The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (Earthgro Products) Jeremy Walker, Consumer Services SpecialistJim Hagedorn, CEO Earthgro Potting Soil / Top Soil Kills Your Plants Marysville Ohio

SCOTTS MIRACLE-GRO EARTHGRO POTTING/TOPSOIL PURCHASED FROM HOME DEPOT

"IT SUFFOCATED, BURNED & KILLED MY PLANTS." 

BUYER BEWARE - DO NOT BUY, DO NOT BUY!

The following detailed information is my experience using Scotts Earthgro and dealing with a Scotts Customer Service Representative that prompted me to further contact the Corporate Offices at Scotts and Home Depot.

In a nutshell, Scotts Customer Service allegedly loves to just keep sending Emails, with the same old BS.  Faxed a letter with supporting information and Emailed the pictures to Jeremy to pass on; the result NO ONE from SCOTTS or HOME DEPOT Corporate Offices contacted me back either by Email and/or Phone though contact information was given.  Also, I have included other consumers complaints posted on the Internet so you can decide for yourself whether or not to purchase these products.  Details are as follows:

As well, a complaint shall be sent to the Federal Trade Commission against both Scotts Miracle-Gro and Home Depot.

 

JUNE 24, 2014 at 6:07 AM

Email FROM Home Depot TO Me with Subject 'Rate and Review Your Recent Home Depot Purchase':

"…Your review helps others get the right products for their projects

Please add HomeDepotCustomerCare@email.homedepot.com to your address book…."

   

JULY 1, 2014 at 12:59 PM

Email FROM Jeremy Walker (consumer.services@scotts.com) TO Me:

"I am writing as a follow up to the review you posted on www.homedepot.com regarding your experience with Scotts Topsoil. As the product manufacturer, we are very interested in supplying consumers with a quality product that delivers the expected performance. Anytime we hear problems encountered in the use of one of our products, we want to get involved and resolve the difficulties the best we can. A link to the product you reviewed is provided below. 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Earthgro-1-cu-ft-Topsoil-71151180/100355954 

I am sorry that you have experienced problems while using Scotts Topsoil. We make every effort to ensure that our product is safe to use. Scotts Topsoil has proved to be a good product and has been thoroughly tested on the plants listed on the label.

We want you to be confident in our products. For this reason, we offer a product guarantee on all of our products to our consumers. To assist you more efficiently, please retain any original receipts for purchase and/or the original barcode from the product’s label.

If you wish to contact us by telephone we can be reached at 1-877-465-5160. To better assist you please have the product label or receipt nearby and give the associate with case number 11584733.

You may also reply directly to this email. To ensure your case is handled appropriately, please do not change the email subject line. When replying please include the following information:

- Your First and Last Name
- Your Complete Mailing Address
- The Full Product Barcode Number Found On The Label (ie. 0-00000-00000-0)

- Quantity Of Products Purchased
- Case number 11584733

Again, thank you for taking the time to let us know of your concerns. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any additional help to you.

Jeremy Walker
Specialist, Consumer Services
The Scotts Company and Subsidiaries
14111 Scottslawn Road
Marysville, OH 43041
800-543-8873"

Ref # 11584733"

 

JULY 1, 2014 at 2:38 PM

My Email TO Jeremy Walker (consumer.services@scotts.com):

"Dear Jeremy:

What a nice surprise for a company to take an active interest and actually read the reviews.  I am so impressed and very grateful.  I have been a Miracle Gro Gardener Fan for years because I love your fertilizer.  "It's like plants on steroids" per se.

However, with the soil I am still angry because I invested a lot of money in purchasing plants from "Moon Valley Nursery..." for my 20 year old daughter's brand new home (new construction build).

I am very appreciative of the fact you guarantee your products, however, my question is, who is going to reimburse me for the plants the soil ruined.

First off as you requested the following is my particulars:

[Contact information removed for privacy reasons]

I do not have the Barcodes and I do not have all of the receipts because I paid in cash.  One was an online order directly through Home Depot's website as you will see below.

6 large bags in total were cash purchases from Home Depot (I do not have these receipts).  I only have the bottom portions that I save to enter the Home Depot Contests.  I did not expect this to happen.

1st Order Home Depot Purchase June 1, 2014

2 large bags 036865245218 2 Cu FT EARTHGRO Potting Soil

Total Cost for this purchase was 5.47 plus tax. 

Purchase Location: 4141 S. Arizona Avenue, Chandler, AZ 85248.

The barcode numbers on the bottom of this receipt is:

0417 13 40736 06/01/2014 4502.

On the top left corner of the receipt it has the numbers 0417 00013 40736

My scanner for this receipt is not working.  Is there a fax number I can send a copy too?

