Miracle-Gro All Purpose alternative
Three applications a season, not fifteen watering cans
Miracle-Gro All Purpose is a 24-8-16 soluble feed you mix and water on every two weeks from March to September. All Purpose 4-4-4 is a granular feed blended from ten organic ingredients: scatter it, water it in, and soil life releases it for up to 8 weeks. Miracle-Gro is a quick fix: cheaper per pot and fast to show. Ours is a long-term solution: it feeds the plant and builds soil health season on season, and cuts the mixing to three applications a season on beds.
£12.00 All Purpose 4-4-4, 1.5 kg
Choose All PurposeBigger plot? 4 kg is £24.50. 9 kg is £46.00 with free UK delivery.
★★★★★ Rated 4.95/5 from 513 reviews. Free UK delivery over £40. Dispatched in 1 to 2 working days. Formulated and blended in Stockport, in compostable bags.
- Miracle-Gro All Purpose: mix a scoop into the can every 2 weeks, about 15 feeds from March to September.
- All Purpose 4-4-4: 100 g per m² on beds every 6 weeks, up to 3 times a season. No mixing.
- One 10-litre pot for a season: 23p to 32p with Miracle-Gro, 87p to £1.36 with ours.
- Ours carries calcium, magnesium and sulphur, plus alfalfa, seaweed, humic acid and biochar for soil life.
- Slower to show than a soluble feed. For a fast lift, use All-Purpose Booster 5-5-5.
- Not vegan: All Purpose 4-4-4 contains bone meal.
What it costs
March to September. Cost is the feed used, not the pack bought.
Per can. A 4.5-litre can of Miracle-Gro costs 7p to 10p. A 100 g application of All Purpose 4-4-4 covers one square metre of bed for six weeks and costs 51p to 80p.
Miracle-Gro: 15 fortnightly feeds of 1 litre each, which is our assumption, at the carton rate of 80 cans per kg; 1 kg and 1.2 kg cartons at £6.46 to £7.99 from five UK retailers, checked 13 Nov 2026. Dr Forest: 5 g per litre mixed in at potting, then 2 g per litre top-dressed every 4 weeks from week 6 (170 g in all), from £12.00 (1.5 kg) and £46.00 (9 kg) bags. Miracle-Gro is a trademark of its owner; Dr Forest is not affiliated.
What the extra buys you
Miracle-Gro is cheaper per feed. This is what you get for the difference.
- Soil that gets better every year. Most of the bag is carbon-rich organic matter that feeds soil life and builds structure. Miracle-Gro carries no carbon, so your soil ends the season no better than it started.
- Calcium, magnesium and sulphur built in. Gypsum, kieserite and bone meal supply them. Miracle-Gro All Purpose carries no calcium.
- Far less work. A 10 m² bed takes three applications a season, against about 60 watering cans of Miracle-Gro from March to September.
- No scorch at the recommended rates. Soil microbes release the nutrients as they break the meals down, so there is no surge of soluble salts at the roots.
- Every ingredient on the label. Ten organic inputs, formulated and blended in small batches in Stockport and packed in a compostable bag.
Side by side
| Miracle-Gro All Purpose | Dr Forest All Purpose 4-4-4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Soluble crystals, dissolved in water | Granular, blended from ten organic ingredients |
| NPK | 24-8-16 | 4-4-4 |
| Also carries | Trace elements | Calcium, magnesium, sulphur, seaweed, humic acid, biochar |
| How you feed | One scoop per watering can, every 2 weeks, March to September | 100 g per m², every 6 weeks, up to 3 times a season |
| Animal ingredients | None listed | Bone meal |
| Packs | 1 kg, £6.46 to £7.65; 1.2 kg, £6.60 to £7.99 | 1.5 kg £12.00, 4 kg £24.50, 9 kg £46.00 |
Miracle-Gro NPK, rates and coverage from the UK carton and retailer listings, checked 13 Nov 2026.
