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10 Best Miracle-Gro Potting Soils in 2024: Reviews & Top Picks
Ed Malaker
Last updated:
When it comes to gardening, many people prefer potting soil over plain dirt because it retains moisture and nutrients, helping to keep plants healthy and productive. Miracle-Gro is a top brand for many gardeners, as the company makes fertilizers and potting soil of many varieties, but it can be overwhelming when trying to pick one. Here is a reviews breakdown of Miracle-Gro potting soil types, including the ones best for outdoors, container plants, and tight budgets.
Miracle-Gro Potting Mix is our pick as the best overall Miracle-Gro potting soil. It has important nutrients that plants need for faster growth, more blooms, and a larger harvest. It works on many plants and continues to feed for up to 6 months after you apply it, so you won’t need to repot your plants frequently. It’s especially good for flowers and encourages root growth.
The only downside is that it contains many small sticks, making it hard to work with, especially when adding it to small pots.
Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix is our pick as the best Miracle-Gro potting soil for the money. It works on various flowers, vegetables, and other plants and continues to feed for up to 6 months. It’s a special formula that is less prone to gnats and helps retain moisture, which can help your plants receive more consistent moisture so they can withstand higher temperatures and endure the occasional drought.
The downside to this Miracle-Gro formula is that it can hold too much water for certain plant varieties, so you will need to be careful when watering or risk root rot and mold growth.
Miracle-Gro Organic Choice Potting Mix is our premium choice Miracle-Gro potting soil. It has natural, organic ingredients, like peat moss and bark, to help create a well-draining soil that promotes root growth and faster blooms. The aerated soil makes it easy for the roots to obtain nutrients, and it will continue to feed your plants for up to 6 months after planting.
The downside is that it contains many wood chips, making it hard to use in small containers, and it has a bit of an odor due to the organic ingredients.
Miracle-Gro Garden Soil is our pick as the best outdoor soil, and you can use it to improve the existing soil in your garden or flower beds to produce faster-growing plants with more blooms. It works well with almost any plant variety, and you can even use it in outdoor pots. It continues feeding your plants for up to 3 months and promotes strong root growth.
The downside to Miracle-Gro Garden Soil is that it is denser than many other potting soils on this list. It can retain a large amount of moisture, especially in container plants, so you must be mindful of your watering schedule when using this brand to prevent root rot or mold growth. The dense soil can also become compact in the garden, so you must break it up frequently.
Pros
Improves existing soil
Feeds for up to 3 months
Works for many plant varieties
Cons
Dense
5. Miracle-Gro Performance Organics All Purpose Container Mix — Best Container Soil
Miracle-Gro Performance Organics All Purpose Container Mix is our pick as the best container soil. It has natural, organic ingredients, including aged compost, so it quickly releases important nutrients into your soil. The all-purpose formula will work perfectly on a wide variety of plants, including flowers, fruits, and vegetables, and it will continue to feed for up to 3 months.
The downside to Miracle-Gro Performance is that it can be quite expensive if you don’t find it on sale, and it contains wood pieces that might make it hard to use in small containers.
Pros
All-purpose formula
Aged compost
Natural ingredients
Cons
Expensive
Wood pieces
6. Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix — Best for Moisture Control
Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix is our pick as the best blend for moisture control. It absorbs 33% more water than most other varieties if you put too much on the plants, then slowly releases it back into the soil as it becomes dry. This helps protect against overwatering and underwatering, which can be especially helpful if you spend time away from home. The soil also contains important nutrients that help promote plant growth, and some plants will grow twice as fast as usual. The soil will continue to feed the plants for up to 6 months.
The downside to Miracle-Gro Moisture Control is that it can hold too much water for varieties that prefer the soil to dry out completely before you water again, like snake plants, aloe, and others.
Pros
Faster growth
Feeds up to 6 months
Protects against overwatering and underwatering
Cons
Might hold too much water for some varieties
7. Miracle-Gro Succulent Potting Mix — Best Soil for Succulents
Miracle-Gro Succulent Potting Mix is our pick as the best potting soil for succulents. It has a unique blend that will help your succulents grow and thrive. It is fast draining, contains peat moss, forest products, and fertilizer, and lasts for up to 3 months. It also works well for growing cacti.
The downside to Miracle-Gro Succulent is that despite being fast draining, it can still hold too much water for certain varieties, so you will need to be careful when watering. It’s also quite expensive if you have more than a few plants to repot.
