Pollinator-friendly plants sold with a side of...pesticide!

[Beth_B]

From the "you couldn't make this schmidt up" department: Many national US retailers are advertising and selling "bee friendly" plants that are treated with systemic pesticides...that kill bees.

https://www.nrdc.org/experts/rebecca-riley/gardeners-beware-report-finds-pesticides-garden-plants

That is just insane!

 

[Chuck]

All of the major commercial growers that I know of all use some type of pesticide on their young plants/seedlings. Sellers of organic plants must specify before ordering that their plants must be chemically free and if needed only organic methods be used. How does the organic seller know if their plants have been chemically treated? They don't and that's the problem. But luckily the topicals used don't last very long, that is unless they used a systemic and you won't know that either. Just a couple of reasons to grow from seed or use a very reputable nursery

 

[Beth_B]

Yes but if you read the article and follow the links, 23 per cent of all plants studied DID use systemic pesticides.

In a short season climate like mine (and with a small house surrounded by trees) starting from seed really isn't an option. Simply not enough room, time, or light. I buy my annuals and veggies in April or May and put them in the ground as soon as I can. Same deal with perennials.

I don't think it unreasonable to expect that plants I buy in good faith to be pollinator friendly will not then be actively killing pollinators for the rest of the growing season! I don't make a point of buying organic plants or seeds although I primarily grow that way.

But if something is advertised as "butterfly friendly" then is it not false advertising to be selling plants that will in all reality kill butterflies for the entire season?

I buy almost all of my plants at one or two independent garden centers and never from big box stores. I'm calling them tomorrow and will post back what I'm told.

 

[Chuck]

Yes but if you read the article and follow the links, 23 per cent of all plants studied DID use systemic pesticides.

In a short season climate like mine (and with a small house surrounded by trees) starting from seed really isn't an option. Simply not enough room, time, or light. I buy my annuals and veggies in April or May and put them in the ground as soon as I can. Same deal with perennials.

I don't think it unreasonable to expect that plants I buy in good faith to be pollinator friendly will not then be actively killing pollinators for the rest of the growing season! I don't make a point of buying organic plants or seeds although I primarily grow that way.

But if something is advertised as "butterfly friendly" then is it not false advertising to be selling plants that will in all reality kill butterflies for the entire season?

I buy almost all of my plants at one or two independent garden centers and never from big box stores. I'm calling them tomorrow and will post back what I'm told.

I agree 100%. But what is the nursery you buy your plants from supposed to do? They can't be at the growers, all they can do is say what the growers tell them and hope that they fulfill their contracts as stated. The entire thing sucks

 

[Beth_B]

I agree 100%. But what is the nursery you buy your plants from supposed to do? They can't be at the growers, all they can do is say what the growers tell them and hope that they fulfill their contracts as stated. The entire thing sucks

No disagreement just disgust with the system!

The small chain (Wojos; three large local stores) I buy almost everything from grows enough of their own to have developed a petunia cultivar and a hybrid tomato. And they have super-helpful employees so I'm curious what they will say.

 

[MaryMary]

That's awful!!

So anything I buy may or may not helping? May or may not be killing the bees I'm trying to save?

Next year I will plant from seed.

Beth_B, it might be a bit more of a PITA, but you could maybe try sowing your annuals and perennials in the fall.


According to the article, the two biggest offenders are Ace Hardware, and True Value Hardware. They can be reached here:

https://www.facebook.com/acehardware
Or call : 1-866-290-5334
Contact Ace e-mail link:
http://www.acehardware.com/helpdesk...s&subdisplay=contact&display=store&cp=1320930



https://www.facebook.com/TrueValue?ref=ts
Or call : 1-877-502-4641 Monday thru Friday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm (CT) .
Contact True Value e-mail link:
http://www.truevalue.com/custserv/contactus.jsp
(We respond to e-mails in the order they were received.)



Both of the "Contact" links go directly to the "Contact Us," page from their official website. Facebook might be more effective, until they take it down. I don't mind being a squeaky wheel, or an offended customer whose potential business they may be losing.

 

[Beverly]

Yes indeed, planting from seed is the only safe way to assure that your plants will not kill your pollinators, plus it can be such a rewarding experience. There are online seed sellers, like Everwilde, that guarantee non GMO, organic seeds, and also Horizon in Oregon, and many others you can find with a search. I have used these 2 seed sellers before (Everwilde, for a number of years) and they both provide excellent service and well-germinating fresh seeds). Hmmm, i see Horizon in Williams Oregon has changed their name to "Strictly Medicinal Seeds", but they sell a wide variety of seeds.

 

[Beth_B]

@MaryMary, thanks for the links! I refuse to do Facebook, but may just drop a note in the contact links...public pressure can change business practices for sure. Sowing seeds outdoors is for sure an option. But I've always enjoyed the practice of purchasing baby plants, putting them in the ground and watching them grow up. And I also enjoy the whole process of wandering around a garden center, chatting with people, and picking plants.

As I said earlier, starting from seed indoors really isn't an option for me...my house is really really small, trees on all sides but one (I just get some morning sun on the east side but that's just two windows) and this is a sort of cloudy climate with a pretty short growing season.

@Beverly I will check out Everwilde thanks! I may have to learn more about planting from seed outdoors.

