Scotts Miracle-Gro Liquafeed Universal

Feeding as Easy as Watering

CLIENT: Scotts Miracle-Gro

INDUSTRY: Home, Hardware

SERVICES: Research, Design, Engineering, Prototyping

Every gardener is different when it comes to watering their plants. From hand sprayers to sprinklers, gardeners use a wide variety of devices when they water. Scotts, a trusted name in the gardening tool market, saw an opportunity to use this existing behavior, enabling gardeners to feed as easily as they can water, without changing their watering habits. The Miracle-Gro Liquafeed Universal adapts to any watering device and varying pressure, while using Scotts’ existing product ecosystem to create a powerful tool for the garden.

priority_designs_lawn_garden_design_engineering_development_prototyping_010

A Feat of Engineering

Making the Liquafeed Universal was no simple task. Scotts came to Priority Designs with several main goals: the device needed to adapt to any watering device, adjust to any water pressure, and accurately dose the Liquafeed fertilizer solution. Industrial fertilizer pumps surfaced as an example of the desired product functionality, but their large size and expensive parts became a challenge.

Priority Designs’ veteran engineering staff took great pleasure and care in transforming this industrial technology into an affordable and efficient consumer product. The amazing engineering effort took years to complete, and brought the consumer product to life with an astounding $20 price point.

priority_designs_lawn_garden_design_engineering_development_prototyping_013

priority_designs_lawn_garden_design_engineering_development_prototyping_002

Starting with the initial concept and breadboard, a series of early prototypes confirmed the function and durability of the design. The mechanism uses water pressure to power and adjust the internal mixing engine, delivering the correct ratio of liquid plant food to water. Careful and detailed engineering for production adjusted each component at every level, ensuring a reliable, accurate and durable mechanism.

Fully Adaptable

The whole product needed to be highly adaptable, not just the mechanism. Priority Designs developed the product housing with the same goal in mind. Research showed many homes have limited space around their outdoor faucets, so the product needed to be small and agile to be truly universal. With compact connections, an articulating body, and a cleat to help stake it into the ground, the product can be used on a wide variety of faucets and homes.

priority_designs_lawn_garden_design_engineering_development_prototyping_003

priority_designs_lawn_garden_design_engineering_development_prototyping_004

priority_designs_lawn_garden_design_engineering_development_prototyping_008

The operation of the Liquafeed Universal is very simple: either rotate the lever to “Water” to bypass the feeding, or to “Feed,” to dose the solution into the water stream. With that simple adjustment, gardeners can feed and water at the same time without switching their sprayer.

priority_designs_lawn_garden_design_engineering_development_prototyping_011

priority_designs_lawn_garden_design_engineering_development_prototyping_012

priority_designs_lawn_garden_design_engineering_development_prototyping_009

A Powerful Gardening Tool

By enabling gardeners to use any watering device, the Liquafeed Universal makes plant fertilizing easier and more seamless than ever before. An engineering marvel, the innovative design and robust mechanism adds serious power to your garden.