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#1
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Any "trick" questions to ask at garden center...
Can anyone suggest some simple questions to ask at a garden center to really
see if the person you are talking to knows what they are doing? I'm tired of asking questions and getting the answer that helps make the biggest sale. I also don't want to nag all of you with all of my questions, especially when the answers would be more relevant for my yard when asked locally. Thanks! |
#2
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Any "trick" questions to ask at garden center...
In article kEn8b.422$AD1.11@pd7tw2no, "Phrederik"
wrote: Can anyone suggest some simple questions to ask at a garden center to really see if the person you are talking to knows what they are doing? I'm tired of asking questions and getting the answer that helps make the biggest sale. I also don't want to nag all of you with all of my questions, especially when the answers would be more relevant for my yard when asked locally. Thanks! I have an earlier edition beat-up copy of the Sunset Guide in the car so that I can check for myself if something I've never seen before is apt to do well in this zone in my yard's conditions. I even so often neglect to check it, & that's when I end up with a "perennial" that is only perennial in the deep south, or which is notorious for not transplanting well & should've been grown from seed, or some other problem NEVER on tags or salesmens' lips, but usually noted in the Sunset Guide for quick reference. Many & all better garden centers will hand you the guide if you ask, having several copies behind a counter just for people who want to check for more info before each purchase. For other garden care matters, owning & reading through a couple of general gardening guides will probably put you in the same category of knowledge as the greater majority of nursery retailers. But even if you encountered someone very knowledgeable who didn't just give the sales-pitch answers, there are often a dozen possible answers to any poser. You have to know what you are hoping to achieve in your personal gardens & by what methods you'd prefer, to what degree you're committed to being organic, what conditions you cannot provide at all & which are rather natural to the spaces you have to plant in -- stuff only you can know & without which, most quicky-answers will be less than complete. If you ask "what's a good fertilizer for such-&-such?" the answer will always have to be something off the shelf that they have for sale. It's not that they're not misleading you, but there were probably five other options, many of them superior to that bag of fertilizer they sold you. If you'd asked, "Which is the best fertilizer for my fern garden" the best answer could well be "None at all, stick to leaf mold," but the vendor either won't know that & so will sell you a perennial fertilizer, or they will kind of know it but figure it's your business if you want to fertilize stuff that'll be damaged by fertilizer, & it's the vendor's job to get that extra ten dollars out of you, not tell you to stop buying stuff you don't need from his company. It's nice when they do, but what are the chances. You have to be realistic in expectation, & come to the table with a modicum of knowledge of your own. Even the best most knowledgeable & fully honest retailer doesn't have the time to fill you in on all your options -- if you paid to attend a weekend workshop you might have only an introductory idea of a topic. If the retailer needs to sell lots of the gardening chemicals his or her company is offering, you'll NEVER get the best organic answer unless they also have a lot of off-the-shelf products marketed as "organic" -- & the "organic gardening" section of most garden centers includes some the biggest scam-artist nonsense of all time, besides some stuff that although indeed organic is toxic as all hell. It's not the vendor's duty to educate you for free; it's his duty to sell you stuff that is for sale, with as few discouraging remarks as possible, & if you've asked point blank for Diatomaceous Earth to use as an organic fertilizer, & they have it, how could anyone expect the vendor to tell you you don't want to use that stuff, it kills beneficial insects & is like putting crushed glass in your garden. If the public wants it & requests it, even asking point-blank "Is it totally safe?" is going to get you a "Yes" since any honest answer would mean never selling any of it at all to anyone ever. They won't stay in business by being TOO knowledgeable. But telling you some tepidly fertilizing dung-water aerated by $500 worth of equipment will keep pathogens out of your garden -- now THAT's something that is easy for vendors to get behind & promote & convince even themselves it's real. I think you should expect at minimum (though often even then not receive) an honest answer about plants being offered for sale. "Will this live in my soggy bog garden" should get you an answer that is true, in most cases "No, it needs well draining soil." But beyond those basics, if you're asking larger garden management questions, the answer CAN'T be complete, & the sales-pitch answer is really the best one you can expect. If it's TOTALLY wrong, even just a standard tag or package label should reveal that. For most things that are super-simple or which do not provided vendors financial rewards for misleading you, the quick answer might be a good one, though often a vendor doesn't want to admit they're a know-nothing & will trump up a quick answer even when they don't know. So in all cases, you really have to look it up whether in a good basic gardening book, on-line, or in this newsgroup. If you ask someone at Nursery Tersery, Inc., for quick advice that you end up following rigorously until everything's dead from the bad advice, who'se really at fault there. Of course, when you meet someone cool who works at a nursery & who has some of the same gardening obsessions as yourself, then you could end up trading advice & learning from each other. I love shade plants which are NOT every nursery's strong point, & when I meet some shade-plant-obsessed weirdo working in a nursery, I can connect immediately, & find out about plants they've had good luck with in their own gardens that I had no expeience with & am glad to learn about, or informed of small growers who don't advertise that I have to go visit, & so on. If I expected everyone else even at that same company to know all that stuff, I'd be in a continous state of disappointment. -paghat the ratgirl -- "Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher. "Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature. -from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers" See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/ |
#3
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Any "trick" questions to ask at garden center...
