Long-Awaited Alternative to Control Dandelions in Lawns Comes to Market Next
Week

Scotts Canada Introduces Iron-clad Solution in the Battle Against Weeds

MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 13 /CNW/ - At long last Canadian lawn enthusiasts can eliminate their weed problems quickly and easily using a simple spot spray treatment... with the power of iron. Today, Scotts Canada introduces Scotts(R) EcoSense(TM) Weed B Gon(R), a new, first-of-its-kind, ready-to-use liquid weed control product that controls broadleaf weeds without harming grass. Derived from iron, which occurs in nature, Scotts EcoSense Weed B Gon will be available to Canadians beginning next week wherever Scotts lawn and garden products are sold.

"Scotts EcoSense Weed B Gon is made from familiar ingredients, so moms and pet-lovers can be completely comfortable controlling weeds on the lawn which is, after all, a soft, safe place for kids and pets to play," says Glenn Martin, Director of Marketing, Scotts Canada Ltd. "Recent restrictions on the use of synthetic weed control products made it very difficult for people to eliminate widespread weed problems that will choke out healthy turf grass over time. Scotts EcoSense Weed B Gon provides an easy to use solution."

Scotts has partnered with a leading European supplier of natural lawn and garden products, with research facilities based in British Columbia, to bring this innovative new product to market. Field tested in Ontario to ensure its effectiveness for the Canadian landscape, this product uses the power of a naturally occurring element - iron - to eliminate weeds within days without harming grass.

When the leaves and roots of a weed are exposed through spot spraying, iron is absorbed into the cell structure of the plant. As oxidation destroys the plant from the inside out, the weed dries up and turns black. Within a few days, the weed is gone, but the grass around it remains healthy, because iron is a nutrient for turf. Weed B Gon can be used by spot spraying to control or suppress dandelions, English daisies, white clovers, black medics, bull thistles, Canada thistles, common chickweed, creeping buttercups, Persian speedwell, slender speedwell, broadleaf plantains, narrow-leaved plantains, dovefoot geraniums, mosses, algae and more. Results are guaranteed. The product comes in three convenient sizes: 709 ml, 2L and 4L spray bottles.

"Scotts EcoSense Weed B Gon builds on our company's 140 year heritage of innovation in lawn and garden care," says Betsy Gallacher, Global Senior Director of Marketing for The Scotts Company. "For gardening enthusiasts who understand the many benefits healthy lawns provide to our natural environment, it's the solution they have been waiting for to the number one problem plaguing lawns." Gallacher also remarked that the product will be the subject of the first national television ad for a natural product in Canada and that it features unique Canadian creative.

    
    There are substantial benefits to the environment from healthy lawns(1):

    -  A 50-foot by 50-foot lawn produces enough oxygen for a family of four
       every day.
    -  Lawns cool the atmosphere. Eight healthy front lawns have the cooling
       effect of 70 tons of air conditioning, which is enough for 16 average
       homes.
    -  Grass plants capture and use greenhouse gases, thereby helping to
       counteract climate change.
    -  A well-fed lawn sequesters twice as much greenhouse gases as an unfed
       lawn.
    -  Dense, healthy grass slows water runoff, removing contaminants and
       trapping dirt and dust particles. Fresh, filtered water returns to the
       underground water supply.
    -  Lawns provide a soft cool space outdoors for people and pets to rest
       and play.
    

For more information on The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company products visit www.scotts.ca. To learn more about alternative products in lawn and garden care visit www.scottsecosense.ca.

About Scotts Canada

Scotts Canada is a subsidiary of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE:SMG), the world's leading provider of branded consumer products for home lawn and garden care with products for professional horticulture as well. Scotts' lineup features Canada's favourite brands, including: Scotts(R), Miracle-Gro(R), Scotts Turf Builder(R), Scotts EcoSense(R), Ortho(R), Morning Melodies Wild Bird Food and Roundup*. With a global investment in research and development and innovation in addition to industry leading stewardship initiatives and consumer education, Scotts is committed to developing and enhancing the lawn and garden care practices in Canada. Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Scotts Canada provides lawn and garden enthusiasts choices that invite people to ... Grow the World You Want (TM).

* In North America and most of Europe, the consumer Roundup(R) brand is marketed exclusively by Scotts and owned by Monsanto.

Click http://www.newscanada.com/mpgdownload.asp?id=nc3579 to access broadcast quality footage. To access, enter your user Login ID and Password. Please contact [email protected] if you do not have your Login ID and Password.

    
    B-roll footage will be available via satellite on Thursday, May 13th at
    10:00 - 10:30 Eastern
    Anik F2, C-Band, Transponder 3B @111.1 West
    Vertical Polarization, D/L Freq. 3820MHz.
    Audio subcarriers 6.8 left, 6.2 right
    For assistance with the feed call: 1-800-565-1471

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    (1) Source: Professional Landcare Network, an international association
        of lawn care professionals, landscape management contractors,
        design/build/installation professionals, and interior plantscapers
        based in Virginia.
    

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/

For further information: Carla McFarlane, Ketchum on behalf of Scotts Canada: [phone], [email protected]