Product Spotlights

Find Your Best Nutrition Program with the New Osmocote® Product Use Guide

Scotts Professional has developed an all-new, comprehensive guide dedicated to helping growers find the Osmocote® brands and formulations that fit their unique needs. The Osmocote Product Use Guide explains all the advantages that Osmocote fertilizers offer while describing the benefits and specific applications associated with all three brands (Plus, Pro and Classic). Here are just a few examples of the valuable information you'll find within the guide:

• How to interpret Osmocote's iconic brand identification system
• An explanation of Scotts Patterned Nutrient Release Technology™
• The efficiency, economy and ecology of the Osmocote fertilization program
• An easy-to-use Osmocote Brand Selector flowchart

You'll also learn about Scotts' exciting new "no-spill" Fusion technology now available in an Osmocote® Pro formulation, Micromax® Micronutrients and Osmocote Mini Prills. The guide also includes a product analysis of all Osmocote formulations and Scotts' specialized nutrition products along with tips about how to conduct a product trial with your Scotts Territory Manager.

The Osmocote Product Use Guide is quite possibly your best, most comprehensive guide to everything Osmocote. Download your own personal copy today!

Download the Osmocote Product Use Guide

Trial Data Shows that Osmocote® Plus Offers Outstanding Performance in the Greenhouse

While many growers know the value of Osmocote Plus's patterned nutrient release on nursery stock, some may not be aware of the product's outstanding performance in the greenhouse. Here are just a few of the results from Scotts Professional's latest Osmocote® Plus trial data published in July 2010:

• Plants grown with Osmocote Plus were equal to or higher in quality than those grown with water soluble fertilizers alone.
• Osmocote Plus provided the nutrition needed for high-quality plants at a lower cost than water soluble fertilizers.

• In addition to being easier to use, Osmocote Plus made it easier for growers to manage plant root zone environments.
• Using Osmocote Plus in the greenhouse greatly reduced the amount of nutrients leaching, making it both environmentally and economically responsible.
• Because Osmocote Plus continued to provide plants with nutrition after the sale, the plants continued to flourish, increasing overall end-user satisfaction.

This data and much more is included in "Products in Practice: Osmocote Plus in the Greenhouse," the first in a series of informative publications from Scotts Professional. Incorporating trial data with facts about the advantages of Osmocote Plus, this brochure details the reasons why greenhouse growers should consider incorporating Osmocote Plus into their current nutrition programs. Osmocote Plus can help growers reap the benefits of Scotts Professional's "e3 Philosophy": Efficiency, Economy and Ecology. Check out the brochure and discover the difference that Osmocote Plus can make to your bottom line.

Download Products in Practice: Osmocote Plus in the Greenhouse

Consumer Connection

Consumer Gardening Trends in 2010

The Garden Writers Association has released the results of a recent telephone survey about consumer gardening trends for 2010. Conducted in early March of this year, the survey includes responses from a group of 597 participants. Survey participants ranged in age from 18 to 65, with the majority of participants falling into the 35-44 age group (31%). Household income levels varied greatly, with no particular level dominating the participant group. Most participants had a high school education, had taken some college courses or were college graduates (69%). Fifty-two percent of respondents were female and 48 percent were male.

Click to view the survey's results

Scotts Pro News

Revealing The Scotts® Advantage

In order to provide fertilizers and pesticides that optimize cost, performance and your return on investment, Scotts® is committed to building the systems and processes necessary to support those who place their trust in us. That's why the products you purchase from Scotts are backed by a world-class network of R&D, quality assurance, supply chain, logistics and technical support.

Learn more about Scotts research, product development, compliance and support.

2010 OFA Short Course Highlights

An annual highlight within the horticulture industry, the 2010 OFA Short Course once again offered numerous educational sessions, networking opportunities and a packed exhibit hall filled with the latest products and services. A new element of the show, Garden Center Live, was designed to help garden center managers and their employees find new ways to enhance their retail locations and marketing campaigns. Another feature of the show was Generation Next, an educational track dedicated to helping industry professionals of all ages work better together.

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Scotts "Bonds" with Growers During Osmocote® Fusion "No-Spill Event" at OFA

The Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Columbus, Ohio was the site of Scotts Professional's "No-Spill" event celebrating the introduction of Osmocote® with Fusion Technology™. Held in conjunction with the 2010 OFA Short Course, the reception took place on the evening of Sunday, July 12 with hundreds of growers enjoying cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in a fun and relaxed setting.

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Case Studies

Green Lake Nursery Keeps It Clean with Scotts®

Located a mere 15 minutes from the hustle and bustle of downtown Dallas, Texas, Green Lake Nursery is an oasis of natural beauty within the big city. Since it opened in 1983, Green Lake Nursery has expanded to employ a staff of 60 during its busy season, providing a wide variety of perennial and annual bedding plants that are well-adapted to soils and climate of North Texas. Now in her ninth year with Green Lake Nursery, grower Christie Martinez is a perfect example of someone who has successfully blended her educational background with a personal passion for plants.

Learn more

Q & A

... with Dr. Fred Hulme: Conducting an Effective Trial

In this column, Scotts Professional's very own Technical Services Manager, Fred Hulme, Ph.D., answers questions from growers throughout North America. If you have a question about nutrition, plant protection or anything related to growing and selling the best possible crops, e-mail it to fred.hulme@scotts.com. We may feature Fred's answer to your question in an upcoming issue of The Scotts Exchange™!

In this issue, Fred answers a question about how to decide when to conduct a trial, as well as tips to make each trial as accurate as possible.

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Meet the Territory Managers

Scotts Professional has an extensive network of Territory Managers throughout North America. These field experts are available to answer questions from nursery and greenhouse growers, from finding solutions to common problems to recommending the products that are right for a particular crop. In this edition of The Scotts Exchange™, meet Territory Managers Don Furterer and Sharon Gravitt-Warschauer.

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Calendar of Events

August 3-5

PANTS (Pennsylvania Atlantic Nursery Trade Show)
Greater Philadelphia Expo Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

August 18

Griffin Grower Expo
West Springfield, Massachusetts

August 19-22

TNLA Nursery/Landscape Expo
Hosted by the Texas Nursery and Landscaping Association (TNLA)
Grand Hyatt San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas

August 24

BFG Hort Expo
Columbus, Ohio

August 26-28

Farwest Show
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon

August 31 -
September 1

BFG Hort Expo
Minneapolis, Minnesota

September 15

Griffin Grower Expo
Knoxville, Tennessee

September 20-22

BWI Companies 2010 Expo
Chattanooga, Tennessee

September 23-25

FNGLA Landscape Show
Hosted by the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA)
Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, Florida

September 29

Griffin Grower Expo
Lancaster, Pennsylvania