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Gardening industry giant ScottsMiracle-Gro turned heads recently when it unveiled its new O.M. Scott & Sons brand, an homage to its founder. Early product offerings include a natural lawn fertilizer, along with bermuda grass, tall fescue, and clover lawn seeds. The premium lawn seeds are selected for performance in adverse conditions and packaged in sustainably sourced paper without artificial weed control ingredients. I have worked in and around the lawn and garden industry for more than 25 years, and I think this is an important development for a company with Scotts’s history.
Ohio-based ScottsMiracle-Gro is the legacy of a Civil War veteran who built his business on the premise that farmers should be able to “have clean, weed-free fields.” From 1868 onward, Orlando McLean Scott’s consistent pursuit of quality through innovation led to an incredible run of firsts. The first brand to serve home lawn care customers, Scotts was the first to develop and sell grass seed to consumers, the first to recognize the unique fertilizer requirements for grass, and the first to sell the residential lawn spreader. In the wake of World War II, it created the first commercial turfgrass research division and developed highly effective weed prevention and control products that have proven effective for more than 60 years. In later years, The Scotts Company grew by leaps and bounds in the ensuing years, with the acquisition of Miracle-Gro, Ortho, and numerous other plant care brands.
So, after all the focus on weed control and investment in scientific developments, why would a big corporation with so much invested in garden chemicals return to old-fashioned seed selection? The simple answer is that it fills an important need. The perception of an ideal lawn is changing fast. Previous generations set their sights on a weed-free expanse of grass, and ScottsMiracle-Gro products reliably make that happen. Increasingly, however, consumers prefer a softer, low-input approach to lawn care. That approach requires tough grass cultivars that can out-compete weeds for space, water, and nutrients. Scotts has the expertise to deliver.
“Backed by over 100 years of research, testing and product development, we were uniquely positioned to bring the O.M. Scott brand to life. We were inspired by the straightforward simplicity of our earliest products, while being mindful of today’s changing environment and consumer needs. The result is high-performing, natural products with seed varieties that grow thicker turf to help crowd out weeds, are drought and heat tolerant and, in the case of our clover seed, are a low-maintenance alternative to traditional grass.”
Matt Koch, director of biotechnology, genetics and seed at ScottsMiracle-Gro
A beautiful and resilient lawn starts with healthy soil and strong grass. For a century and a half, Scotts’ focus on “clean, weed-free” lawns shifted the company’s emphasis from high-quality seed selection to efficient chemical controls. To be sure, pre- and post-emergent weed killers are required in some measure if you want to achieve lawn perfection–to the extent that such a thing exists–but a strong stand of grass with proper water and nutrients minimizes the need for herbicides in the first place. Start with good grass, apply an optimum nutrient mix, and then adopt the lawn care routine that meets your aesthetic and lifestyle priorities. That’s what O.M. Scott & Sons is offering, and I find that refreshing.
O.M. Scott & Sons products are available at Scotts.com and Amazon