2nd Order Details are below for May 31, 2014

Order Number: W278614333

Order Date: May 31, 2014 9:55:59 AM EDT

Note:  Jeremy did not contact me back with a fax  number.  I had to do my own Google Search and find the information..."

 

JULY 7, 2014 at 12:02 PM

My Email TO Jeremy Walker (consumer.services@scotts.com):

"Dear Jeremy:

I received your first Email on or about July 1st, 2014 and I responded immediately.  I am curious to know, why has there been no follow-up since my response was sent? 

I am forwarding again, and look forward to hearing back from someone…"

  

JULY 7, 2014 at 2:40 PM

Email FROM Jeremy Walker (consumer.services@scotts.com) TO Me:

"Thank you for contacting us concerning Scotts products. As always, it is our goal to make sure that our customers are completely satisfied with our products and services.

I am sorry that you have experienced problems with your tree after using Scotts Earthgro Potting Mix and Scotts Earthgro Top Soil. We make every effort to ensure that our product is safe to use. This product does not contain anything that would be detrimental to plants. Extremes of light, moisture, and temperature, as well as transplant shock, insects, and disease all can adversely affect plants. Newly planted plants, such as yours, are even more susceptible to these types of issues. We recommend that you contact your county extension agent or a local nursery for assistance in diagnosing the problem with your plants.

If you are not fully satisfied with the results from using these products, we will refund the purchase price. Send evidence of your purchase to the address listed below. If you wish to file a damage claim to request assistance beyond this product guarantee.  We request you mail us an original proof of purchase, either an original itemized cash register receipt or the original Barcode UPC from the back of the soils that have been used.  We also ask that you submit pictures of the plants (A few close up pictures of each plant, and a few pictures of the total area).  Please also include, in this mailing, at least two separate itemized estimates from local garden centers for replacement cost of the plants, or the receipt for purchase of the plants that you indicate that have died.  Once we have received all of these items we can begin a review of your claim, to see if there is anything beyond our product guarantee we are willing to assist with.

Please mail the requested items to:

Scotts Consumer Services Ref. #11584733
14111 Scottslawn Road
Marysville, OH 43041

Again, thank you for taking the time to let us know of your concerns. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any additional help to you.

Jeremy Walker
Specialist, Consumer Services
The Scotts Company and Subsidiaries
14111 Scottslawn Road
Marysville, OH 43041
800-543-8873

Ref # 11584733"

 

JULY 9, 2014

Telephone conversation with Jeremy Walker (consumer.services@scotts.com).

 

JULY 9, 2014 at 2:14 PM

My Email TO Jeremy Walker (consumer.services@scotts.com):

"Dear Jeremy:

First, I will thank you for calling me however, that is as far as the thanks goes!  I love how in the conversation we had companies love to push the fact of not taking responsibility entirely for the damage their products do.

First, after viewing some of the consumer reviews posted online, Scotts really needs to get this product off the market because it seems that I am not the only one who has had it kill their plants; or found a variety of harmful ingredients in those bags.

Second, when I said it was a new home construction you took it upon yourself to assume the plants were just planted which they were not.  The possession date for the new home was 11 months ago - August 31st, 2013.  Again, assuming again when you did not ask me how long ago the plants were planted you assumed from me saying it was a new home that it was recent, otherwise you would have not made this statement in your Email:

"Newly planted plants, such as yours, are even more susceptible to these types of issues."

PS.  I'll let you in on a little secret...the plants were purchased and planted January 22nd, 24th, and 26th, 2014  WOW, that is 4 months and they were growing beautifully until I purchased that "garbage of a soil sold at Home Depot at the end of May 2014."  PS.  A witness will testify to the fact that the plants were awesome before this product was use; plus if need be, I will add the reviews of the majority of people who have posted online - negative reviews in support of my case.

The majority of the plants were purchased from Moon Valley Nursery in Chandler, AZ and the others were from Distinctive Earthscapes, Inc at the Avacado in Casa Grande, AZ.  It is the backyard plants that had the problem.  The front yard plants are fine and thriving because I did not use any of that crappy soil there - thank goodness.

I have the original cashier receipts for the plants.  Please send me a fax number where I can send this information as soon as possible.

Review Links: 

1.For this link there are 17 reviews 14 gave low and extremely low ratings of this product and would NOT RECOMMEND and only 3 would recommend (HMMMM...says a lot here, right) 

http://reviews.scotts.com/4814-en_us/prod100070/other-brands-earthgro-potting-soil-reviews/reviews.htm?sort=rating&dir=asc

2.Dangerous EarthGro Pottting Soil From Scotts

Dangerous EarthGro Pottting Soil From Scotts

I suggest placing a warning label prominently on the Earthgro packaging: May Contain Dangerous Fragments Of Industrial Refuse.

