http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2015/04/03/scotts-jumps-into-the-marijuana-business-with-deal.html?ana=yahoo
That's going to ruffle some feathers.
That's going to ruffle some feathers.
Scotts (MiracleGro) bought General Hydroponics
- Thread starter az2000
- Start date
GrowUrOwnDank
Well-Known Member
I like it. I'll be able to get what I need at the local garden center.
I don't see this being good in any way. I doubt Scotts' intention is to reduce GH down to big-box retail distribution at garden centers. I believe this is more about Scotts getting into hydro stores and cashing in on the over-priced cannabis-themed market.
I've seen relatively small, focused companies acquired by multi-division corporations and their character changes. They become less personal, less responsive, more remotely driven by bottom-line guys who don't have a passion for the core business.
Then there's the stigma. Adding GH to the corporate family won't give credibility to MiracleGro, it will reduce the credibility of GH as "now it's just a high-end MiracleGro."
I think General Organics will suffer the most loss from this acquisition. The organic guys are the most sensitive to Scott's affiliation with Monsanto and "Big Agro's" takeover of the food supply.
IMO, GH was a genius to get out now. As personal grow rights spread to more states, I believe the cannabis-themed market will dry up. There's too many players in that multi-bottle "lineup" space already. When I walk into a hydro store and see 100' wall space of bottles, there is something definitely wrong and unsustainable (when I can go to an ordinary nursery and pick from 20' of products for every type of plant under the sun). Consumers will (and already do) discover ordinary nutrients work fine with cannabis. They don't need to pay a cannabis tax for themed nutrients and cartoon labels.
GH/GO were the least offenders in this way. They were probably less at risk. But, a brilliant move to get out before the gimmicky cannabis-nutrient market shakes out.
I've seen relatively small, focused companies acquired by multi-division corporations and their character changes. They become less personal, less responsive, more remotely driven by bottom-line guys who don't have a passion for the core business.
Then there's the stigma. Adding GH to the corporate family won't give credibility to MiracleGro, it will reduce the credibility of GH as "now it's just a high-end MiracleGro."
I think General Organics will suffer the most loss from this acquisition. The organic guys are the most sensitive to Scott's affiliation with Monsanto and "Big Agro's" takeover of the food supply.
IMO, GH was a genius to get out now. As personal grow rights spread to more states, I believe the cannabis-themed market will dry up. There's too many players in that multi-bottle "lineup" space already. When I walk into a hydro store and see 100' wall space of bottles, there is something definitely wrong and unsustainable (when I can go to an ordinary nursery and pick from 20' of products for every type of plant under the sun). Consumers will (and already do) discover ordinary nutrients work fine with cannabis. They don't need to pay a cannabis tax for themed nutrients and cartoon labels.
GH/GO were the least offenders in this way. They were probably less at risk. But, a brilliant move to get out before the gimmicky cannabis-nutrient market shakes out.
churchhaze
Well-Known Member
General Organics can eat a bag of donkey dicks.
Also, I do think GH flora will indeed end up at home depot.
Also, I do think GH flora will indeed end up at home depot.
You could be right. Instead using GH to get into what appears to be the lucrative boutique hydroponic-store market, they could cut deeply into that market by selling a formerly boutique product at MiracleGro prices through Home Depot, etc.
Since GH is for hydro, I don't think Home Depot makes sense. It think it's more likely this is a way to get in on the boutique hydro-store setting.
I guess it's a matter of whether it makes sense to sell hydro nutes to primarily soil customers at Home Depot. I guess most of the other stuff sold there is synthetic too. Maybe the hydro distinction could be lost.
FYI Home depot has been dabbling with hydro systems for quite some time, some stores stock full 4-12 pot recirculating systems and flood n drain tables, they have several on their web site and I know of at least 1 store that was stocking the GH 3 part.
churchhaze
Well-Known Member
Home depot sells giant bags of peat moss, perlite, and even pro-mix. Why wouldn't it be appropriate to have hydro nutrients?
You seem to have this obsession with hydro nutrients somehow being boutique or only for hobbyists. I think you are just biased based on your own personal experience. The way I see it, they bought GH specifically so they could sell GH flora series at home depot.
And yes.... yes other things at home depot are synthetic... It's a freaking huge store.
Besides putting flora on the shelves, you'll likely also start to see hydroton and growstones. These companies are looking to make a profit based on consumer trends, not on whether you perosonally think organic more appropriate for the common home owner...
GrowUrOwnDank
Well-Known Member
I'll just be down with the Maxigrow powder and the Nova stuff. I haven't tried Nova. Probably will add it to my ever growing collection of various boosts, blooms, micros, vitamins, blossoms, rooter shmooters, and whatever else I got in these 15 plus bottles of nutes I collect with a lot of other powders and huby jibbys I just have to keep trying. lol.
It may just be a regional thing but the one by me has sold rockwool, Hydroton, net pots, pH up/dn, several different hydro mutes including GH(not sure if they still carry GH but they did for years), pH/ppm meters, bubble buckets, recirc systems, etc. I assumed they all carried it
churchhaze
Well-Known Member
It's boutique hydroponic stores that will likely die out once they have nothing unique to offer.
GrowUrOwnDank
Well-Known Member
Hey guy. A local feed and seed is carrying Fox Farms. Pretty good real estate shelf space too. Right along side old school real farmers use. It's coming around and I think you're right. My HD didn't have any of that stuff last I checked. I didn't look real hard for it, but always go through the garden section.
I like it.
a mongo frog
Well-Known Member
Fox Farm is next too.
legalization.Off topic but I remember a few years back when our local nursery started carrying Dr. Earth potting soil and organic ferts per my request, if your not familiar with them they have a few different types of soil, one of them is their "POTting" soil, great big letters and has a bunch of abstract looking pot leaves all over the bag, I thought it was hilarious
I've never seen Pro-Mix at my Home Depot. My Lowes used to carry Pro-Mix HP. It was stopped by a hydro store who complained to Premier Hort. about it. (The story is that Pro-Mix is only supposed to be sold through specialty stores).
That would be cool if they sold hydro equipment and nutes. It's hard for me to picture because everything they do now is soil related. Maybe it's a regional thing as Jbone said.
I wonder if GH in big-box retail stores would be viewed as the MiracleGro'ification of cannabis, or liberating enthusiasts from the boutique'ification of cannabis by hydro stores.
It will be interesting to watch. Fertilome will probably buy someone like Canna.
churchhaze
Well-Known Member
Do you think Jbone is a liar, or just so delusional that he thought he was in home depot and seeing a product that wasn't really what he thought?
Jbone said:
"the one by me has sold rockwool, Hydroton, net pots, pH up/dn, several different hydro mutes including GH(not sure if they still carry GH but they did for years), pH/ppm meters, bubble buckets, recirc systems, etc"
Why do you speak a bout this hypothetically?
Jbone said:
"the one by me has sold rockwool, Hydroton, net pots, pH up/dn, several different hydro mutes including GH(not sure if they still carry GH but they did for years), pH/ppm meters, bubble buckets, recirc systems, etc"
Why do you speak a bout this hypothetically?
All I said was "Maybe it's a regional thing as Jbone said." I can't speak to anything other than what I've seen. In my area all they carry is soil stuff, and the one time they carried Pro-Mix it was removed from the shelves for being too high-end, specialized.
I didn't mean to imply "Maybe Jbone really saw what he says he saw." For me, it would be very hard to believe my eyes if I saw all that stuff in my local hardware stores. It would be nice, but it's hard to imagine me seeing it in my region.
a mongo frog
Well-Known Member
a mongo frog
Well-Known Member
don't know how i did that