Re: master gardeners and Scotts?

**"* P* <r*@comcast.net>**

Jo Ellen,

You described the activities of master gardeners really well. We always use 
recommendations related to culture before any type of product, even if it is 
supposedly organic, natural or safe. Most of the time, the problem is the 
wrong plant in the wrong place or wrong light, lack of water, planting, 
pruning, etc...

The venue in which it is done to me is just how you reach the public. Master 
gardeners have booths at all types of events to reach the general public.

When we are there (farmer's market, garden center, etc.) to answer 
questions, we are not there to sell...and we use the Michigan State books 
for reference or refer people to the MSU hotline.

Sandie Parrott

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "jo ellen meyers sharp" <hoosiergardener@sbcglobal.net>
To: "Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum" 
<gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 10:04 PM
Subject: Re: [GWL] master gardeners and Scotts?

> Here in Marion County (Indianapolis), Master Gardeners provide
> answers to e-mail questions and phone calls, as well as analyze live
> (sometimes dead) specimens brought in for diagnosis...insect,
> disease, freeze, lack of water, plant habit, etc.
>
> I answer e-mails on Mondays, and as a general rule, we are not really
> allowed to provide specific recommendations for pesticides. Rather,
> we refer people to Purdue University (or other university or .org's)
> publications that deal with a specific topic...weeds in lawns,
> growing tomatoes, Japanese beetles, for instance. And, the
> publications have been or are being rewritten to reflect the new
> thinking, which is as someone described earlier, no-low toxicity,
> stepping up as needed.
>
> I am a natural gardener and rarely use synthetics...I have two dogs
> and I watch the birds nip at the blades of grass, which are enough to
> convince me to shun these products. However, as I'm sure we all know,
> just because something is organic or natural doesn't translate into
> safe. Nicotine anyone?
>
> I sat in on the teleconference on water conservation. The best one
> was a few years ago when there actually was a teleconference on
> Scotts changing its advertising to encourage consumers to identify
> the problem before using broad products, such as Weed B Gon or Bug B
> Gon. It was the mantra when I took Master Gardener classes that you
> identify the problem before treating anything and you started with
> the no-least toxic first, such as a strong spray of water from the
> hose to knock of aphids. I asked the Scotts guy specifically if we
> would no longer see ads for these products and was told we would not.
>
> I've heard that Hagedorn's wife was the one interested in organics
> and that was the reason the company introduced a line of products.
>
> Every spring for six weeks, I work in an independent garden center
> that is part of Do-It Best, a cooperative. Ace and Tru Value also are
> cooperatives, with each store independently owned and the members
> share in overall corporate profits. I have been trying for three
> years to get the owner to stock Bradfield Organics, corn gluten or
> even Milorganite, but he doesn't. This year, the first day I worked,
> three customers asked if we had any organic lawn care products. I
> told them no, but asked them to ask the owner. The other employees
> also have been pushing for it, this year more than ever. I'm hopeful
> about next year.
>
> jems
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________________
> Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp
> Garden writer, speaker, author, photographer
> Region III Director Garden Writers Association
> Phone: (317) 251.3261
> Fax: (317) 251.8545
> E-mail: hoosiergardener@sbcglobal.net
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