Which Fertilizer Is Safe?

SARASOTA, FL--(Marketwire - May 21, 2008) - After the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently ordered a national company to stop selling several fertilizers containing pesticides, consumers say they are confused about what products are both effective and environmentally preferred.

In April, the EPA ordered a national company to immediately halt the sale and recall four products the federal agency termed "illegal, unregistered or improperly labeled pesticides." (www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/ptb/news/).

The same agency recognized Florikan E.S.A. (Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture) for its innovative, earth-friendly fertilizer, Dynamite plant food. In 2005, the EPA bestowed its Gulf Guardian Award on Florikan for its patented staged nutrient release technology that nourishes plants while minimizing impact on ground water. The same technology used to save the Sea of Japan from its red tide epidemic in the 1970s.

Florikan has never sold pesticides in its 26 years of operation, says Ed Rosenthal, president/CEO, who founded the Sarasota, Fla.-based company.

"The Rosenthals are trailblazers in the advancement of premium, eco-friendly horticultural products long before organic and earth-friendly merchandise became household words," says Jose Smith of Costa Nursery Farms.

Florikan was the first to import live predatory insects for release in nurseries and greenhouses in the early 1980s, recognizing the benefits of integrated pest management principles.

Florikan offers cutting-edge lines of trade and consumer garden products featuring a patented controlled-release formula that provides consistent nutrition to plants and turf, making them more disease resistant and requiring only one or two applications a year to maintain optimal landscape conditions. Fewer applications mean fewer potential pollutants -- specifically nitrogen and phosphorus -- leaching into waterways after heavy rainfall or irrigation. Excess amounts of these nutrients can cause algal blooms, such as red tide, that harm marine plants and animals, and remove dissolved oxygen from waters, which can trigger fish kills.

"Ed Rosenthal was very instrumental in the campaign to get a strong fertilizer ordinance in Sarasota County," says Cris Costello, Southeast regional representative for the Sierra Club and coordinator of its red tide campaign. "He's shown that the fertilizer industry does not have to be the enemy of water quality advocates but, in fact, can be a hero, can be a leader."

Florikan's time-release fertilizers including Dynamite and Nutricote, can be purchased at major home improvement retailers and professional supply. Florikan's product line encompasses nursery containers, greenhouse coverings, biological pest control products and soil amendments. www.florikan.com.

Contact Information: Contact: Sharon Arnold