Interesting paper I found this morning...

http://www.agri.idaho.gov/Categories/PlantsInsects/Documents/NurseryAdvisoryCommittee/NAC-ISDA2011-7_Tripepi.pdf

Was very interesting, thank you for sharing!!

Well, that's to be expected. Organic fertilizers generally need to be further broken down and made available by soil microbes over a longer period whereas MG is in immediately available for the plant to absorb. Different fertilizers for different needs.

It's like taking a steroid to bulk up or eating well and exercising to build muscles....of course figs don't get 'roid rage.

Rich,
Thanks for posting the link...  NAC-ISDA2011-7_Tripepi.pdf     

Kelby,
Its more like the difference between drinking Ensure (a dietary Supplement) or eating a multi-course balanced meal. There are no Steroids (Hormones, Auxins or Growth Factors).

Really informative!  Thanks for posting it!  We use Miracle grow on almost everything here because it's more likely to get to the roots than the granulated stuff you have to water in.  Because we are on a hill, a lot of what we think is going in, is probably washing down the hill.  We also spray for foliar absorption.

Suzi

Good link, good article.  It appears Thrive would be a good product for those that want to be organic. 

I did find it odd that the researcher(s) noticed a difference in watering requirements but did not consider that the ones that grew more needed more water.  Seems like an obvious reason to me, more growth, more leaf area, more transpiration.

For fish fertilizer, you can get similar results but you need repeated applications compared to miracle grow, if it is hydrolsate, then the fish has been broken down by bacteria already and is available to the plant, but there are parts, such as the oil, that needs to be broken down further by soil microbes.  Twice a week or so really makes a difference when applying to vegetables, figs it boosts growth a lot with twice a week as well.