View on irregulartimes.com

Preview by Yahoo

Then you need to read the majority of the reviews on Home Depot. 

I will be faxing in my receipts and the pictures as well as Email (I need the fax number to send it to) and pictures to you.  One of my previous Emails gave the purchase information from Home Depot.  In closing, I am suggesting again that Scott's pull this soil from stores and stop selling it to consumers until they fix the product.

I look forward to hearing from you..."

 

JULY 11, 2014 at 2:14 PM

Faxed Letter with Enclosures to Home Depot Corporate Office

Faxed Letter with Enclosures to Miracle-Gro Corporate Office

 

"OUTGOING FAXES ONLY: 21 PAGES NO COVER SHEET

[Contact Information removed for privacy reasons] 

 

July 11th, 2014

Delivered by Facsimile:  937.644.7614

 

The Scotts Company and Subsidiaries

14111 Scottslawn Road

Marysville, OH 43041

 

Attention:  Jim Hagedorn, CEO

Attention:  Consumer Complaints Division

Attention:  Jeremy Walker, Consumer Services Specialist

 

Dear Ladies and/or Gentlemen:

 

RE:Consumer Product Complaint Posted On Home Depot

Earthgro Potting Soil

Scotts Reference #: 11584733

____________________________________________________________________________

Further to the above-noted matter and the communications I have had with Jeremy Walker, Specialist, Consumer Services please find enclosed the following review and threads of communication with your Consumer Services Department:

1. A copy of my review posted on Home Depot’s website (review Home Depot requested of me) confirmation Email date of on or about June 26th, 2014;

1. A copy of my Home Depot online order receipt for Earthgro Top Soil dated on or about May 31st, 2014;

1. A A copy of my Home Depot in store purchase receipt for Earthgro Top Soil dated on or about June 1st, 2014;

1. A copy of the Email communication sent by Jeremy Walker dated on or about July 1st, 2014 at approximately 12:59 PM;

1. A copy of the Email communication sent by [name removed], Consumer dated on or about July 1st, 2014 at approximately 2:38 PM;

1. A copy of the Email communication sent by [name removed], Consumer dated on or about July 7th, 2014 at approximately 12:02 PM;

1. Phone call received from Scotts Miracle-Gro Consumer Services on or about July 7th, 2014 at approximately 12:57 PM;

1. A copy of the Email communication sent by Jeremy Walker dated on or about July 7th, 2014 at approximately 2:40 PM; and

1. A copy of the Email communication sent by [name removed], Consumer dated on or about July 9th, 2014 at approximately 2:14 PM;

1. A copy of the invoice from Moon Valley Nursery where I purchased the plants with my daughter, [name removed] for her new home dated on or about January 22nd, 2014 (Total Cost of Plants that were killed by using EarthGro was $209.93 + $16.79 (Tax) = $226.72);

1. A copy of the invoice from Distinctive Earthscapes, Inc. at the Avocado where I purchased the plants with my daughter, [name removed] for her new home dated on or about January 24th, 2014 (Total Cost of Plants that were killed by using EarthGro was $59.95 + $4.80 (Tax) = $64.75);

1. Copies of two (2) invoices from Moon Valley Nursery where I purchased the plants with my daughter, [name removed] for her new home dated on or about January 26th, 2014 (Total Cost of Plants that were killed by using EarthGro was $59.96 x 2 = $119.92 + $9.60 (Tax) = $129.52);

1. Photos of several of the plants killed located in back yard of home - sent by Email to Jeremy Walker at Scotts on or about July 11th, 2014 as faxing them would not show the damage done.

Total Cost of plants killed by Earthgro Product is: $226.72 + $64.75 + $129.52 = $420.99

Total Cost of product purchased with receipts is:  $17.27 + $5.91 = $23.18

TOTAL REFUND FOR PRODUCT PURCHASED AND KILLED PLANTS:  $444.17

I trust the foregoing is satisfactory and look forward to your prompt reply and immediate resolution to this matter.

[Name removed for privacy reasons] 

Enclosures

 

cc:Home Depot Corporate Office

Attention:  Joseph McFarland, III - President Western Division

Delivered by Facsimile with Enclosures (except photos - see #13 on page 2 of this faxed letter)

Fax Number: 770.384.2356"

 

JULY 11, 2014 at 4:17 PM

My series of Emails TO Jeremy Walker (consumer.services@scotts.com):

"Dear Jeremy:

Attached are photos of my back yard plants that were killed by this product  They are large to send so I will be sending in a series of Emails.  I am sending a fax to both Scotts and Home Depot Corporate Offices regarding this issue.  For Scotts, the fax is going to the attention of the following people Jim Hagedorn, CEO; Consumer Complaints Division; Jeremy Walker, Consumer Services Specialist AND for Home Depot Joseph McFarland, III, President Western Division.

