New Products In the Market - 2006

One of the great things about working in the Lawn and Garden Industry is that you get to travel to trade shows all around the world and see all of the new stuff being shown there.  In some cases, the ideas are great, and in some cases they are just strange. 

Here are some of the great ideas I've seen.

Ergonomic Tools and Applicators - Face it, many of us are maturing faster than we may want.  Boomers are now reaching for the Aleve as much as for the golf clubs or gardening tools.  Some savvy manufacturers are re-crafting their tool lines and applicators to address the needs of consumers as they reach their peak gardening years.

Hydro Industries of New Jersey (The Garden State) has introduced a new line of hose reels under the "ReelSmart(TM) name.  These unique products use water pressure from your garden hose to power a simple and strong motor which actually rewinds your garden hose automatically.  These quality products solve another difficult to manage task for aging gardeners.  ReelSmart products are available in many home centers and garden shops.  Check out the demonstration on the Hydro-Industries web site. 

Fiskars has addressed ergonomics (building for comfort and usefulness) in several products this year.  By using a geared lever in many of their cutting tools, they have reduced hand stress and the strength needed to cut through the toughest branches.  Their technology also includes padded handles and longer handles on their rakes to provide a more upright stance while raking.  American gardeners are aging for sure, and Fiskars has addressed the needs of the soon to be retiring Baby Boom generation with thoughtfully crafted and affordable hand tools. 

Electric Hand Sprayers - A few manufacturers are using a handy little electric sprayer on their ready to use products to facilitate spraying without hand fatigue.  Products by Bayer Advanced are available with this nifty new technology. The sprayer is also available for individual sale at many lawn and garden centers.  The sprayer, whether purchased individually or as part of a product contains replaceable batteries and will last several seasons with proper care.  The spray pattern is adjustable from a fine spray to a stream, and the range of the spray is up to 10 feet.  This should not be used for flammable liquids or for concentrated products.

Lawn and Garden Chemical Controls - There have been more changes in the consumer lawn and garden controls industry in the last 5 years than in the 50 which preceded them.  Traditional ingredients like diazinon and dursban have exited the marketplace and a host of new names and products for feeding and protecting plants, lawns and gardens have come to the market.  Here are some of my favorites.

Bayer Advanced Products are the new kids on the block as far as consumer lawn and garden products.  They have hit some home runs lately with a couple of very innovative products. 

Bayer Tree and Shrub Insect Control is a concentrated product which consumers apply as a drench to protect trees against a host of difficult to control insects. The product is effective against some particularly hard to control insects such as borers - including the Emerald Ash Borer - leaf miners, aphids and Japanese Beetles.  Once applied the product provides up to a full year of insect protection.  Bayer recommends a fall application so that plants are protected in the spring, but a spring application is also OK.   

The Espoma Company in Millville NJ has added a new liquid plant care product to their long-lived line of fertilizers.  The new product called Bio-tone is a combination of microbes which invigorate the soil and enhance the biological activity necessary for good fertilizer and plant biochemistry.  Bio-tone joins the list of Espoma products including Holly-Tone and Garden-Tone, which have been part of the gardening scene since 1929. 

Watch for more information on new products for 2006.  We're looking at a feature on "Branded Plants" in a later issue of this website.