"Phrederik" wrote in message news:kEn8b.422$AD1.11@pd7tw2no... Can anyone suggest some simple questions to ask at a garden center to really see if the person you are talking to knows what they are doing? I'm tired of asking questions and getting the answer that helps make the biggest sale. I also don't want to nag all of you with all of my questions, especially when the answers would be more relevant for my yard when asked locally. Thanks! Why don't you ask a question you know the answer to? Shepherd |
#4
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Any "trick" questions to ask at garden center...
The message kEn8b.422$AD1.11@pd7tw2no
from "Phrederik" contains these words: Can anyone suggest some simple questions to ask at a garden center to really see if the person you are talking to knows what they are doing? I don't expect all gc staff to be knowledgeable, so the best question to ask is "Is there someone here who can tell me more about X". I quite often ask if I can look up a plant in their behind-the-counter reference books. Keen knowledgeable staff will offer to help and take an interest in what it is you're trying to find out. It's a very bad sign if they don't know where it's kept, or start leafing through the index in a puzzled way, trying to remember whereabouts X comes in the alphabet. Janet. |
#5
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Any "trick" questions to ask at garden center...
"Phrederik" wrote:
Can anyone suggest some simple questions to ask at a garden center to really see if the person you are talking to knows what they are doing? I'm tired of asking questions and getting the answer that helps make the biggest sale. I also don't want to nag all of you with all of my questions, especially when the answers would be more relevant for my yard when asked locally. Scan the web for articles and discussions. Read through some books on lawn or anything else you are looking to care for. There are many answers that go in many directions, from purchasing $1000 in advance water management to Jerry Baker's Grandma's recipes of beer, dishwashing liquid and ammonia. Not everything will work, and half the time you can't know if things are growing better because of what you did or because of the many environment factors that are constantly changing. DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email) Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound 1st Year Gardener |
#6
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Any "trick" questions to ask at garden center...
"Phrederik" wrote in
news:kEn8b.422$AD1.11@pd7tw2no: Can anyone suggest some simple questions to ask at a garden center to really see if the person you are talking to knows what they are doing? I'm tired of asking questions and getting the answer that helps make the biggest sale. I also don't want to nag all of you with all of my questions, especially when the answers would be more relevant for my yard when asked locally. Thanks! Sure, there are plenty, but you have know a little bit yourself. And after you've learned a little bit, you'll learn more and won't need these silly trick questions. But to start you can always ask for an out of season plant (like a marigold), and watch the reaction. To weed out the suck ups and greenhorns try claiming a tomato is a vegetable. But your best bet is not to dress like a yuppie or otherwise look like you have money coming out of your bum. It also helps if you don't look like Gomer Pyle, but there's not much you can do about that. Mow the lawn before you go, don't take a shower and don't use deodorant. Bring a small notepad or wear a shirt with a plastic pocket protector in it. Periodicly wipe your nose with a hankerchief as if your nose is mucausal from working with dusty soil all day. -- S Note to people who work at garden centers: Be on the look out for quasi- geeky, smelly, sweaty guys with hankerchiefs asking for marigolds ... $$$$$! |
#7
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Any "trick" questions to ask at garden center...