 I trust you will forward on to the appropriate people.

Respectfully,

[Name removed]..."

 

JULY 14, 2014 at 9:51 AM

Email FROM Jeremy Walker (consumer.services@scotts.com) TO Me:

"Thank you for contacting us concerning Scotts products. As always, it is our goal to make sure that our customers are completely satisfied with our products and services.

We have received a total of 18 pictures and they have been attached to your case file. Once we have received the original proof of purchase and the requested two separate itemized estimates from local garden centers for replacement cost of the plants, or the receipt for purchase of the plants we can begin a review of your claim.

Please mail the requested items to:

Scotts Consumer Service
Case # 11584733
Marysville, Ohio 43041

Again, thank you for taking the time to let us know of your concerns. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any additional help to you.

Jeremy Walker
Specialist, Consumer Services
The Scotts Company and Subsidiaries
14111 Scottslawn Road
Marysville, OH 43041
800-543-8873

Ref # 11584733" 

 

JULY 14, 2014 at 10:32 AM

My Email TO Jeremy Walker (consumer.services@scotts.com):

"Dear Jeremy:

In follow-up to this Email I just received from you, it is apparently that you allegedly did not read the first Email that was sent to you along with the series of photos. Therefore I have enclosed that Email again and underline key reference points so that this matter shall be resolved immediately.  Please pay close attention to the people and their titles:…"

 

JULY 17, 2014 at 12:23 PM

Email FROM Jeremy Walker (consumer.services@scotts.com) TO Me:

"…Thank you for contacting us concerning Scotts products. As always, it is our goal to make sure that our customers are completely satisfied with our products and services.

I am sorry for any confusion in regards to submitting a claim for our review. 

In order to review your claim, we will need to receive the items listed below. Please note that submission of documentation does not guarantee payment, but simply allows us to evaluate the claim.

According to our No-Quibble Guarantee we will refund your initial purchase price (less any sales tax or delivery charges) with submission of proof of purchase. We will not reimburse for damage or alleged damage caused by improper use, over application or misuse of the product.

If you feel that you used the product according to label directions that may have resulted in damage to your property; please provide us with the following documentation:

1. Case # from the top of this email/letter.

2. Original proof of purchase (UPC barcode or store receipt) from the product that allegedly caused the damage. Photocopies, faxed, emailed or scanned images will not be accepted. We encourage you to make a copy for your own records and will be happy to return your originals, if requested with your initial submission.

3. Two estimates for repair of damage. Estimates must be on official company proposal/estimate forms and must include contact information for the individual performing estimate. All estimates must be itemized to show individual charges for labor, materials, equipment, etc.

4. Photos of damaged areas. If you are sending via email, please be sure that the pictures do not total more than 7MB in size. If attached images total more than 7MB the email will not be delivered to our inbox and you may, or may not, receive a message saying that it was undeliverable.

Please send the above information to the following address:

Scotts Consumer Service
Ref. #11584733

14111 Scottslawn Road

Marysville, OH 43041

Once we have received your documentation, a Claim Resolution Specialist will review your case and communicate our findings. Please allow up to 3 weeks after our receipt of your documentation.

Again, thank you for taking the time to let us know of your concerns. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any additional help to you.

Jeremy Walker

Specialist, Consumer Services

The Scotts Company and Subsidiaries

14111 Scottslawn Road
Marysville, OH 43041

800-543-8873

Ref # 11584733"

 

CONSUMER HAD TO CONTACT HOME DEPOT BECAUSE NO ONE RESPONDED TO FAX

 

JULY 18, 2014

Consumer called Home Depot at 800.553.3199 at approximately 12:16 PM

Spoke with Charles Priepke, Resolution Expeditor.  Discussed the issues I had in using the Earthgro potting soil bought from Home Depot.  That a fax was sent to the Corporate Offices of Home Depot and Scotts MiracleGro.  That it is now 7 days later and no response was received back by Joseph McFarland, III, President Western Division of Home Depot; or Jim Hagedorn, CEO and/or the Consumer Complaints Division at Scotts Miracle Gro (Also reference the sequential Emails sent to Jeremy Walker with the photos to be passed on).

Charles said there was no one listed as working for Home Depot by the name of Joseph McFarland.  I stated there was because I got his bio off of the Home Depot website.  I immediately pulled the information up and read it to him over the phone.