Pros
Formulated specifically for succulents
Contains peat moss and fertilizer
Fast draining
Cons
Might hold too much moisture
Expensive
8. Miracle-Gro Cactus, Palm & Citrus Potting Mix — Best Soil for Desert Plants
Miracle-Gro Cactus, Palm & Citrus Potting Mix is our pick as the best potting soil for desert plants. It uses a special formula containing perlite and other ingredients perfect for growing desert plants like cacti, succulents, and citruses. It also has fertilizer that will help feed your plants for up to 6 months and contains iron that will help prevent the leaf yellowing that frequently occurs in dry soil. It drains quickly, so you won’t need to worry about root rot or mold growth.
The downside to Miracle-Gro Cactus, Palm & Citrus is that it has a bad odor, which some people might not find suitable for indoors.
Pros
Formulated for desert plants
Fast draining
Fortified with iron
Feeds up to 6 months
Cons
Bad odor
9. Miracle-Gro Tropical Potting Mix — Best Soil for Tropical Plants
Miracle-Gro Tropical Potting Mix is our pick as the best for tropical plants, and it’s what we recommend for growing spider plants, palms, and similar plants. It works well indoors and outside and contains small lava rocks that help improve drainage. The ingredients provide fertilizer that will feed your plants for up to 6 months.
The downside to Miracle-Gro Tropical is that the lava rocks don’t always help the water drain away fast enough, which might cause the soil to hold too much water for certain plant varieties.
Pros
Feeds up to 6 months
For indoor and outdoor plants
Contains lava rocks
Cons
Might hold too much water for certain varieties
10. Miracle-Gro Orchid Potting Mix Coarse Blend — Best Soil for Orchids
Miracle-Gro Orchid Potting Mix Coarse Blend is our pick as the best for orchids and works well indoors and outside. It uses a coarse blend that suits the most popular orchid varieties, including cattleya, epidendrum, and dendrobium. It is incredibly fast draining, so you won’t need to worry about root rot or mold. It also contains fertilizer that will help your plants grow up to twice as fast for 6 months before you need to add more.
The main downside to Miracle-Gro Orchid is that it has a bad odor and is quite chunky, so it’s best suited for repotting large plants.
Pros
Fast draining
Feeds for 6 months
Cons
Bad odor
Chunky
Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Miracle-Gro Potting Soils
Consider Your Plants
When choosing a topsoil, the most important thing to consider is the type of plant that you are trying to grow. For example, many flowering plants and garden vegetables prefer well-draining soil that retains moisture, especially in hot weather, while cacti and succulents need dry soil. Different types of plants also require different nutrients, so it’s best to choose an option that specifically suits the plants that you are growing.
Choose a Well-Draining Option
No matter what kind of plant you are growing, we recommend choosing fast-draining potting soil. It is usually light and airy. The air pockets in the soil help promote root growth and make it easier for the plant to obtain important nutrients. This soil also enables the water to drain from the roots quickly so they aren’t sitting in a puddle of water, leading to root rot, mold, and even bacteria that can slow your plant’s growth.
Image Credit: Miriam Doerr Martin Frommherz, Shutterstock
What About Moisture-Retaining Potting Soil?
Moisture-retaining potting soil can be a good choice for garden vegetables, flowers, and many other plant varieties that don’t like the soil to get too dry. This potting soil is well-draining but contains special crystals or other ingredients that absorb excess moisture and release it again once the soil becomes dry. Since the crystals absorb excess moisture, they can help prevent excess watering, and since they release the moisture back into the soil when it becomes dry, they can help prevent a drought condition if you forget to water or have difficulty maintaining a strict watering schedule. It’s also a good choice for hot weather that can dry out the soil quickly.
Conclusion
When purchasing your next Miracle-Gro potting soil, we highly recommend our best overall pick on the reviews list. Miracle-Gro Potting Mix works on a wide variety of common plants, is fast draining, and will feed your plants for up to 6 months, promoting strong roots, faster growth, and more blooms and vegetables. Another great choice is our best value pick. Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix will feed your houseplants for up to 6 months and is less prone to pesky gnats. It also contains moisture-retaining crystals that help protect against overwatering and underwatering for a budget price.
Featured Image Credit By: TD Dolci, Shutterstock
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Ed Malaker
Ed Malaker is an experienced writer who has brought his knowledge to a wide range of blogs, including home improvement, guitars, computer programming, tools, fitness, and pets. If you don't catch him writing, you can usually find Ed working in the garden or taking on DIY projects around the house. Ed’s also a talented musician, spending time composing music for independent films or helping people fix their guitars.
Ed Malaker