"Phrederik" wrote:
Can anyone suggest some simple questions to ask at a garden center to really see if the person you are talking to knows what they are doing? 1) "Is Sevin good for controlling spider mites on spruce and juniper?" The answer is no, it makes the problem worse. Do not use carbaryl (Sevin) or cyfluthrin (Tempo 2) as these stimulate mite egg-laying! One reason that spider mites become problems in yards and gardens is the use of insecticides that destroy their natural enemies. For example, carbaryl (Sevin) devastates most spider mite natural enemies and can greatly contribute to spider mite outbreaks. Malathion can aggravate some spider mite problems, despite being advertised frequently as effective for mite control. Soil applications of the systemic insecticide imidacloprid (Merit, Marathon) have also contributed to some spider mite outbreaks. 2) "Are botanical insecticides made from natural products toxic to pests but harmless to other living things?" No. Nothing could be further from the truth.* Plant-derived poisons are only sometimes less toxic to man than synthetic agrichemicals. Rotenone, from the roots of derris plants, is toxic if swallowed or inhaled.* Both pyrethrum and rotenone are low in toxicity to mammals yet highly toxic to fish. The yardstick for comparing acute, short-term toxicity is the LD50 or lethal dosage needed to kill fifty percent of a group of test animals (rats, rabbits, etc.).* When you compare LD50 figures, the chemical insecticides malathion and sevin rank safer than nicotine sulfate, a botanical poison derived from tobacco. 3) "Is fall the best season for pruning?" No. This is false for several reasons.* Shrubs and trees store carbohydrates (food materials) in their branches and leaves, so fall pruning can reduce their cold hardiness. Azaleas and other spring-flowering plants would bloom poorly if pruned in fall, as next year's flower buds are present at that time.* Such plants are best pruned in spring right after petals fall. 4) "Do mushrooms and toadstools sprouting in your lawn mean that the soil is deficient in nutrients?" No. In actuality, these plants are merely the above-ground growth of fungus organisms living in soil.* Some fungi live on buried lumber, dead roots, or fine particles of organic matter.* Others live in harmony with tree roots, assisting in the uptake of water and nutrients.* A few cause plant disease. The sudden appearance of mushrooms does not mean the lawn needs lime, fertilizer of anything else.*If you object to their sprouting in lawns or gardens, use a rake to dispose of them.* There is no chemical control for mushrooms. -- Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at: http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhody.html Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at: http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhodybooks.html Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman |
#8
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Any "trick" questions to ask at garden center...
On Sat, 13 Sep 2003 14:40:28 GMT, "Stephen M. Henning"
wrote: "Phrederik" wrote: Can anyone suggest some simple questions to ask at a garden center to really see if the person you are talking to knows what they are doing? 1) "Is Sevin good for controlling spider mites on spruce and juniper?" The answer is no, it makes the problem worse. Do not use carbaryl (Sevin) or cyfluthrin (Tempo 2) as these stimulate mite egg-laying! One reason that spider mites become problems in yards and gardens is the use of insecticides that destroy their natural enemies. For example, carbaryl (Sevin) devastates most spider mite natural enemies and can greatly contribute to spider mite outbreaks. Malathion can aggravate some spider mite problems, despite being advertised frequently as effective for mite control. Soil applications of the systemic insecticide imidacloprid (Merit, Marathon) have also contributed to some spider mite outbreaks. 2) "Are botanical insecticides made from natural products toxic to pests but harmless to other living things?" No. Nothing could be further from the truth.* Plant-derived poisons are only sometimes less toxic to man than synthetic agrichemicals. Rotenone, from the roots of derris plants, is toxic if swallowed or inhaled.* Both pyrethrum and rotenone are low in toxicity to mammals yet highly toxic to fish. The yardstick for comparing acute, short-term toxicity is the LD50 or lethal dosage needed to kill fifty percent of a group of test animals (rats, rabbits, etc.).* When you compare LD50 figures, the chemical insecticides malathion and sevin rank safer than nicotine sulfate, a botanical poison derived from tobacco. 3) "Is fall the best season for pruning?" No. This is false for several reasons.* Shrubs and trees store carbohydrates (food materials) in their branches and leaves, so fall pruning can reduce their cold hardiness. Azaleas and other spring-flowering plants would bloom poorly if pruned in fall, as next year's flower buds are present at that time.* Such plants are best pruned in spring right after petals fall. 4) "Do mushrooms and toadstools sprouting in your lawn mean that the soil is deficient in nutrients?" No. In actuality, these plants are merely the above-ground growth of fungus organisms living in soil.* Some fungi live on buried lumber, dead roots, or fine particles of organic matter.* Others live in harmony with tree roots, assisting in the uptake of water and nutrients.* A few cause plant disease. The sudden appearance of mushrooms does not mean the lawn needs lime, fertilizer of anything else.*If you object to their sprouting in lawns or gardens, use a rake to dispose of them.* There is no chemical control for mushrooms. All good questions. But why do you need a "trick question"? If you understand the issues and have a legitimate question you should be able to discern if you are being bullshitted. Study your subject, ask sensible questions, use your head and forget about tricks. JMHO John |
#9
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Any "trick" questions to ask at garden center...
