April 1, 2010

Here's Randy's Weekly KTRH GardenLine Tip:

Issue #157

A quick note before we start with this week's e-mail tip: According to the weather forecast for this week, it is okay to start the April 1 slow-release part of the Fertilization Schedule. Go for it!!! Then, why do they sell it? "I know you don't like dyed mulches, so why does one of your mulch yards sell it?"
"I know you don't recommend Bonus S because of the atrazine, so why does the Ace Hardware store you recommend sell it?"
"I heard you say not to plant periwinkles/vincas just yet, so why is the nursery you recommend selling them now?"
I've had to answer those and similar questions for nearly 15 years.

I could give you more examples, but I think you get the point. And the simple answer is, "So they don't lose the sale!"

While I do my best to ring the bell and bang the drum on issues important to the gardening community, I have to admit that in a city of 4 million people, only a certain percentage listen to any one radio show. That's just a simple radio fact. I'm not saying you should feel sorry for me. Nor am I asking you to actively recruit all your neighbors to listen and learn (although I'm not going to stop you, either).

We are very proud of our ratings, and we can show through research like "people meters" and listener diaries that we have one of the most-listened-to gardening radio shows in the United States. But because not everyone listens, some will go to the big-box stores and buy what they saw in a national ad or follow the recommendation of a national-chain employee.

Then, there are people who move here from other states, or those who don't listen to KTRH. All they know is Scott's and Home Depot. So, they buy the national brand of fertilizer, they buy the dyed mulch, and they plant flowers at the wrong time of year ... they just don't know any better.

So, what would you have a retailer do? I've had some listeners suggest that the store owner or manager should lecture their customers. But that might risk losing their business forever. If someone comes into a store and wants to spend $300 on 20 flats of periwinkles, do you tell them to wait a month, or take their money?

Also, while most of the Ace Hardware stores, independent nurseries and garden centers you hear about on my show sell the right stuff for my fertilization schedule, they also need to be able to sell the "bad" stuff to the uneducated. So, they stock both Nitro-Phos and Bonus S.

But here's how you can help. Print copies of these weekly tip sheets and give them to friends, family and neighbors. While this issue might not be the perfect one to share, next week's will be. I'm writing it right now, and it's all about the "Ten Commandments of Mulch." Your neighbor with the "mulch volcanoes" will benefit from it.

There are other ways you can help, too. When someone asks why your lawn looks better than others, invite them to listen to GardenLine. Helping make little changes is also worth the effort ... especially when you think of the environmental impact you can have by shifting people from atrazine-based weed-and-feeds and explaining the negative impact of dyed mulches.

The fact that we reach over 150,000 people each weekend on GardenLine makes me feel great, because I know that many radio shows barely attract 5,000 listeners on the weekends. Sure, I wish we could reach over 1 million in a city of 4 million, but that's probably not going to happen. But you can be sure that die-hard listeners like you help us kick butt in the world of gardening radio each and every weekend. So, THANKS! And I promise to keep providing good information as long as you're asking for it.

GardenLine Live From Galveston this Saturday - Casual F/X Grand Opening on the West Isle
This Saturday, I will be broadcasting from the new Casual F/X Outdoor Furniture Co. showroom at 12020 FM 3005, Galveston. That's about a mile west of the end of the Seawall, very close to 9 Mile Road. I'll be on the air 6-10 a.m., but they will actually open their doors at 8. I will hang out at the store until noon, so stop on by.

If you need outdoor furniture for a beach house, lake house, or pool deck, you really should try out Casual F/X furniture for yourself. The minute you put your booty in one of these amazing pieces, it will change your view of outdoor furniture forever - and for the better. While you're there, register to win some free palm trees and other goodies ... maybe even a Casual FX chair or two! For more info, check out www.casualfx.com.

GardenLine Listeners and E-mail Tip subscribers: Purchase a copy of my book,
Gulf Coast Gardening with Randy Lemmon, at a discount!

Garden retailers interested in stocking the book, should call NitroPhos at 713-228-1868 for wholesale information.

CONTACT INFORMATION

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