)

Acebird said:


> Math is a wonderful thing. In the last few hours of daylight that 2 mile circle shrinks down to about a 100 ft so a 1/4 acre garden is more like 90% of the forage area at that time. I don't believe a chemical fertilizer is bad for bees. Earthworms kill forest, that is a new one for me.


Maths are wonderful when done correctly. You forgot to factor in the _time_ that the circle shrinks to a 100 foot radius and how many bees are still foraging during the waning twilight.


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