If you happen to have extra Miracle-Gro product, you may have noticed the thin and worn appearance of your lawn’s grass recently.
Does Miracle-Gro plant food work on grass? Because it contains nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, Miracle-Gro plant food works well for grass. Although the All-Purpose formula can be used for lawns with no ill effects, most professionals recommend using a formula created specifically for lawns to provide the correct nutrient ratios.
Read on below for everything you need to know about using Miracle-Gro plant food for your grass (as well as some better options)!
Miracle-Gro Plant Food for Grass – What To Know
Using Miracle-Gro plant food for your grass is a perfectly legitimate idea. In fact, Miracle-Gro offers several different blends that are suitable, including some specifically for grass.
The most significant nutrients that your lawn needs are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, normally symbolized as N-P-K on product packaging, and all are found in Miracle-Gro products and other lawn fertilizers.
Further, Miracle-Gro products are water soluble, are easy to use, and provide nutrients to the grass roots rapidly.
Other various granular fertilizer products, however, are also popular due to their equally easy application. Granule feeds release their nutrients slowly over time.
In the following sub-sections, we break down each aspect of using Miracle-Gro plant food for grass in much greater detail.
Can You Use Miracle-Gro All-Purpose Plant Food on Grass?
Using Miracle-Gro All-Purpose plant food on your grass is perfectly safe. That said, there are better Miracle-Gro products to choose from for your grass rather than the All-Purpose formula.
However, the All-Purpose blend definitely makes a huge difference in most lawns.
Miracle-Gro Plant Food NPK
The basic NPK of Miracle-Gro All-Purpose plant food is 24-8-16. That means it contains 24% nitrogen, 8% phosphorus, and 16% potassium.
Grass Nutrient Requirements
For healthy, vivid, green grass (that the neighbors envy), your lawn requires plenty of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.
All of these key nutrients are found in Miracle-Gro products, both all-purpose formulas and those designed specifically for use on grass.
Will Miracle-Gro Plant Food Hurt My Lawn?
Proper usage of Miracle-Gro plant food on your lawn won’t hurt it; it will thicken it up and turn it even greener.
However, if you apply it far too much or far too often, you may burn your grass or even kill it in certain areas.
That said, all you need to do is use a bit of restraint (and follow the recommended application instructions).
Should You Use Miracle Gro Plant Food on Grass?
Original Miracle-Gro may not have been developed with grass in mind, but it has definitely evolved to include it.
From the famous All-Purpose blend to the more recently developed grass blends, there is without a doubt a proper Miracle-Gro product for freshening up your lawn.
The All-Purpose plant food certainly won’t hurt your lawn and can be used in a pinch, but the products designed specifically for grass will deliver more appropriate ratios of nutrients.
Does Miracle-Gro Make a Lawn Fertilizer?
The best Miracle-Gro lawn fertilizer product is Miracle-Gro Lawn Food.
It comes in a 5-pound container that covers up to 7,200 sq. ft. and provides your lawn with all the essential nutrients it needs.
With this product, your grass will repair and maintain itself as well as promote new vigorous growth that looks vivid and thrives.
All you need to do is invest in the Miracle-Gro Garden Feeder (a gadget that attaches to the top of the feed container and works similar to a watering can or seed spreader) and feed your lawn once every 4 to 6 weeks, sit back, and enjoy the lush green carpet that your yard becomes!
Liquid vs. Granular Fertilizer for Lawns
When you decide to fertilize your lawn, there are two ways to go about it: using liquid lawn fertilizer or using a granular fertilizer product for lawns.
Liquid fertilizer is popular because it is easy to use and it begins working immediately. The downside is that it is often more expensive (or more diluted).
Granular fertilizer is usually less expensive, is just as easy to apply, and provides nutrients for longer periods of time.
Otherwise, there are very few if any significant differences between the two.
Best Fertilizer for Grass
Now that we’ve discussed why it’s okay to use Miracle-Gro plant food for your grass, let’s have a look at some better options:
The Andersons PGF Complete 16-4-8 Fertilizer
The Andersons PGF is a granular fertilizer. It’s phosphorus free with small particles that include humic acid.
The main benefits of humic acid are that it increases turf quality while at the same time reducing the nutrient requirements.
PGF also contains Mutech-coated slow-release nitrogen that provides uniform growth and extended feeding.
The small particle size not only makes them easy to apply, but they also disperse quickly when watered, moving directly to the soil.
Pennington UltraGreen
Pennington UltraGreen is a granular fertilizer that feeds your lawn while at the same time strengthening it against heat and drought. It can be used on any kind of lawn and has a quick greening effect.
The product contains 5% iron for a deep green lawn and 10.5% slow-release nitrogen.
The application of this product will extend the feeding up to 3 months, providing you with a lush, thick, deep-green lawn.
Scotts Green Max Lawn Food
Scotts Green Max Lawn Food is a granular fertilizer that’s easy to spread. It is also a dual-action fertilizer.
Its formula not only feeds your lawn but also supplements it with iron. It can be applied to any kind of grass.
The Green Max Lawn Food feeds for deep greening in just 3 days. It’s safe to enter the lawn immediately after the product is applied, and if used as indicated, it doesn’t stain.
With this fertilizer, you can cover up to 5000 sq. ft.
Simple Lawn Solutions
Simple Lawn Solutions is a liquid fertilizer that can be applied to any type of grass. Its formula contains nitrogen, iron, and a micronutrient blend.
This lawn solution provides an intense booster treatment as it contains all the necessary ingredients to darken the green color of your lawn.
This fertilizer is very easy to use, and you can cover up to 3200 sq. ft. For its application, it comes with a ready-to-use hose-end sprayer.
Scotts Turf Builder SummerGuard
Scotts turf builder is a granular fertilizer. Its main characteristics are that it not only feeds your lawn but also strengthens it against the heat and drought of the summer season.
It kills and protects against a list of different bugs, including armyworms.
Like other granular fertilizers, it is very easy to apply,. You can cover up to 5000 sq. ft., and it won’t burn your lawn.
Lack of water will make your lawn start to wilt. Rely on the rain and this product to protect it from the summer.
Related Questions:
Is Plant Food the Same as Fertilizer?
Plant food as a product (not the kind of food plants make for themselves by capturing energy from the sun and nutrients from the soil) and fertilizer, are exactly the same thing.
The only difference is in name and perhaps marketing angle.
How Fast Does Fertilizer Work?
The amount of time it takes to see results from a lawn fertilizer product varies.
Most water-soluble products are designed to start working immediately, whereas granular fertilizer may take 5 days to 2 weeks to show any changes.
Closing Thoughts
Having a green and healthy lawn is the best compliment for every landscape, but in order to have a healthy turf and minimal pests and weeds, you’ll need to use lawn fertilizer of some sort.
Miracle-Gro All-Purpose blend and Lawn Feed are great solutions as are all five of the alternative lawn fertilizers mentioned on our list above!
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