EPA says don't use this stuff on your lawn

[IFallsRon]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency took the unusual action last week of ordering perhaps the best-known lawn chemical company to remove products from store shelves.

The “stop sale, use or removal” order affects Scotts Miracle-Gro Co.’s “Garden Weed Preventer + Plant Food” and “Miracle-Gro Shake ‘n’ Feed All Purpose Plant Food Plus Weed Preventer.”

The EPA doesn’t know if the stuff is dangerous, but the agency’s Midwestern regional office says the pesticide registration number, 62355-4, is invalid.

The EPA news release quotes Region 5 Administrator Mary A. Gade: “A manufacturer such as Scotts cannot ignore the important legal requirement of registering its pesticides. This is a serious violation of EPA’s system for protecting people and the environment from the potential harmful effects of pesticides.”

Company officials in Ohio told the Columbus Dispatch newspaper that the recall involves 1 million units of the product and would cost $5 million to $10 million. The company blamed the registration problem on an employee who has since been fired, and the company announced it was improving its commitment to obeying federal pesticide laws. The same news release indicated that a criminal investigation was underway.

If you think you bought some of this stuff, you’re not supposed to use it or throw it in the trash. You can get more info at the EPA’s special web site or call (888) 838-1304 or (800) 858-7378.

[Tom7227]

You can't tell from the EPA site whether the stuff is hazardous, or whether the issue is the wrong number on the label. Seems like a recall is a bit drastic if all it is is a bad number.

[katoguy]

I didn't know this weed and feed was a pesticide.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Technically it would be a herbicide.

However, all herbicides could also be included in pesticides, since weeds or unwanted grasses could be considered a pest.

What's funny is, homeowners and those that sell products can spread pretty much anything on their yard that they can buy on a store shelf, yet a contractor has to have a license to do spread the same stuff.

IMO, Scotts promotes more harm to the environment than good. Today I heard an ad for buying weed-n-feed and spreading it soon.

We haven't even hardly got ground temps warm enough to promote crabgrass germination yet, much less start to worry about broad leaf herbicide application.

Don't get me wrong, I understand they buy ad space for a certain time frame where "on average" these products are going to be needed, but there's many people that hear an ad on the radio or see one on T.V. and think "okay, time to do it", and then the product doesn't work because it's completely not in the right time.

Okay..... I'll be off the soap box now and back on the mower.