How to switch
Stop the fortnightly can and feed the soil instead. Start in spring as growth begins:
| Where | Rate | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Beds, borders, allotments | 100 g per m², worked into the top 5 to 10 cm | Every 6 weeks while growing, up to 3 times a season |
| Potting up | 5 g per litre of compost. Heavy feeders: up to 10 g | Once, at potting |
| Pots and baskets in growth | 2 g per litre of pot, scattered on top | Every 4 weeks, from 6 weeks after potting |
A handful is 40 to 50 g; a level tablespoon is 12 to 15 g. Water in every time.
Need help with a particular plant? Our How to Grow Plants guides cover 194 plants, from sowing to harvest.
When a quick fix makes sense
- You want the lowest cost per feed. Miracle-Gro wins that by a distance.
- You want a response in days. A soluble feed is taken up straight away; ours works over weeks.
- You feed through a hose-end feeder or want one carton for lawn and houseplants too.
- You want a feed with no animal ingredients. Ours contains bone meal.
Common questions
What is the closest Dr Forest match to Miracle-Gro All Purpose?
Dr Forest All Purpose 4-4-4. Both are one feed for the whole garden: veg, fruit, flowers, shrubs and pots. The NPK numbers look very different because the two contain different things. Miracle-Gro's 24-8-16 is soluble mineral salts with no carbon, so it feeds the plant but does nothing for the soil. Most of a bag of All Purpose 4-4-4 is organic matter: carbon-rich plant meals, seaweed and biochar, with the nutrients held in that material alongside calcium, magnesium and sulphur. Soil microbes break it down and release the nutrients over weeks, and the carbon left behind builds the soil. That is why you apply 100 g per m² every 6 weeks rather than a scoop in the can every 2 weeks.
Is Dr Forest cheaper than Miracle-Gro?
No. A 10-litre pot costs 23p to 32p a season with Miracle-Gro All Purpose against 87p to £1.36 with Dr Forest All Purpose 4-4-4 (prices checked 13 Nov 2026). Dr Forest costs more because it is blended from ten organic ingredients and carries calcium, magnesium, sulphur and seaweed alongside the NPK.
Is there an organic alternative to Miracle-Gro All Purpose?
Dr Forest All Purpose 4-4-4 is blended from ten organic ingredients, including alfalfa meal, bone meal, seaweed and gypsum, and the alfalfa meal and flaxseed meal are certified organic. Soil microbes release the nutrients over weeks, so there is no salt spike at the roots.
Can I use Miracle-Gro and Dr Forest All Purpose together?
Yes, but there is no need to run both at full strength. Finish the Miracle-Gro carton as an occasional liquid top-up and let All Purpose 4-4-4 do the base feeding from the soil.
Why do some gardeners avoid Miracle-Gro?
It feeds the plant, not the soil. Miracle-Gro All Purpose is soluble mineral salts with no carbon, so it adds nothing to soil structure or soil life, and the plants need another feed every two weeks. It is easy to overdo, and too strong a mix can scorch roots. What the plant does not take up can wash through to drains and rivers. It also carries no calcium.
Is Miracle-Gro good for plants?
It works. Plants take up a soluble feed within days, and growth responds quickly. The catch is that it is a quick fix: the soil is no better at the end of the season than it was at the start, so you are back to the watering can every fortnight. An organic feed builds the soil while it feeds the plant.
What plants should you not use Miracle-Gro All Purpose on?
Acid-loving plants such as blueberries, rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias need an ericaceous feed instead. Plants that prefer lean soil, including Mediterranean herbs like rosemary, thyme and lavender, wildflower areas and alpines, go soft and leafy on a strong nitrogen-led feed. The same plants need a light hand with any fertiliser, organic included.
More: all brand alternatives · Vitax Q4 · Phostrogen Organic · Osmocote
Ready for the long-term fix?
Scatter it in spring, water it in, and put the watering can away for six weeks.
£12.00 All Purpose 4-4-4, 1.5 kg