Why is Michigan Bulb no good????

Question:

Hi Judy You are right, they are all in the nightshade family. I think what the grafter was saying is that the potato vine has the toxin in it like the nightshade, but the tomato doesn’t or something like that. Obviously I am just parroting what I read and don’t know anything about what I am speaking.:-) Vern – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Seems a little when my grafters handbook says that potato vines have a toxin in them like nightshade and could have a bad effect if you eat the tomato. I thought tomatoes were in the nightshade family. — Judy Scott Ithaca, NY

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Seems a little when my grafters handbook says that potato vines have a toxin in them like nightshade and could have a bad effect if you eat the tomato.

I thought tomatoes were in the nightshade family. — Judy Scott Ithaca, NY

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And one wonders if we’d get squishy potatoes and crunchy tomatoes… — John (being extra careful not to pull a Quayle here) "May you live to be a hundred years with one extra to repent." — an old Irish toast . Opinions expressed herein are my own and may not represent those of my employer.

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Seems a little when my grafters handbook says that potato vines have a toxin in them like nightshade and could have a bad effect if you eat the tomato. I thought tomatoes were in the nightshade family.

Both plants belong to that family. The potato is in the same genus as nightshade. There are a lot of alkaloid toxins in potato foliage, but not in the tubers (unless you leave them in the light and they turn green). The berries are also toxic. The berries of tomatoes however, are not toxic (and if not obtained from the supermarket can be delicious). I’m not sure about the toxicity of tomato foliage, but then it has never seemed appealing anyway. As for the tomato/potato graft: I’m not familiar with it. Regards, Bill — Bill Morgan Center for Room Temperature Confusion

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V…what the hell is a tomato/potato plant? I saw that too!

Did they actually go through the trouble to graft a tomato onto a potato?? hehe Joe K. –zone 5–

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Seems a little when my grafters handbook says that potato vines have a toxin in them like nightshade and could have a bad effect if you eat the tomato. I doubt if that is much of a worry since the poor root system would be trying to produce tubers and tomatos at the same time and probably wouldn’t do much of either. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – V…what the hell is a tomato/potato plant? I saw that too! Did they actually go through the trouble to graft a tomato onto a potato?? hehe Joe K. –zone 5–

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One very big reason, they do not sell anything you cannot buy at any reputable garden center, but they do send to you a miniscule plant. Some, or most, are in 2.5" pots. I can get most of what they sell in four inch pots, at about the same price, no shipping stress, and I can see what I am buying. I always try to support the local nurseries. Most of the ornamental oddities can be ordered by most of the specialty nurseries. In Dallas, Rhode’s Nursery, Northaven Gardens, and Green Mama’s nurseries can all order oddities, if they don’t already have them. V…what the hell is a tomato/potato plant? I saw that too!

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Interesting…We’ve been using them every other year for at least 10 years and have never had a problem. -Rod-

In Canada, their branch is Rockwood Gardens … super cheap, win prizes, neverending junk mail …. I got suckered … LOTS … and I bought stuff… most was okay. BUT …. when I factor in shipping and handling costs, tax, etc, quality of bulbs …. I could have bought TWICE as much at BiWay, Zellers, the Coop, the local grocery store … ANYPLACE … where I keep the receipt, no hassle returns, discount prices on LARGER bulbs … and roses, and just about everything … Even (and especially) … local nurseries … they always have great stuff, but there is this *dream* thing about catalogue shopping … so convenient, etc. I won’t ever buy from Rockwood again, because, I’d rather put my $ into the local economy …. even if it is a national chain store … my friends and students work there, and their promises/refund policies are LOTS better. My 2 cents … Mona, zone 5 , Ontario, Canada

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Add to all the other negative things that everyone else has said; they sell your name and address to millions, billions, gazillions of garbage mailers!! I hate that!

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Thanks for the advice! I just received a Rockwood catalogue today. I had never heard of them before and hadn’t asked for the catalogue – some other seed company I use must have sold my name to them. Anyway, I had been drooling over the cataloque and daydreaming of my summer garden. I was just about to order at least $50 worth of stuff (you know, so that I’d get all the free stuff they send with larger orders – I’m a sucker for that kind of thing). So this information is very timely. Whew! It’s back to White Rose for me… Cheers, Diana in Kingston, Ontario

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Note if you do decide to order from there that they do not provide a phone # for customer servce in the catalogue (or they didn’ the last time I ordered 3 years ago); Obviously they don’t believe in Customer Service.

