Caution - Sick Bonnie Plants - Page 2

BattleOfBennington · April 20, 2009

Ted -

The 'maters that came into our lowe's north of Indy were sick too...

ContainerTed · April 20, 2009

Bonnie has 3 dozen or so growing facilities, but their website says that not all varieties are grown at every site. They share plants and ship things around to accomodate orders by the big box stores.

With the economy is shambles, I suspect that what we're getting is lower quality. That will reduce their overhead and, of course, that means they have to charge more to make you not look at the quality - thus the price increases.

If I were to purchase any plants this year, I would be looking at sources like Fusion Power and Sandhill. I don't even want any of Bonnie's flowers for fear of bringing home something I didn't intend to buy.

Ted

ContainerTed · May 1, 2009

Was back at Lowes yesterday and Bonnie was delivering again. I asked one of the workers where the plants he was delivering came from and he said Union City. I then asked him if he knew anything about tomato diseases and he said yes. Then he volunteered that he had been seeing BACTERIAL SPECK on some mature plants. He told me to be careful choosing my plants.

I went inside to the area where the sick plants had been and noticed that another brand was there. There were mature plants without the Bonnie tag. Most of them were compact or dwarf sized plants and almost all had several toms ready to change colors. AND..... most of them had the obvious signs of Bacterial Speck.

That means to me that the infection is swiftly passing throughout their stock, no matter the source. I am at the point where before I go to MY garden I am even changing clothes after a visit to Bonnie plants anywhere.

Ted

Polar_Lace · May 1, 2009

Ted,

Union City, where?

~* Robin

ContainerTed · May 1, 2009

Robin, although I didn't ask him which state, we have a Union City, GA that fits the Bonnie map. It is here in the Atlanta area.

Ted

Polar_Lace · May 1, 2009

OH. Ok, thanks Ted.

~* Robin

KLorentz · May 3, 2009

The Walmart in Jonesville Michigan got their plants from Bonnie. Other than some week looking pansies nothing looked wrong with tomatoes ,peppers or eggplant. The plants look great but they where 3.50 for each plant and 5 for the big ones.Outrageous! Glad I have seeds to grow my plants.

Kevin

DuckCreekFarms · May 4, 2009

In my opinion, most, if not all of the big growers also use growth regulators on their tomato plants which is illegal, but the Ag Dept seems to not inforce.......This fall, when I get time, I am going to try to find out why the dept of Ag does't take a serious look at this problem and inforce the law! Maybe growth regulated plants are more suseptable to disease????? I have never had a problem with diseases and I grow thousands of Tomato Trasplants every year and I DO NOT use growth reuglators!

n2ziasm · May 25, 2009

Hello!
I am an avid tomato grower in eastern kentucky, and also was asked to work for a local garden center in a nearby county a few days a week to help out. we get Bonnie trucks in once or twice a week, and thus far the tomato varieties have been w/o that telltale spotting, thank goodness.

piegirl · May 29, 2009

same here - working at a small plant place and our Bonnie plants have been quite nice. They did build two new greenhouses here in north central Nebraska so the plants are somewhat 'local' - fairly pricey though. The Bonnie boys live here for six months and then head back to Alabama. so far no diseases but the plants fly off the shelves. piegirl

rjs55555 · July 17, 2009

My mother in law bought Bonnie plants and her garden is looking awful. 3/4 of her tomato planted are wilted and barely hanging on due to the virus. I grew from seed this year and plan to from now on.

Wi-sunflower · July 29, 2009

Here is an on-line magazine article about Bonnie plants. It's something i subscribe to so I hope you can get to the link.
http://www.greenhousegrower.com/news/?storyid=2468

Basically Bonnie is saying "it wasn't us, not our plants". Trying to "CYA" from the looks of it to me.

Carol

VORTREKER · January 31, 2010

Read other gardening Forums-Bonnie's is getting a really bad reputation--I have never seen such horrible Aphid infestations as I see on their plants. Personal experience from Alabama to Texas

veggie babe · February 2, 2010

welcome to TV Vortreker, it looks like Bonnie has ruined their reputation. A lot of people depend on companies like Bonnie's for their plants, I'm glad that I have a choice and can plant my seed.

Neva

dustdevil · February 2, 2010

Big Box garden centers usually have a lot of inexperienced help, since the job is often seasonal. It doesn't take much overhead watering to send tomato transplants to diseased tomato Valhalla. You should have showed them your "Container Police" badge and then they would have given you the respect you deserve;-)Your effort to educate is to be commended.This incident just illustrates why "home grown" is best.

