Refilling Miracle-Gro Liquafeed bottles.

[jonohanson]

Does anyone use the miracle gro liquafeed hose attatchement? It uses bottles of plant food that screw into the attatchment??

I'm wondering if it would be possible to re-fill these with wilko veg fertilizer, if so does anyone know the measurments??

Many Thanks

[Florence Fennel]

I've never used one of those Jono, I think I'd probably be a bit "heavy handed" so I measure into my watering can. Are there contents/measurements on the Miracle Gro bottle that you could replicate with the Wilko?

[rustylady]

I've never fed anything using a hose attachment. Never found the need, and it seems wasteful to use a hose when a watering can or three would do the job perfectly well.

[jonohanson]

Its great, the attatchment is just like a normal hose gun, but has a hole at the back to screw these bottles of feed into, then you can choose between water and feed, I find it quicker than the watering can too.

The bottle does 40sqm or 20 mins continual use. The bottles are 450ml. I was wanting to fill one bottle with tom feed and one with general purpose fertilizer but am unsure if I can just fill the bottle with the concentrated stuff or if I would have to water it down first?

Many Thanks


Just done some maths (I think)

If it takes 20 mins to use 450ml, then thats 22.5ml/min. The wilko plant food is 15 ml for a 7.5 ltr mix, meaning 2ml for every ltr of water.

So for me to use the wilko plant food undiluted I need a tap running at 11ltrs per min. (2ml*11=22ml/ltr)

Anyone know what the average uk tap runs at, at a guestimate I would say 10 ltrs per min wouldn't be far off meaning I could us the wilko plant food undiluted.

Does that look correct??

[rustylady]

Be careful with the tomato feed - you're not supposed to get it on the foliage

[Potstubsdustbins]

Jono anywhere between 10 and 15 ltrs per minute depending on your water service. Do you know a plumber if so ask if he has a `weir cup` he can lend you. Useful device for measuring water flow from a tap.

Colin

[zazen999]

And the run off from this synthetic feed goes where?

[endymion]

We had one of these hose end venturi gizmos that we used a lot, I think it was a 'phostrogen' one that could be used for other things as well. There were lines marked on the container as a guide, but I can't check because it got broken when we had a little problem with the shed roof. How's that for a bit of useless information!

There might be some information online somewhere or other.

[rustylady]

Its great, the attatchment is just like a normal hose gun, but has a hole at the back to screw these bottles of feed into, then you can choose between water and feed, I find it quicker than the watering can too.

So how big an area do you have to water?

[Florence Fennel]

Took me quite a while last night feeding the squash (I have 2 litre plastic bottles stationed with every plant so I fill the bottle with the feed) and left me quite tired. Realised I usually get help in the form of child labour this weekend, so I should have waited! I only get the hose pipe out if the situation is desperate.

[digon]

I've been refilling these with neat Tomorite for a month or so and my tomatoes seem to be thriving on it.
The lids can be prised off for re-filling with a flat-bladed screwdriver without damage. The advantages are it is far quicker than mixing in a watering can and the dilution rate is self regulating.

Dave

[jonohanson]

Thanks for the advice guys, I have 2 allotments and a large kitchen garden that I water. As for the question on run-off, are liquid fertilizers like miracle gro and wilko veg food dangerous to the environment?

My main use for the liquid based food and a hose pipe is ease, watering the amount we have by hand with a watering can can take over an hour, by hose it only takes 10-15 mins.

Regards

[Hillwalker]

Hi Jono,

I had a check earlier to see how long it would take to fill a 10 litre bucket from my tap - 25 seconds. And that didn't seem any faster than other houses we've lived in. Of course, the flow rate can be regulated by your rising main's tap.

[jonohanson]

Oh, I may have to look at using a regulator on my hose, I have seen ones that you use in irrigation systems, I will have to try the bucket method when I get home. Thanks for checking though.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Thanks for the advice guys, I have 2 allotments and a large kitchen garden that I water. As for the question on run-off, are liquid fertilizers like miracle gro and wilko veg food dangerous to the environment?

My main use for the liquid based food and a hose pipe is ease, watering the amount we have by hand with a watering can can take over an hour, by hose it only takes 10-15 mins.



Regards

The short answer is no they are fertilizers not pesticides. The only problem you may have is if the run off gets on a patch of weeds you end up with Triffids.

Colin