Moving forward, I told Charles that I had posted a review on the Home Depot website (Home Depot product review invitation request was sent to me by Email from Home Depot) and this is how I received the initial contact from Jeremy Walker at Scotts on or about July 1, 2014.

I further stated that recently I had searched the Internet to see if others had experienced what I did with this product and they had.  Thus, it was imperative that Home Depot pull this product from their shelves and not sell it to consumers so they do not experience similar losses because the cost of replacing plants, time, and effort is not inexpensive, to say the least.

Further, I stated that if there was no resolution to the matter I would proceed with litigation because this product killed my plants, I provided copies of the original costs from the nurseries they were purchased from etc.

Charles requested that I give him until July 22, 2014 to investigate the matter further on his end.  Charles sent me his contact information by Email on July 18, 2014 at 12:51 PM.

 

JULY 18, 2014

Email FROM Charles Priepke at Home Depot (charles_priepke1@homedepot.com) TO Me: 

"Here is my contact information.

  

Chuck Priepke

Resolution Expeditor | p. (770) 433-8211 x 77410 or (800) 654-0688 | f. (678)556-7614

Office hours: M, Tu, Th, Fr 10:00a – 7:30p Su 12p-6p

The Home Depot| 2455 Paces Ferry Road B-3 | Atlanta, GA. 30339"

 

JULY 18, 2014

Emails FROM Me sent and/or forwarded TO Charles Priepke, Resolution Expeditor at Home Depot:

I sent several sequential Emails to Charles that included the fax letter of July 11, 2014, the photo attachments sent to Jeremy Walker at Scotts.  I asked Charles to confirm by Email when the information was received which he did.

 

Other Consumer Online Reviews - Earthgro Potting Soil

Review Link:  http://www.homedepot.com/p/Earthgro-1-cu-ft-Topsoil-71151180/100355954#customer_reviews

The following are just a few of the reviews posted online. 

June 8, 2014

Matimu Ohio, NE, USA

25 to 34, Male

Intermediate

Full of trash

Purchased 6 bags of Earthgro top soil to add to our garden as we have had fairly good success with with Scott's products. Was very disappointed to find trash, rocks and bits of brick in the soil. We had to rake through the trash as this was on a vegetable garden! I would not mind a bit of sticks or organic matter but where did this come from a land fill?! Highly disjointed. I will definitely not be buying or endorsing this product any more and plan to be much more cautious about selecting products from this manufacturer!

 

September 7, 2013

DmLV Las Vegas, NV, USA

35 to 44, Male

Worst Soil - Avoid at all costs!

Built 3 garden beds and a large herb garden. Used this soil to save on some costs, but a sad mistake. Lettuces, tomatoes, many of my herbs, eggplant, green onion, all of them affected by either fungus' or other soil borne problems. Ended up trashing most of my garden. Having bought about 100 bags, I now have almost 2 tons of bad soil I'm regretful for in my back yard. Even my Rosemary bush that had been there for 2 years and was growing like a weed, is now stunted and dying after laying 6 in's of soil at it's base. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!!!!!

 

July 7, 2014

Gardener14

DO NOT BUY!!!

Avoid this "topsoil" at all costs. this will kill your plants. Lowe's sells another topsoil for the same price and it is great! This stuff at home depot is the WORST! I know it looks tempting but....JUST SAY NO!

 

June 24, 2014

Gardener AZ

45 to 54, Female

Pro 

Worst Purchase Ever

This was one of the worst purchases I have made with garden soil. Once I placed the soil in and around my plants (ones I spent a lot of money on - i.e. Palm Trees, succulents, and other shrubs, they ALL started to die and I have no idea why). Now the back yard looks like "Death Valley." PLEASE DO NOT BUY AND SAVE YOURSELF A HEARTACHE AND KEEP YOUR MONEY IN YOUR POCKET.

Cons: damaging, harmful, toxic

 

June 1, 2014

KRJQ Savannah GA

65 or over, Male

DIY

Not top soil at all

"…This product is made of wood chips. If you spread it on your lawn all you will have is wood chips. It has nothing to do with soil. there is no soil at all just wood chips…."

  

Other Consumer Online Reviews - Earthgro Potting Soil

Review Link: http://www.amazon.com/Scotts-70774180-Earthgro-Potting-Soil/product-reviews/B006WAFGRE/ref=dpx_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1

 

March 22, 2012

By Eden Organics "Eden Organics" (Wingo,Ky USA)

This review is from: Earthgro Potting Soil

This product will kill plants and cause harm to you.