"If a chicken-and-a-half can lay an egg-and-a-half in a day-and-a-half, how
long does it take one chicken to lay one egg?" Best regards, Bob |
#10
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Any "trick" questions to ask at garden center...
Around here the trick question is usually, "Hey can I get some help,
please?" Dave "zxcvbob" wrote in message ... "If a chicken-and-a-half can lay an egg-and-a-half in a day-and-a-half, how long does it take one chicken to lay one egg?" Best regards, Bob |
#11
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Any "trick" questions to ask at garden center...
zxcvbob wrote in
: "If a chicken-and-a-half can lay an egg-and-a-half in a day-and-a-half, how long does it take one chicken to lay one egg?" Best regards, Bob "Sir, KFC is across the street. They stopped serving eggs at breakfast." |
#12
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Any "trick" questions to ask at garden center...
snip
All good questions. But why do you need a "trick question"? If you understand the issues and have a legitimate question you should be able to discern if you are being bullshitted. Study your subject, ask sensible questions, use your head and forget about tricks. So, what you are saying is that I should only ask questions when I already know the answer? |
#13
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Any "trick" questions to ask at garden center...
"Stephen M. Henning" wrote in message news "Phrederik" wrote: Can anyone suggest some simple questions to ask at a garden center to really see if the person you are talking to knows what they are doing? 1) "Is Sevin good for controlling spider mites on spruce and juniper?" The answer is no, it makes the problem worse. Do not use carbaryl (Sevin) or cyfluthrin (Tempo 2) as these stimulate mite egg-laying! One reason that spider mites become problems in yards and gardens is the use snip Thanks for the information! A wee bit more than I was looking for, but still quite helpful. The reason I've posted my question is that, numerous times, I've asked a question and gotten what sounded like a reasonable answer. I then went about my business in the store and something else came to mind, so I would ask someone else a question and they would start questioning the what the first person said (not knowing where or how I got my information from, of course). At this point who's giving me the bad advice???? |
#14
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Any "trick" questions to ask at garden center...
"Phrederik" wrote in message news:X4Q8b.3393$VS2.2463@pd7tw1no... snip All good questions. But why do you need a "trick question"? If you understand the issues and have a legitimate question you should be able to discern if you are being bullshitted. Study your subject, ask sensible questions, use your head and forget about tricks. So, what you are saying is that I should only ask questions when I already know the answer? That's about it. How else will you know if the person answering your question is giving you a correct answer? Other than that, it seems like you will just have to trust their answers. Shepherd |
#15
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Any "trick" questions to ask at garden center...
"Phrederik" wrote in
news:X4Q8b.3393$VS2.2463@pd7tw1no: snip All good questions. But why do you need a "trick question"? If you understand the issues and have a legitimate question you should be able to discern if you are being bullshitted. Study your subject, ask sensible questions, use your head and forget about tricks. So, what you are saying is that I should only ask questions when I already know the answer? No, by all means ask any questions you like ... Why do ducks have flat feet? Why do elephants have flat feet? You can always evaluate the person by watching his nose. If it starts getting longer and sprouting twigs, he is: A) really a wooden boy or B) a really really really good gardener. - S |
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