| Noelle Weatherley covered the topic of ‘organic’ fertilisers extensively around this time in 2008 so we thought we’d get a brief update on how fertilisers are selling around Australia. The southern states have been hot and dry, not really conducive to feeding plants, with NSW and some northern states being so wet that fertiliser could be continually leached out of the soil. Leigh Siebler reports but poses more questions than answers…
We see a plethora of products for feeding plants on retail shelves and I often wonder if we are confusing consumers who, after all, want most things kept simple. Which product does your staff recommend? Is there consistency in their recommendations or is there a risk of further confusion for customers? Let’s look quickly at some of the fertilisers available.
Liquid – ‘natural’ or chemical (soluble)
For years the good old Aquasol and Thrive ruled the roost but then along came the various seaweed products starting with Maxicrop. Now we have about six different Thrive ‘solubles’ and a number of seaweed products with added NPK. Do consumers want this many and how different are they to each other? Many other manufacturers have similar products too.
Is this just a marketing ploy to sell more or does each product stand alone?
Do you recommend the ‘basic’ seaweed products as fertilisers? Even the manufacturers tell us they are more a tonic or stimulant than a fertiliser.
Controlled release
The first controlled release fertiliser, Osmocote, was introduced to retail shelves in the 1970s and I was one who hailed it and sold it. However, we needed some convincing of its benefits before we did sell it. Now, Osmocote and many others are entrenched in the market. Are controlled release fertilisers value-for-money for consumers or don’t they care because they want convenience?
In fact, are any of the pre-mixed fertilisers value-for-money? Will the so called current ‘recession’ (sorry, I didn’t want to use that word) cause consumers to rethink the fertiliser they are using even if they use one at all? Maybe Blood & Bone plus added Potash is a more cost-effective solution.
Organic or ‘Natural’
According to Noelle’s research last year, this area was the big growth one. It certainly has media and people talking but already there is controversy. Are the products, and I’m not talking just garden products here, all they are cracked up to be or is the marketing hype taking over? Are we being honest with customers?
Marketing is essential but as an industry your credibility and that of your staff is on the line with what you recommend.
Who said there is no such thing as an honest marketer?..... Wash your mouth out with ‘natural’ soap!!!
Compost
Most composts on the garden centre shelf contain little if any fertiliser. Maybe this is a good area to lift your sales of fertilisers by recommending a ‘natural’ product to complement the compost. This is particularly important for the home garden compost heap as obviously it helps break the compost down more rapidly.
Lawns – a great opportunity
Lawn care is one area where I am happy that there is a specific fertiliser and if we believe research then there is a huge growth opportunity for sales in this department. But there are challenges too. Watering of lawns is forbidden in many areas in Victoria and other states too so that makes feeding difficult. Clearly, if lawn grasses are growing and are being continually cut then they need feeding. How do you capitalize on that opportunity?
All Purpose V Selective
Well, I’ve alluded to this area all along. Do consumers really want six or more different fertilisers sitting in their shed? Do you want to fill your shelves with a multitude of products or are you one of the businesses that have already reduced your range? Sure, some plants need a specific fertiliser but it seems to me that we have gone too far. What do you think? I’m interested in comments.
Drip Feed UK & Japan
I am going to shoot myself in the foot completely here as I write about the ‘drip feeders’ I have seen recently in the UK and Japan. I know they are excellent sellers and are probably one of the easiest ‘feeding solution’ for gardeners; for containers in particular. However, they are certainly not value-for-money.
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Plants in the main, for home gardens, do need feeding, even Australian Natives
Display – easy or confusing?
‘Think like a customer’ is a popular saying from marketers, yes the ones I have just insulted, and I agree with that. There’s probably no hard and fast rule but don’t just bung your products on the shelf, give it some thought and even ask your customers how they would like the product displayed so they can easily find what they want. Like me, you must go into shops and struggle to find what you want; it’s so annoying and time wasting.
The usual display principles that Debra Templar espouses undoubtedly apply too.
Supplier comment:
“We have seen significant growth in our fertiliser sales, both dollar sales and unit sales, certainly more so in the last twelve months as consumers have decided to stay home and ‘cocoon’ as a result of the global economic situation and the trend toward sustainable gardening which has re awakened the consumer desire to ‘grow it yourself ‘ (GIY).
There has been a strong trend toward organic fertilisers such as Blood & Bone and especially those specifically used for vegetables and fruit, with Native plant foods also seeing resurgence, (I suspect as a result of recent droughts on the east coast).
Organic lawn foods have not seen a significant growth for us at this stage but we believe that with the increasing awareness of fertiliser ‘run off’ into ground water and rivers, that this category will see an increase over the coming years.
This coming season we will be expanding our range of organic fertilisers to cater for this growing market, the products will all be fully organic and carry BFA certification as an organic fertiliser.
This certification will guarantee consumers that the product they are buying as organic is indeed organic and totally safe to use on all food crops.”
Peter Morrison, Richgro Garden Products
Richard Hansen from Yates felt that growth in fertiliser sales was static in a flat market; volumes are down but prices are well up. Yates have focussed on the ‘organic’ market as the granular market is very commoditised. Richard indicated some staggering price increases of raw materials ranging from 250% to 400%; a nightmare for manufacturers.
However, he felt that prices in of fertilisers and plastic bags (price hikes too) had now stabilised somewhat. Overall Richard was positive about the industry and told me that Yates had put changes in place for future growth.
Richard Hansen, Business Development Manager, Yates
Garden Centre comment:
“We have seen double the growth from Plant Feeding products compared with Plant Protection products.
Plant Feeding $ sales % growth over last year is well above overall $ sales growth with 3% increase in units and 10% increase in sales.
This may be influenced by our presentation changes put into place late last year.”
Editor’s note: Mark is referring to their displays and information in conjunction with Yates.
Mark Watson – Buying Manager, Eden Gardens & Garden Centres, NSW
In conclusion, I’ve probably stirred the pot here and that was my aim. Getting your customers to use fertilisers correctly is essential for most plants and will help your profitability but do try to ensure that it’s not putting your credibility at risk. Research that I have seen in the past clearly shows that a majority of gardeners don’t feed their gardens enough so there is certainly plenty of scope to grow the market.
It’s not just fertilisers in this pic, but it is a good display at Webbs of Wychbold, UK.
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