"…I purchased the Earthgro potting soil and Earthgro top soil. what i found was what many customers have found out run away from this product. it killed all my healthy plant and seedling. and the ammonia content was so high it burned my lungs and skin, this stuff is just compost with ammonia base for growth cheep made for cheep sale. the soil mix is pure sand with just enough matter added to look good till you put water on it and then what is left is is all sand. the only good product that scotts made was the mirical grow soil and potting mix. i will stay with that product it works and is worth the money in the long run. but the Earthgro product run away as fast as you can…"

 

Other Consumer Online Reviews - Earthgro Potting Soil

Review Link:  http://irregulartimes.com/2013/06/17/dangerous-earthgro-pottting-soil-from-scotts/

 

Dangerous EarthGro Pottting Soil From Scotts

 

Posted by madninistrator under Gardening on June 17th, 2013

I am in the process of creating a new vegetable garden this summer, on a piece of land that gets good sun, but where the soil is poor.  Generations ago, people had created a driveway for horse-drawn carriages to the barn next to this area, building up the path with a jumble of bone, stone, and pottery shreds.  To grow vegetables there, I’ll have to build new soil up.

My plan has been to start with a foot-thick pages of mulch, to suppress the grass presently growing in the area, and to provide a good amount of organic material from which future years of vegetables will grow. To grow a relatively small number of plants in the garden this year, and to encourage the soil biology of the new garden to move along, decomposing the mulch, I’ve been placing pockets of soil within the mulch.

I have some compost for this project, but not enough for the size of the new garden. So, I decided to get a few bags of soil from the store to increase the volume.

Most of the soil that’s available in the garden centers is filled with MiracleGro, a synthetic fertilizer that encourages plants to grow lush, and full, and beautifully, but a bit too fast, leaving them. I don’t want to use that, so I took a few bags of what looked like a smaller company’s soil – EarthGro potting soil. It said it was “organic” and “natural”.

Do shards of glass and ceramic sherds count as organic and natural? That’s what I found in the Earthgro potting soil.

It’s just the sort of material that was thrown in to the ground by the people who lived in my house years ago. It takes up space quickly, but won’t help a garden grow well – or keep a gardener’s hands safe.

Upon further investigation, I find out that Earthgro potting soil is manufactured by the Scotts Company, the same people who make Miracle-Gro. To them, I suggest placing a warning label prominently on the Earthgro packaging: May Contain Dangerous Fragments Of Industrial Refuse. 

 

5 comments to Dangerous EarthGro Pottting Soil From Scotts

Bill  June 17, 2013 at 3:00 pm· Reply 

I’ve frequently employed mushroom compost (the blend of cow poop and moss and ground bark and god-knows-what-else used by mushroom farmers, then re-sold in bulk once it’s too exhausted for mushrooms) as a soil amendment. I really like it, but it takes some getting used to the foreign objects one very frequently discovers therein: lots and lots of used latex gloves (blech), the occasional junk-food wrapper or soda straw, and other miscellaneous oddments no doubt discarded by the farm workers. I’m guessing that properly sieving their products isn’t a big priority for the companies that peddle these soil amendments. This doesn’t much surprise me when I’m dealing with some nameless faceless bulk distributor, but I’m surprised Scotts isn’t more interested in protecting its good name.

And good on you for steering away from Miracle Gro. I don’t have anything against it in particular (aside from the fact that it is crack cocaine for plants), but nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers are produced from mined minerals that do not occur widely (at least in economically useful concentrations) around the world (and also from natural gas). They are non-renewable resources that we’re slowly running out of and so they need to be used very wisely, plus over-fertilization of soil (which is what Miracle-Gro’s marketing is all about) contributes importantly to greenhouse gas emissions from soil microbiomes. Growing bigger more beautiful roses or winning the Biggest Pumpkin contest hardly seem like appropriate uses for these valuable resources.

Chuck Beard May 14, 2014 at 2:08 pm· Reply 

I just bought some Earthgro potting soil from Walmart and I took it back to the store. It smells like it contains kerosene. Strong odor and it doesn’t absorb water. This stuff is toxic.

Bill  May 14, 2014 at 4:33 pm· Reply
I’m starting to get the impression that Scotts just throws together whatever garbage they can find for free…plus a whole lot of sand…and calls it “Earthgro Potting Soil.” The customer reviews for this product on Scotts’ web site are hair-raising. And Scotts’ replies to these reviews? I could 11 instances of “we’re sorry” or “we apologize.” And yet they’re not so sorry that they’d actually either improve it or take it off the market. Must be a great business, bagging miscellaneous garbage and selling it.
As for me, I feel y’alls pain but I’m so not there, myself. I’ve got about 3 tons of well-aged carefully composted horse manure waiting to be spread this week. Nothing, nothing makes a better soil amendment, or even potting soil, than composted horse manure. Black gold. Smells fantastic, like a forest floor. Holds water like a rain barrel. Jet black and beautifully friable. Friends keep asking me if they can buy some off me. I just look at them like they’ve got to be kidding, right?. There are some things money can’t buy.