April 20, 2009	#17
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	Bonnie has 3 dozen or so growing facilities, but their website says that not all varieties are grown at every site. They share plants and ship things around to accomodate orders by the big box stores. With the economy is shambles, I suspect that what we're getting is lower quality. That will reduce their overhead and, of course, that means they have to charge more to make you not look at the quality - thus the price increases. If I were to purchase any plants this year, I would be looking at sources like Fusion Power and Sandhill. I don't even want any of Bonnie's flowers for fear of bringing home something I didn't intend to buy. Ted __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

May 1, 2009	#18
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	Was back at Lowes yesterday and Bonnie was delivering again. I asked one of the workers where the plants he was delivering came from and he said Union City. I then asked him if he knew anything about tomato diseases and he said yes. Then he volunteered that he had been seeing BACTERIAL SPECK on some mature plants. He told me to be careful choosing my plants. I went inside to the area where the sick plants had been and noticed that another brand was there. There were mature plants without the Bonnie tag. Most of them were compact or dwarf sized plants and almost all had several toms ready to change colors. AND..... most of them had the obvious signs of Bacterial Speck. That means to me that the infection is swiftly passing throughout their stock, no matter the source. I am at the point where before I go to MY garden I am even changing clothes after a visit to Bonnie plants anywhere. Ted __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

May 1, 2009	#19
Polar_Lace Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Z8b, Texas Posts: 657	Ted, Union City, where? ~* Robin __________________ It's not how many seeds you sow. Nor how many plants you transplant. It's about how many of them can survive your treatment of them.

May 1, 2009	#20
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	Robin, although I didn't ask him which state, we have a Union City, GA that fits the Bonnie map. It is here in the Atlanta area. Ted __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

May 1, 2009	#21
Polar_Lace Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Z8b, Texas Posts: 657	OH. Ok, thanks Ted. ~* Robin __________________ It's not how many seeds you sow. Nor how many plants you transplant. It's about how many of them can survive your treatment of them.

April 20, 2009	#16
BattleOfBennington Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Indiana Posts: 76	Ted - The 'maters that came into our lowe's north of Indy were sick too...

May 3, 2009	#22
KLorentz Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Stryker, Ohio Posts: 995	The Walmart in Jonesville Michigan got their plants from Bonnie. Other than some week looking pansies nothing looked wrong with tomatoes ,peppers or eggplant. The plants look great but they where 3.50 for each plant and 5 for the big ones.Outrageous! Glad I have seeds to grow my plants. Kevin

May 4, 2009	#23
DuckCreekFarms Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Mounds, Oklahoma Posts: 257	In my opinion, most, if not all of the big growers also use growth regulators on their tomato plants which is illegal, but the Ag Dept seems to not inforce.......This fall, when I get time, I am going to try to find out why the dept of Ag does't take a serious look at this problem and inforce the law! Maybe growth regulated plants are more suseptable to disease????? I have never had a problem with diseases and I grow thousands of Tomato Trasplants every year and I DO NOT use growth reuglators!

May 25, 2009	#24
n2ziasm Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: zone 6 Posts: 1	Hello! I am an avid tomato grower in eastern kentucky, and also was asked to work for a local garden center in a nearby county a few days a week to help out. we get Bonnie trucks in once or twice a week, and thus far the tomato varieties have been w/o that telltale spotting, thank goodness.

May 29, 2009	#25
piegirl Tomatovillian™ Honoree Join Date: May 2006 Location: Lincoln, NE Posts: 791	same here - working at a small plant place and our Bonnie plants have been quite nice. They did build two new greenhouses here in north central Nebraska so the plants are somewhat 'local' - fairly pricey though. The Bonnie boys live here for six months and then head back to Alabama. so far no diseases but the plants fly off the shelves. piegirl

July 17, 2009	#26
rjs55555 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 42	My mother in law bought Bonnie plants and her garden is looking awful. 3/4 of her tomato planted are wilted and barely hanging on due to the virus. I grew from seed this year and plan to from now on.

July 29, 2009	#27
Wi-sunflower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,591	Here is an on-line magazine article about Bonnie plants. It's something i subscribe to so I hope you can get to the link. http://www.greenhousegrower.com/news/?storyid=2468 Basically Bonnie is saying "it wasn't us, not our plants". Trying to "CYA" from the looks of it to me. Carol

January 31, 2010	#28
VORTREKER Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Pottsboro Texas 7B-8A TRANSITION ZONE Posts: 77	Read other gardening Forums-Bonnie's is getting a really bad reputation--I have never seen such horrible Aphid infestations as I see on their plants. Personal experience from Alabama to Texas

February 2, 2010	#29
veggie babe Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: east texas Posts: 686	welcome to TV Vortreker, it looks like Bonnie has ruined their reputation. A lot of people depend on companies like Bonnie's for their plants, I'm glad that I have a choice and can plant my seed. Neva

February 2, 2010	#30
dustdevil Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: WI, USA Zone4 Posts: 1,887	Big Box garden centers usually have a lot of inexperienced help, since the job is often seasonal. It doesn't take much overhead watering to send tomato transplants to diseased tomato Valhalla. You should have showed them your "Container Police" badge and then they would have given you the respect you deserve;-)Your effort to educate is to be commended.This incident just illustrates why "home grown" is best.