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I just got my first catalog from them and it was packaged up like Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes with "if you return the winning ticket you win $250". What a joke. JoeK

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Yup, I got one as well last week. Tore it up and threw it out. LEarned my lesson years ago. GET YOUR OWN TOMATO/POTATO plant! Oh my…. Tom Note if you do decide to order from there that they do not provide a phone # for customer servce in the catalogue (or they didn’ the last time I ordered 3 years ago); Obviously they don’t believe in Customer Service. I just got my first catalog from them and it was packaged up like Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes with "if you return the winning ticket you win $250". What a joke. JoeK

Tom Randall Amateur Radio – KB2SMS APRS on 145.790 – Dutchess county,N.Y. Join us! Member: AAVSO Solar Division My Astronomy/Ham radio site: http://www1.mhv.net/~trandall/welcome.html Opinions herein are mine and may not be that of MHV.NET!

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[snip] Even (and especially) … local nurseries … they always have great stuff, but there is this *dream* thing about catalogue shopping … so convenient, etc. I won’t ever buy from Rockwood again, because, I’d rather put my $ into the local economy …. even if it is a national chain store … my friends and students work there, and their promises/refund policies are LOTS better.

I agree with the general sentiment of supporting local nurseries, but I hope no one takes the bad experiences with a few mail-order suppliers as a reason to damn all of them. You simply cannot get the selection of varieties from most of your local sources that reputable mail-order companies can supply. There are lots of excellent companies that sell throgh the mail, and the ones I’ve used have never given me headaches, but have always given me things I could never have hoped to find in retail nurseries, even in a large market like southern California. — Matthew Shugart Carlsbad, California Note: For e-mail, please remove the "Spamfighter" from my address.

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I live in Illinois and ordered from the twice, big mistake!!! Each time almost everything was dead or dying. When I wrote them they never responded. Now I buy from other companies and am very satisfied with them.

I have ordered from them. You need to know what it is you are trying to do. Their product is usually not top quality. Their bulbs tend to be small. Their other plants are very small. (Read sizes carefully) I feel they have their place in the overall scheme of things. If you need to fill up a large area quickly and don’t have the time or money to do exactly what you want to do long term or you wish to experiment with something for the first time, order from them. You won’t lose alot of money if things don’t work out as you had hoped. If you have a definite plan and know exactly what you want to do in a specific area go elsewhere. For example, if you are a rose gardener, know what you want and already know the cultivation requirements etc. don’t go to Michigan. Go for Jackson and Perkins or go for a local Greenhouse with a top-notch reputation. In gardening as in so many other areas of life, we get what we pay for. Alice

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Interesting…We’ve been using them every other year for at least 10 years and have never had a problem. -Rod- Venger’s Orchids Website http://www.vengers.com/

FYI and just to shed a little light on the strength of opinion re some of these mail order plant companies… http://www.cslnet.ctstateu.edu/attygenl/sweep.htm …’96 press release in which "Sixteen states, along with the FTC and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, filed 56 lawsuits against 79 sweepstakes and contest promoters in 17 states and Canada…" Michigan Bulb Co. is listed, among others. Boy-o-boy, I love a bargain as much as the next thrifty gardener… But the question is, do we choose to do our business with such "promoters" — or do we support the locally-owned nursery in our home communities? Cheers, Rebecca Compost fanatic spreading the good word: http://www.gov.nb.ca/environm/comucate/compost/magic.htm

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This is a good question. I have been ordering from Michigan Bulb for years. Only a few times items have not come up or were different than I ordered. I wrote a letter and shortly after received a check and/or new plants. This fall I ordered Creeping plox 24 plants (received 30); mixed Daffodils; Dutch iris; Lavendar Mountain lilies; and Hummingbird vines. Planted everything in October (within a few days of receipt). By the first of December, there was new growth on the phlox and the Dutch iris are all up. I live in Vancouver, WA and a good majority of my plants came from Michigan Bulb, Spring Hill and Breck’s. I also buy from local nurseries, but I’m a plantaholic and sometimes can’t resist the good buys. Julie L. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It would be interesting to see if the distance the stuff has to be shipped might have a bearing on good or bad reports. Just for the record, a friend of mine who couldn’t resist those great prices wound up with an order that arrived half dead and the rest was a lot smaller than she’d been led to believe. Lots of trouble getting replacement plants and I doubt that she’ll order from them again. This is northeastern WA state….quite a distance from Mich.Bulb. Christy — Skip and Christy Hensler THE ROCK GARDEN Newport, Wash. http://www.povn.com/rock