Scott S. July 6, 2014 at 1:51 pm· Reply

You may want to google human waste biosolids. Evidently they are able to package this crap (literally) and sell it to unsuspecting consumers who think they are using only organic products on their gardens. Disgusting and harmful to health, but some scientist no doubt figured all plant nutrients are the same no matter where they come from not counting the many other toxic items poured down the drain of the average household. This may the case for Earthgro, but I do not know.

wesley king July 16, 2014 at 12:12 pm· Reply
Not only does earthgro have forign particulate matter in it thats not organic,but i now have a baby earwig infestation in everything i put earthgro into. Iv’e learned a valueble lesson from this and thats that a 10.00 bag of fox farm is worth it….

 

Other Consumer Online Reviews - Earthgro Potting Soil

Review Link:  http://reviews.scotts.com/4814-en_us/prod100070/other-brands-earthgro-potting-soil-reviews/reviews.htm?sort=rating&dir=asc

 

July 25, 2013

prax Dallas

Age:  25 to 34

Gender:  Male

Gardening Experience:  1 to 3 years

Experience:  Beginner

How many days within the past 12 months:  This is the first time

How many times purchased in the past:This is the first time

Full of sand and sticks - doesnt drain - Don't buy

"…I bought this to replant my mint plants in containers. I planted one in left over MiracleGro potting mix and the best plant in a big container with Earthgro.

Earthgro I got had abudant fine sand particles and lots of sticks. there is no way it resembled a potting mix. it was hard as cake and had to loosen it and fill up the container, now i see that it is very tight in the container after watering.

MiracleGro mint is thriving very well. Earthgro Mint is slowly stunted and I am assured it will die. I have to buy a better potting mix. wish I had read reviews before buying this. Waste of time, money and plant.

Don't sell them please. It wastes time more than money. you should know it takes lots of efforts to plant fertilize and await results. To end up with a piece of clump in the end is just disappointing…"

 

July 2, 2013

nesali NJ

Age:45 to 54

Gender:Female

Gardening Experience:15 to 30 years

Experience: Intermediate/Average

How many days within the past 12 months:  This is the first time

How many times purchased in the past:  This is the first time

I purchased two bags from a big name department store. Less than $3 a bag. Upon opening the bag the soil was very heavy and clumped, not loose...Had me concerned but it was all I had so I proceeded with my planting. We've been having a lot of rain this week. This soil does not absorb water. One of the pots I planted contains a begonia and it kept filling with water which I had to pour off a few times. The other pot has vegetables. I took a closer look at both and was surprised to find lots of obvious sand! I'm going to re-pot every plant that's in this soil using a brand that I've never had trouble with. I read another review where their bags contained plastic. I'm surprised to find out that it's a Scotts product. I imagine they would do a better job of checking their products before selling them to the public.

 

June 19, 2013

sdancer

Gardening Experience: 30 or more years

Experience:  Intermediate/Average

How many days within the past 12 months:  This is the first time

How many times purchased in the past:  This is the first time

"…My 4 bags of Earthgro Potting Soil contained shredded plastic that I had to pick out. Fortunately, I was mixing it with top soil, but I would never use this to grow anything besides grass. It's basically top soil with a tiny bit of perlite mixed in, but not enough that I would consider it potting soil. Seems quite irresponsible to me…"

 

June 12, 2013

Jim14

Age:  35 to 44

Gender:  Male

Gardening Experience:  8 to 15 years

Experience:  Intermediate/Average

How many days within the past 12 months:  4-5 times

"…I used this soil for some of my container plants and they did poorly until I transplanted them to more suitable soil. This soil compacts and doesn't drain well. I've used other Scott's products with good results, stay away from this one…"

 

May 8, 2013

amandamab new jersey

Age:25 to 34

Gender:Female

Gardening Experience:  4 to 7 years

Experience: Intermediate/Average

How many days within the past 12 months:  This is the first time

How many times purchased in the past:  This is the first time

"…Do yourself a favor and don't waste your money on this product. There is no perlite in my bag but there is an abundance of sticks and extremely hard lumps etc. I did a jar soil test and it is basically all sand, the smallest sand, no real good LOAM in this product...so my plants suffocated. I had to go buy perlite cost me $17.00 just to add it to this subpar "soil." This is a terrible terrible bag of the poorest quality soil you could possibly find…"

 

