The Scotts Company Explains Why Fall Is the Best Time to Grow Your Investment MARYSVILLE, Ohio, Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Amid news of a slumping housing market, dutiful homeowners need to take action to protect their investments. But, enhancing your home's value doesn't have to mean extensive renovations and remodeling. A Michigan State University study shows that a good landscape can add from 5 percent to 11 percent to the base value of your home. With the current average selling price of a home about $220,000(1), this can mean an added value of up to $24,000. In fact, research reveals that of the projects you can take on to grow your home's worth, you get a higher return on investment from landscaping than remodeling a kitchen or a bathroom. According to Money Magazine, landscaping investments are estimated to return at least 100 percent and up to 200 percent of their costs; remodeling a kitchen shows a return of only 75 percent, a bathroom only 20 percent. And, while you can spend weeks of your time and thousands of dollars on an interior renovation, lawn projects typically cost under $50 and require only minutes. Contrary to popular belief, homeowners don't need to wait until the spring to take on a landscaping project; fall is actually the best time of the year to get started. According to John Marshall, manager of The Scotts Company's Training Institute, fall's unique weather conditions are ideal to tend to the centerpiece of your landscape -- your lawn -- with feeding and seeding projects. "The combination of cooler air temperatures, warm soil temperatures, increased precipitation and decreased daylight hours allow for accelerated root growth," Marshall explains. "Root growth helps lawns protect themselves against winter weather and lays the foundation for a stronger, healthier lawn all year. Feeding your lawn in the fall not only thickens and greens your lawn immediately, but also helps roots to grow stronger so they can absorb more water and nutrients in preparation for winter." According to Marshall, many people think that they don't need to feed their lawn in the fall because it goes dormant in the winter. In fact, feeding your lawn in the fall will do more good for your lawn's long-term health than feeding at any other time of the year. If your lawn has been damaged by summer heat or drought, or even by a particularly rough touch-football game last weekend, you might also want to consider a fall seeding project. The air and soil conditions during the autumn are ideal for any and all seeding projects. Whether you need to fill in some bare spots or you need a complete grass overhaul, high quality grass seed like Scotts Pure Premium brand grass seed will give the new grass its very best chance of establishing healthy roots. The Scotts Company suggests these additional fall tips for ensuring spring curb appeal: * Plant trees and shrubs -- Root development is also critical for the success of your trees and shrubs. Giving your trees and shrubs a head start, before their first summer, makes a big difference. For both, dig a hole as deep as the root ball, but dig the hole about 1 - 2 feet wider than the ball. Place the plant in the hole and backfill with the soil you dug out. The loosened soil around the root ball will allow the plant's roots to grow. After the plant is secured, water deeply. * Plant your bulbs -- Are you into tulips or are daffodils more your style? Your annuals should be planted when evening soil temps are between 40 and 50 degrees F. Big bulbs should be planted about 8 inches deep and smaller ones about 5 inches deep. Be sure to keep your bulbs in an area where the soil drains well. And check the instructions on your bulb package's label for further instructions. For more information on these projects, visit http://www.scotts.com/. About Scotts Miracle-Gro With more than $2.7 billion in worldwide sales and more than 6,000 associates, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, The Scotts Company LLC, is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care, with products for professional horticulture as well. The Company's brands are the most recognized in the industry. In the U.S., the Company's Scotts(R), Miracle-Gro(R) and Ortho(R) brands are market leading in their categories, as is the consumer Roundup(R) brand, which is marketed in North America and most of Europe exclusively by Scotts and owned by Monsanto. The Company also owns Smith & Hawken(R), a leading brand of garden-inspired products that includes pottery, watering equipment, gardening tools, outdoor furniture and live goods. Additionally, the Company owns Morning Song(R), the leading brand in the wild bird food category. In Europe, Scotts' brands include Weedol(R), Pathclear(R), Evergreen(R), Levington(R), Miracle-Gro(R), KB(R), Fertiligene(R) and Substral(R). For additional information, visit us at http://www.scotts.com/. (1) According to National Association of REALTORS(R), 2007 DATASOURCE: Scotts Miracle-Gro Company CONTACT: Su Lok of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, +1-937-578-5169, , or Melissa Miller of Edelman, +1-312-297-7442, , for Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Web site: http://www.scotts.com/

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