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It would be interesting to see if the distance the stuff has to be shipped might have a bearing on good or bad reports. Just for the record, a friend of mine who couldn’t resist those great prices wound up with an order that arrived half dead and the rest was a lot smaller than she’d been led to believe. Lots of trouble getting replacement plants and I doubt that she’ll order from them again. This is northeastern WA state….quite a distance from Mich.Bulb. Christy — Skip and Christy Hensler THE ROCK GARDEN Newport, Wash. http://www.povn.com/rock

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I have just received my Michigan Bulb catalog and was wondering why does this group not recommend them? I am a newbie and I will not order anything from them but I think I should know why I ain’t ordering from them… I hope this makes sense. I am just following good advice…

Like you will find from just about everyone in this group.Michigan Bulb Co. makes big promises but don’t deliver.We sent back several items that was sent in place of what we ordered.I had to call Michigan and get the usual runaround before I threaten to take legal action to get my refund back.The refund was not much and I was bluffing about legal action but it was the principle more than the money. Greg Madison,Ga

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have just received my Michigan Bulb catalog and was wondering why does this group not recommend them? I am a newbie and I will not order anything from them but I think I should know why I ain’t ordering from them… I hope this makes sense. I am just following good advice… Like you will find from just about everyone in this group.Michigan Bulb Co. makes big promises but don’t deliver.We sent back several items that was sent in place of what we ordered.I had to call Michigan and get the usual runaround before I threaten to take legal action to get my refund back.The refund was not much and I was bluffing about legal action but it was the principle more than the money. Greg Madison,Ga

Interesting…We’ve been using them every other year for at least 10 years and have never had a problem. -Rod- Venger’s Orchids Website http://www.vengers.com/

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You can read almost all of the articles posted in this group over the past two and a half years (thereabouts) on the subject of Michigan Bulb by doing this: 1) In the URL line of your browser enter this address 2) When the site loads you will see several options on the left of the screen. Click on ‘Search Filter’. 3) In the ‘Group(s)’ field type in rec.gardens, then scroll down until you see the ‘Create Filter’ button. Click on that. 4) Deja News will return the results of the filtered search, which in this case is the total number of articles posted to the group that DN has in its archive. (It is something over 170,000 posts at present.) In the ‘Search for:’ field type in "Michigan Bulb" (including the quote marks) and click on the ‘Find’ button at the right of the field. 5) DN will present a screen that gives the number of ‘hits’ (today it was over 290) and allow you to read any or all of them just by clicking on one. Hint – once you find an article of particular interest you can click on the ‘View Thread’ button to read the other articles grouped with it. You can return to the screen that allows access to all "Michigan Bulb" articles by clicking on the ‘Current Results’ button. Of course this applies to any group(s) and any subject, and there are many more options available to narrow or expand the search. Have fun. Harold Covington, LA

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To add my 2 cents, my one order from Michigan bulb produced all dead or near-dear plants. None survived the season, and all were much smaller plants than I anticipated from ordering from other suppliers — some seemed like little broken-off pieces of plants. On the other hand, I cannot say enough positive things about White Flower Farms (1-800-503-9624). Everything I’ve ordered from them has been big, beautiful, and received in perfect condition, and everything has thrived in my garden. The prices are not low, but I almost don’t want to order from anywhere else. Linda, Buffalo or Cortland, New York

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I am also frustrated with Michigan Bulb…they have repeatedly provided "substitutes" …. last year I received about 100 peacock orchid bulbs in lieu of a variety of other bulbs I had ordered. Like an idiot, I planted the peocock bulbs, and although they grew, they certainly did not fulfill the needs of my flower garden. Similarly, I had order a bonsai garden from them. Three of the four plants were either dead or so pot bound they could not be revived. I invoked the "lifetime guarantee" and they sent me a "substitute" replacement. Guess what the replacement substitute was??? (10 peocock orchid bulbs) Needless to say, I won’t use them again.

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Filed under: Orchid Flower

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