February 17, 2013

Ralph124 Navarre, FL, USA

Age:55 to 64

Gender:Male

Gardening Experience:15 to 30 years

Experience:Intermediate/Average

How many days within the past 12 months: This is the first time

How many times purchased in the past: This is the first time

"…When I opened the bag I expected some kind of material of substance but all I found was a lot of wood shavings/granules and lumps about the size of my fist that resembled clay. I have added leaves and some sand to make something of it. This stuff is not acceptable…"

 

July 21, 2012

dudette915 Deb

Age:55 to 64

Gender:Female

Gardening Experience:  30 or more years

Experience: Intermediate/Average

How many days within the past 12 months:  This is the first time

How many times purchased in the past:This is the first time

"…all my planters and in ground plants are growing the same weeds. The product smelled bad, actually smelled like urine, was overly wet. I have to repot everything and dig out weeds. I am very disappointed and angry at the double work and costs. I will not repot using Scotts…"

 

June 24, 2012

flowerbox utah

Age:55 to 64

Gender:  Female

Gardening Experience:  30 or more years

Experience:Intermediate/Average

How many days within the past 12 months:  This is the first time

How many times purchased in the past:  This is the first time

"…I wish I'd thought to read reviews before I purchased 12cf (6 2cf bags) of this horrible product. I thought I'd save some money and it ended up costing me so much more replacing $200.00 worth of plants, plus time, plus new potting soil. I can't believe this is on the market.

So, my bags were basically wood shavings and manure. None of the other stuff that makes the mixture sound alright for potting soil. Maybe they don't mix it up, or I got the bad stuff off the top, or they don't really add in any of the stuff it says it has in it. I will never buy cheap potting soil again and will never buy anything 'Scott's' again because I'm so mad.

Bad Odor, Didn't work as expected, burned plants, label contents wrong…"

  

May 8, 2012

Anonymous White Salmon, Washington

Age:25 to 34

Gender:Female

Gardening Experience: 8 to 15 years

Experience: Expert

How many days within the past 12 months: This is the first time

How many times purchased in the past: This is the first time

"…I bought this potting soil and when I opened it I was suprised to find it smelled terrible like manure. It was super wet and had no perilite in it like all other potting mixes I have bought. I planted some flowers with it even though I was hesitant. Less then 48 hours later my flowers were showing signs of being burned. I called The Home Depot and the Earth Gro 1-800 # and they all said it was fine. "It smells like that because it is a natural product." I dont believe them and am going to transplant everything into new name brand soil and will return this product. This is a terrible product. I am sure it is manure…"

 

May 1, 2012

jamieorn Sacramento, CA, USA

Age:25 to 34

Gender:Male

Gardening Experience: 8 to 15 years

Experience:Intermediate/Average

How many days within the past 12 months:  This is the first time

How many times purchased in the past:  This is the first time

"…Upon buying a 2cf bag of Earthgro potting soil, I found it infested with gnats. I planted a few plants with it, and noticed gnats almost immediately after. I would not recommend this soil, unless you want your plants infested with gnats. Very disappointed…"

 

April 17, 2012

Anonymous Texas, USA

Age:45 to 54

Gender: Female

Gardening Experience: 15 to 30 years

Experience:Intermediate/Average

How many days within the past 12 months: This is the first time

How many times purchased in the past: This is the first time

"…no 'soil' to it, bought a bag of wet CLAY! never again will I buy this product and I'll tell everyone I know not to either!…"

 

SOME OF SCOTTS’ MIRACLE-GRO RESPONSES TO CONSUMERS - THEY ARE HILARIOUS!

 Many of the snip-it alleged "robotic responses" from Scotts listed below come from "Jeremy Walker" and "Wendy"

• We are so sorry to hear you had a problem (this has been repetitive throughout in Scotts’ responses)

• Please rest assured that I will forward your information on to our Quality Assurance Department so they can investigate this matter and look for ways to make sure this does not happen again.

• The soil you purchased is a natural product 

• All of our products carry a satisfaction guarantee

• We are sorry that you were disappointed with the odor and formulation of Earthgro Potting Soil. Earthgro makes every effort to ensure that our products meet consumer expectations on every level, including odor and appearance, and I will forward your comments to our Quality Assurance Department.

• it is composted

• There certainly should not be large wood pieces in the soil. Our soils are specially formulated and tested to ensure that plants will grow their best. 

• I will forward your comments to our Quality Assurance Department.

• The soil product you purchased is a natural product that has been composted. 

• We apologize for the clumps and wood debris that you have found in your Earthgro Potting Soil. I would like to assure you that Scotts makes every effort during manufacturing to ensure our products stay as pure as possible. Please rest assured that I will forward your information on to our Quality Assurance Department so they can investigate this matter and look for ways to make sure this does not happen again.

• While we certainly don't like to hear that you have had this experience, we appreciate the feedback.