I understand that commercial growers are businesses first and have to maximize profits and ensure they don't lose entire crops to pests or whatever. And I am not rabidly anti-gmo or pro-organic. But I certainly don't want to plant anything on my garden that contains long lasting systemic pesticides!

 

[MaryMary]

Beth_B, you are welcome for the links! I went ahead and got the information on the other three listed in the article:


Need Help? Please call us at: 1-800-HOME-DEPOT (1-800-466-3337)
Contact Home Depot e-mail link:
http://www.homedepot.com/c/Contact_Us



Need Help? Call 1-800-445-6937
Products & Sales Call 1-877-GO-LOWES
Contact Lowes e-mail link:
http://www.lowes.com/webapp/wcs/sto...geView?storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&faqId=51


https://www.facebook.com/walmart
Or call : 1-800-WAL-MART (or) 1-800-925-6278
(Walmart wants you to sign in to access the "Contact Us" page.)


I don't do Facebook either! I intend on calling them all the next business day I have off, which is Wednesday. I'm off tomorrow, but it's Sunday. I want to refresh my facts on bee populations.
Also, I want to dust off my soapbox!

I'll post here whatever excuses they give me.

 

[Beth_B]

Beth_B, you are welcome for the links! I went ahead and got the information on the other three listed in the article:


Need Help? Please call us at: 1-800-HOME-DEPOT (1-800-466-3337)
Contact Home Depot e-mail link:
http://www.homedepot.com/c/Contact_Us



Need Help? Call 1-800-445-6937
Products & Sales Call 1-877-GO-LOWES
Contact Lowes e-mail link:
http://www.lowes.com/webapp/wcs/sto...geView?storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&faqId=51


https://www.facebook.com/walmart
Or call : 1-800-WAL-MART (or) 1-800-925-6278
(Walmart wants you to sign in to access the "Contact Us" page.)


I don't do Facebook either! I intend on calling them all the next business day I have off, which is Wednesday. I'm off tomorrow, but it's Sunday. I want to refresh my facts on bee populations.
Also, I want to dust off my soapbox!

I'll post here whatever excuses they give me.

You rock! And please do!

I called Wojos (my go-to local place) yesterday and they grow much of their own annuals and some veggies from seed with no systemic pesticides, but the people I talked to couldn't vouch for their outside suppliers. I was told to call back Monday when more in-the-know folks are at work.

Looking forward to getting reports of your soapbox campaign!

 

[BlueLotus]

On some level, I'm not surprised because of the big businesses are in denial that they are part of the reason pollinators are going extinct. If they start selling plants without pesticides, they would have to admit that what they sell is damaging and stop selling their money making items. Because let's be real, the most expensive part of gardening isn't event the seeds and plants, it's the fertilizer, soil amendments, and pesticides. Get rid of those and those companies collapse.

 

[Beth_B]

Well I talked to a manager at Wojos yesterday and she said that yes in some cases pesticides were used, but they tried to be as environmentally friendly as possible, using organic products and introducing beneficial nematodes and insects every season.

@BlueLotus you're absolutely correct. And even more damaging to the environment are big commercial farms.

 

[MaryMary]

The woman at Ace Hardware assured me that pesticides are not used on any of their plants for sale. I've done a bit more searching, and I found this link, dated May 26, 2015.

Ace Hardware Commits to Action on Bee-Killing Pesticides

Beth_B, the article you linked to is dated August 16, 2016.
I also found this online petition you can sign to get Ace to stop using pesticides.

So someone is lying.

Petition

They want 292 more signatures. Correction: they want 291 more signatures!!

 

[MaryMary]

A-ha!! I signed the petition, because I knew what it was for. I did a bit more poking around on the petition website, and found a copy of the letter they are going to send to the CEO. Ace is talking the talk, but not walking the walk!

In the past several months, thousands of your customers have signed petitions and made calls to Ace stores requesting your company take important steps to protect pollinators and the planet, but thus far Ace has only conveyed its willingness to move away from using these products and has not made any public commitments with a timeline or benchmarks to phrase-out products and plants that contain these chemicals.

(The bolding is mine.)

 

[MaryMary]

In December 2015, Home Depot (NYSE: HD), the second largest home-improvement chain, announced it has removed neonicotinoid pesticides from 80 percent its flowering plants and it will complete its phase-out in plants by 2018. Lowe’s (NYSE: LOW), the second largest home improvement retailer in the U.S., made a public commitment to eliminate neonicotinoid pesticides from its stores including products and plants treated with them, redouble existing integrated pest management practices for suppliers and provide additional material educating customers about pollinator health. http://commondreams.org/newswire/20...e-hardware-true-value-until-they-stop-selling

I've decided not to bother them!

I've been on hold with True Value for 25 minutes now, I give up. I've had time to write them a note on their "Contact us" page:

I wanted to let you know that since you seem to have made no efforts to remove bee-killing pesticides from your shelves, or to try to ensure that the growers who supply you are being bee-friendly, I have decided to take my business to Lowe's or Home Depot. I cannot consider it a "True Value" to buy pollinator plants that will kill the pollinators. Cut back your greed for the almighty dollar, and stand behind your name.

I left my e-mail address, we'll see if I get a response.