Can someone help me work out sprayer setting mixing ratios

Hi,
First - I have a Ortho "Weed 'N Feed" multipurpose sprayer. The sprayer has a 32oz jug below and the selector can be set between 0 and 8 oz. of product in the jug below that will mix with one gallon of water spray out of the sprayer. Once the liquid in the jug is used, it is empty (does not replenish from hose water). Now, if I wanted to use Miracle grow in the jug (directions are 1TBSP per gallon), how much miracle grow do I mix in the 32oz jug to get 1TBSP per gallon coming out of the sprayer? Confused?
Second - I water the lawn every morning. Can I just sprinkle some dry fertilizer on the lawn and let the sprinklers do the dilution work for me and save from extra watering cost through the sprayer?

Thanks

First the lawn, no dont just sprinkle feed onto the lawn, you will kill it, Lawn feeds are different from plant feeds, soluble lawn feeds are spread at the ratio given on the packet and NORMALLY, tell you after so many days IF it has not rained, then you need to sprinkle the lawn to prevent the grass leafs from burning /going brown, there are several types of grass preparations on the market, some are weed AND feed, so these ones kill off the weeds in the lawn and you have to be careful NOT to spread these on a day where there is a slight breaze or, it will be blown onto your other plants growing in the borders and kill those off too, the other type of lawn feed is sometimes a moss killer too, so you really need to get a good read at ALL weed / feed stuff so you know what you are dealing with, some are dangerous if not used properly, so I would tell yo t treat the lawn as a separate item at all times.

Weed / Feed, yes complicated to read and take in, but from what I can gather, all you need to worry about is the Gallon that the hosepipe will mix with the 0 - 8 oz, you need to read what amount you require of feed, as 0 - 8 oz is a wide choice. some veg take more feed than others, some plants only require very little feed as they grow in less fertile areas, if in doubt, go just under half way and increase the amount IF required say after bout 4 to 6 weeks, remember to keep the feed OFF the foliage and try to aim at the soil as the feeds can burn some foliage especially in sunlight,

Miracle Grow is as for the other weed / feed amounts, you set the sprayer to release so much per gallon and easy peasy, the hose pipe does the rest, always read the packet / box instruction as more harm is done by over feeding than no feeding at all, good luck. WeeNel..

I will start by saying, never buy or use miracle grow. Those types of fertilizers are essentially made from oil and propane as a starter and they take large amounts of energy to produce thus having a huge carbon foot print. Hard to believe but true. They damage the soil and makes plants dependent on you to continuously feed them because the soil life is diminished and can no longer sustain itself over time.

Organic fertilizer is best and once you begin using it you will find you need to fertilize less often and have fewer pest problems too because you will be building healthy, life sustaining soil for the plants to live in. Liquid organic fertilizer is available in many styles now and mixing is every bit as easy as miracle grow or any other synthetic fertilizer so the switch is easy to make.

Organic lawn fertilizer is best as well. you don't need to fertilize every day or week though. Midsummer or hot spells are good times to take a break from fertilizing the lawn. The grass goes dormant during the heat of the season and without adequate water it can't use much fertilizer anyway. Low or no nitrogen organic fertilizers are recommended during these times for root building and cell maintaining cell structure. Kelp and calcium based organic fertilizers with Mycorrhizae are best. They help build the soil life and can't harm any plants or animals. Getting them in the gardens around the lawn can only help. They are non-burning and vital for soil health. Putting them down on the lawn when the soil is dry won't hurt the plants or the soil but they won't work either. All fertilizer is activated by water.

At Dirt Works, we sell hose end sprayers and as a professional gardener even I admit the instructions on them can be hard to understand. I sympathize. Another nice part about using organic fertilizer is it's almost impossible to use too much. The granular products can be spilled into a pile on the ground by accident with no ill effect. If you use too much of the liquid products, no harm done except that you run out too soon. Just hose the area down and don't apply any for anymore for a while and hose down the area to give it a good soaking. The plants will have plenty to work with.

One general rule of them or two: It's better to fertilize more often with less than less often with more and don't apply foliar fertilizer or pesticides of any kind during the height of the day in the sun. You can have a phototoxicity (don't know if I spelled that right) reaction that can cause the leaves to curl and even kill the plants. Fertilize in the early morning, the evening or on solid cloudy, cooler days.