Why Atomic Grow Sucks!

[ScottinAtlanta]

Here is another example of how these folks at Atomic Grow work.

At the site www.davesgarden.com, there is an area to comment on vendors called The Garden Watchdog. Take a look at: http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/7390/.

Four positive comments - by people who have only one comment on the whole forum. Three of those comments were made by people who signed up the same day they commented. Apparently, they all signed up just to tout Atomic Grow.

Can anyone say "shill"?

[matereater]

AHAHAHAHAHA, I love Mischka's statement at the bottom!!

[Mudman]

So many uses for one great product! Paint removal, oven cleaning, toilet bowl disinfectant, and much much more. Call within the next 15 minutes and receive a free hazmat suit!

[Mudman]

Oh, and don't forget about those pesky warts.

[Billybob]

in the words of Frank Zappa- "and it will cure your asthma too."

[sirtanon]

Hi-larious! Amazing the lengths to which a company will go to mislead potential customers.

That said, reading this forum and the comments herein, as well as the name of the product made me think of this..


http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Tomacco

[feldon30]

I e-mailed the fine folks at AllExperts with this:

James Shellenback is the producer of a snake oil 'fertilizer' called AtomicGrow. Kathy Crowley is the exclusive distributor.

Check your site history and you'll find that James S. has asked numerous "plant disease" questions:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Plant-Dis...5/index_58.htm

which Kathy has always answered with the recommendation to use James' product AtomicGrow (site - http://www.atomicgrow.net). Her profile:
http://www.allexperts.com/ep/715-872...hy-crowley.htm

To the outsider, it looks like the innocent recommendation of a horticulturalist to a concerned first-time gardener. In fact, it's the manufacturer and distributor of a dubious product shadow boxing on your site to drive site traffic.

[DKelly]

Good work. I am all for something that is effective and cost effective. I believe in science, not hoaxes.

[Hermitian]

I have purchased an 8 oz bottle of the product, pictured below.

I have had some correspondence with Mr. Shellenback regarding Atomic Grow. He sent me an MSDS which I've attached to this post.

You'll note on the top left it says "Date Prepared 8-1-2008" ... but in the PDF document it shows that the original Microsoft Word document was created 7-21-2010. Also notice that the product is listed as a surfactant -- not a fertilizer or pesticide. Legally, there is a lot of distance between these classifications.

Regarding product registration, Mr. Shellenback's position is that there is no need for further registration because it does not contain any hazardous materials. I have notified Mr. Shellenback that since his product label contains claims of plant growth and pesticide action that (a) it needs to be registered in FL as a fertilizing material and (b) it needs to be registered with the EPA.

It would be to his benefit to do so. First, he could distribute through a nationwide carrier such as Commerce Corp. to retail nurseries. Second, the annual cost of maintaining a license is far cheaper then the fines for non-registration. We will see how he chooses to proceed.

[mrdoitall]

Hermitian,
How did the Atomic Grow do for you?

Originally Posted by Hermitian

I have purchased an 8 oz bottle of the product, pictured below.

I have had some correspondence with Mr. Shellenback regarding Atomic Grow. He sent me an MSDS which I've attached to this post.

You'll note on the top left it says "Date Prepared 8-1-2008" ... but in the PDF document it shows that the original Microsoft Word document was created 7-21-2010. Also notice that the product is listed as a surfactant -- not a fertilizer or pesticide. Legally, there is a lot of distance between these classifications.

Regarding product registration, Mr. Shellenback's position is that there is no need for further registration because it does not contain any hazardous materials. I have notified Mr. Shellenback that since his product label contains claims of plant growth and pesticide action that (a) it needs to be registered in FL as a fertilizing material and (b) it needs to be registered with the EPA.

It would be to his benefit to do so. First, he could distribute through a nationwide carrier such as Commerce Corp. to retail nurseries. Second, the annual cost of maintaining a license is far cheaper then the fines for non-registration. We will see how he chooses to proceed.

[Hermitian]

Originally Posted by mrdoitall

Hermitian,
How did the Atomic Grow do you you?

The bottle just arrived and is still unopened. Since the MSDS I received is not from an independent firm, I will have an analysis performed by an assay company in Los Angeles before trying it at my nursery. Although I would like to believe the list of ingredients on the label, my nursery stock is subject to random leaf sampling by the state of California. I simply can't afford the risk. It's not the first time I've sent a product out for assay.

[mrdoitall]

Originally Posted by Hermitian

The bottle just arrived and is still unopened. Since the MSDS I received is not from an independent firm, I will have an analysis performed by an assay company in Los Angeles before trying it at my nursery. Although I would like to believe the list of ingredients on the label, my nursery stock is subject to random leaf sampling by the state of California. I simply can't afford the risk. It's not the first time I've sent a product out for assay.

So they shipped the bottle not full and with a dirty cap? What a company!!! We will be waiting to hear your results. Please post them.

Thanks
Dwight

[Hermitian]

Originally Posted by mrdoitall

So they shipped the bottle not full and with a dirty cap?

I think the quantity of material I received is fair. I purchased 8 oz. of product. The bottle contains over 8 oz. of product and also over 8 fl.oz. of product.

I own a wholesale plant and fertilizer business. I understand that it can be easy for consumers to confuse the volume measure of fluid ounces with the weight measure of ounces. In addition, fertilizing materials are required by law to be sold by weight, so sometimes people complain about the container not being full. It's all in a day's work.

The dirty cap is partly my fault. The bottle was dusty as evidenced in the photo, but the grime is due to my handling. I'm in the midst of potting up a couple hundred bareroot trees and transplanting another thousand shrubs and vines.

[mrdoitall]

Just looked like a returned item to me!
Maybe they gave you some extra!
Are you a vendor of this product?
Please give us your review of this product.

[Raffles]

Originally Posted by mrdoitall

Just looked like a returned item to me!!!
Maybe they gave you some extra!!!
Are you a vendor of this product?
Please give us your review of this product.

From my read it looks like Hermitian is in process of making his own determination. A very cautious and orderly determination.

I would not be inclined to trust any product marketed in the way Atomic Grow is. That said I don't have any first hand knowledge about the product to go on. My suspicion is enough reason for me to avoid it for now.

Hermitian is working on getting the real data on the product. His yea or nay at the end of processing it will be more informed than mine.