A gardening expert has a dire warning about Miracle-Gro and other bagged soils you might find at your local Home Depot or Lowe’s—going as far as to call it “poison” that “gets into the system of your plant … in every vein of every leaf and fruit.”
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The video comes from San Francisco Bay Area-creator Alycia Tumlin (@alyciagardens), who put it up on TikTok on Sunday. It has already passed 1.2 million views as of this writing.
“I usually mix my own soil, but if you have to get a bag, do not buy Miracle-Gro,” she said. “There’s a lot of that here. There’s even I see now an ‘organic’ Miracle-Gro—don’t.”
What should you use instead?
She then promises, “I’m going to show you how to tell what is good, and give you some options.”
Her issue with Miracle-Gro is that the only nutrient for plants in a bag of its soil is labeled “fertilizer,” which she contends is “made in a freaking lab.”
According to the National Gardening Association, “Although plants make their own ‘food’ through photosynthesis, they need certain nutrients to help them do this. You probably noticed that Miracle-Gro, as well as other fertilizers, have three numbers on the container. These numbers refer to the percentage of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K) in the fertilizer.”
“These 3 elements are referred to as macronutrients because plants need them in fairly large (i.e., macro) amounts to thrive. How these elements interact is complicated (and probably Mother Nature’s secret!) but in general terms, nitrogen produces lush green growth, phosphorous helps strengthen stems and produce flowers (and eventually fruit), and potassium keeps the root system healthy.”
Tumlin also reveals in the video that she steers clear of any soil with peat moss in it, even lauding an organic soil she found that says, “100% peat moss free” right on the bag.
Looking at a bag of Kellogg soil, she walks through the ingredient list, approving what she sees: “forest products, chicken manure, oyster shell, dolomite lime, bat guano, worm castings and kelp meals. So you actually have some nutrients.”
She sums up, as a written note accompanying her video, her advice with four guidelines for buying bagged soil at big box stores:
- No peat moss
- No “processed” ingredients
- Manure or poultry litter is good
- ORGANIC
Why is peat moss bad?
Tumlin, who responded to the Daily Dot’s interview request via email, remarked, “Peat moss comes from peat bogs, which are ancient, delicate ecosystems that take thousands of years to form. Harvesting it involves draining, stripping, and mining these bogs, which permanently damages these habitats. These bogs also store a ton of carbon, but when we harvest from them all that carbon is released into the atmosphere, contributing to more warming.”
She added, “Big-name potting soil brands and nurseries still rely on peat moss because it’s lightweight and easy to package & ship, but its environmental cost is way too high. If we keep buying that [expletive] it just fuels demand for more destruction of peat bogs.”
That’s backed by a New York Times article from 2022, which notes, “Peat extraction releases substantial CO2, a greenhouse gas, contributing to climate change.”
However, the article also points out, “No product is without an environmental footprint — whether from its production, transport to market, or both. Coconut coir, sourced predominately from South Asia, requires large amounts of fresh water to wash and prepare. Perlite, mostly sourced from Greece, and vermiculite, from South Africa, require furnaces to process. Even local, easily renewable materials, like wood fiber and bark, require energy to process.”
But peat moss isn’t necessarily bad for your plants, Tumlin says—unlike Miracle-Gro.
“Using chemical fertilizers like Miracle-Gro is like feeding the Earth and your plants crack—it’s a quick hit for a fast shallow outcome, and then when it’s all dried up, the plants go into withdrawal/shock and wither or die. It does nothing to feed the soil. It smells like gasoline.”
@alyciagardens Basic tips for choosing bagged soil at big box stores: 1. No peat moss 2. No “processed” ingredients 3. Manure or poultry litter is good 4. ORGANIC #gardening ♬ original sound – alyciagardens
People viewing the video had thoughts to share.
“Damn we also have to check labels for dirt bags too,” one remarked.
“I’m so exhausted of everything being poisonous,” another shared.
“The last time I bought Miracle-Gro soil, I had fungus in every pot I put it in,” one recalled.
One pointed out that expensive dirt might be too rich for some. “Poor folks don’t have the luxury of pay[ing] top dollar for fancy dirt. We get what’s on sale and hope for the best.”
“Peat isn’t the BEST for the planet but it’s affordable,” someone else argued. “And your plants don’t care if the NPK comes from a lab or compost; it uses it the same. Get what you can afford and what works for you. The plants don’t care, and no, it won’t harm you unless you’re eating the dirt by the spoonfuls.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Scotts (the parent company of Miracle-Gro) via email.
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