MARYSVILLE, Ohio, April 21, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ScottsMiracle-Gro, a global leader in the consumer lawn and garden category for nearly 150 years, today announced the launch of their mobile app GRO, available for free download on iOS with Android to follow. The Company first introduced the app alongside its “Connected Yard” platform during the 2016 SXSW Interactive Festival.

GRO is the unifying software at the center of Scotts’ Connected Yard, which aims to bring the Internet of Things outside, launching gardening into the 21st century. Breaking previously complex tasks down into bite-sized, highly visual, step-by-step instructions, the app provides everyone from novice to expert a personalized roadmap on how to tackle gardening projects. Users will receive helpful tips and tricks for everything from maintaining a lawn to planting beautiful flowers, from when and how to get rid of dandelions, to growing their own organic vegetables, and most any other task they may want to accomplish. GRO also guides users through whole projects such as creating a “cocktail garden” with mint for mojitos or a “pizza garden” with basil and tomatoes.

“We want people to go outside, start gardening and feel confident in their ability to make the most of their green space,” said Patti Ziegler, Chief Digital and Marketing Services Officer, ScottsMiracle-Gro.  “Homeowners and urban dwellers alike can discover their own piece of Earth with GRO. We’re here to help consumers create healthy, happy lawns, gorgeous flowers and tasty home-grown vegetables.”

The Connected Yard platform provides data which informs the GRO app.  Taking in hyper-local information—such as recent weather and rainfall, what types of plants are most likely to succeed in each location, what the local soil type is, and what to do at each stage of the season—GRO will offer advice and give people the confidence to try new things.

GRO's hardware counterparts in the "Works with GRO" program are a combination of sensor and water controller manufacturing partners. Their devices feed information into GRO, making the app even more aware of the condition of the yard. Launch partners include smart water controllers Blossom, Rachio, Green IQ, Lono, and sensor companies PlantLink and Parrot.  These technologies enable the careful monitoring and control of watering levels, adjusting for the soil’s moisture content and the weather.

With an open API, ScottsMiracle-Gro is eager to align with companies—particularly start-ups—in the smart water and gardening space who want to connect their imaginative hardware solutions to GRO.

The app is available for download at www.getgro.com

About ScottsMiracle-Gro

With approximately $3 billion in worldwide sales, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care. The Company's brands are some of the most recognized in the industry. In the U.S., the Company's Scotts®, Miracle-Gro® and Ortho® brands are market-leading in their categories, as is the consumer Roundup® brand, which is exclusively marketed nearly worldwide by Scotts and owned by Monsanto.  In Europe, the Company's brands include Weedol®, Pathclear®, Evergreen®, Levington®, Miracle-Gro®, KB®, Fertiligène® and Substral®.  In 2016, the Company ranked on Forbes 100 Most Reputable Companies in America. For additional information, visit the Company’s website at www.scottsmiraclegro.com.

 

Media Contact:
Constantine Panagiotatos
DKC
Constantine_Panagiotatos@dkcnews.com, (212) 981-5124

Contact:
Chris Strunk
Director Marketing & Communications
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
chris.strunk@scotts.com, (937) 219-1030

Contact:
Kim Markus
Manager, Consumer Marketing & Public Relations
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
kim.markus@scotts.com, (937) 644-7290