Once upon a time, like 30 and more years ago, the name “Peters Plant Foods” was likened to motherhood. There wasn’t anything better, anywhere in the universe. Unfortunately, from then on, the floor kind of gave way. In 1979, Peters was sold to the Construction Products Division of W.R. Grace, Cambridge, Mass. That was bad enough, but the crushing blow came in 1993 when the Scott Company bought Osmocote and Peters from W.R. Grace. In 1995, the Hagedorn family, owners of Miracle-Gro, traded stock to gain control of the company which they renamed Scotts. The Hagedorns have been running the company ever since.

Imagine losing your family name! Well, it was a forgone conclusion when Peters became part of Scotts. The Federal Trade Commission stepped in and ordered Scotts to sell one of its plant foods because Miracle-Gro and Peters were the top ranked plant food products in the U.S. The rest is history. Scotts sold the “Peters” business. Right then and there, the original company, Peters, which worked over a half-century to perfect its plant foods, lost all rights to its name. No longer could the company sell plant foods under its name.

So, what do we have today? We find Spectrum Industries changing its name to Spectrum Peters to take advantage of the gratuitous windfall from Scotts. Yes, indeed, the company packages a diversity of plant foods under the “Peters” name. Are their products comparable to the Peters products of 30 years ago? Look for their plant foods in “stand-up pouches,” like cat food sold at the supermarket. One thing is certain: the product inside the package bears no resemblance to the quality and performance of Peters Plant Foods of 30 and 40 years ago, or that today manufactured by the Peters Family.

Scotts is no different. The company manufactures containers and bags of Miracle-Gro, but knowledgeable practitioners at nurseries and garden shops will tell you just how ineffective it is. Considering that today it costs less than $1 for Scotts to make a pound of Miracle-Gro, it’s no wonder. In our experience, Miracle-Gro is great for energizing weeds before you kill them, but nothing else.

Here in 2004, the hallmark of quality of 30 and 40 years ago is the very foundation of J.R. Peters, Inc., based in Allentown, Pa. Unless it says J.R. Peters, Inc., on the label, the plant food represents a compromise between what you expect and what the product offers. J.R. Peters produces consumer plant foods under the “Jack’s Classic” label, and professional products for greenhouses and growers worldwide under the label of “Jack’s Professional.”

Why should you disavow brand-name products like Miracle-Gro and Spectrum Peters, and insist on plant foods produced only by the Peters Family for three-plus generations?

Consider the following:

* No company (not Scotts, not Spectrum, not anyone) has the degree of horticultural knowledge pioneered by the Peters Family which continues to be vested with J.R. Peters, Inc. Their technicians wrote the bible generations ago on commercial greenhouse plant fertilization, not only African violets but poinsettias as well. That poinsettias are the world’s biggest selling pot plant reflects the Peters Family contributions toward plant performance.

* Even today, J.R. Peters, Inc., produces over 50 standard professional formulations in addition to hundreds of custom-blended products for commercial growers the world over.

* Today, consumers have access to the same high-quality Professional Plant Foods of decades past. Among the products currently available are All Purpose 20-20-20, House Plant 15-30-15, African Violet Special 12-36-14, Acid Greening Special 17-6-6. Blossom Booster 10-30-20, and Orchid Special 30-1010.

* Only plant foods from J.R. Peters, Inc., contain the same “professional quality” micro-nutrients found in both the consumer and professional horticultural products. If you want professional productivity from your consumer plant food, Jack Peters and the staff at J.R. Peters stand behind that promise.

* Jack’s daughter, Cari, graduates next month with a Ph.D. in Plant Nutrition from the University of Maryland, the third generation of the Peters Family working with researchers, growers and consumers.

* The most popular consumer formulations at J.R. Peters are All-Purpose 20-20-20 and the 10-30-20 Blossom Booster. Gardeners have created their own “miracle plant food” using one tablespoon of 20-20-20 and 10-30-20 in a two-gallon sprinkling. This homemade mix yields an awesome 15-25-20 water-soluble fertilizer suitable for all bedding plants. The mix yields picture-quality performance for container plants on decks and patios.

You won’t find Jack’s Classic plant foods in chain stores, only in independent nurseries and garden centers. On your next visit to the nursery, seek out the manager and ask him to put Jack’s Classic plant foods on his retail shelves. You should insist on Jack’s Classic if you want professional results instead of promises from the big-name plant foods!