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PRESS RELEASE
Organic herb nurseryman produces new hand-held seeder
Date Published: 07/19/2007
An easy way to plant seeds
A nurseryman from Cornwall is officially launching a handy new product for gardeners at the major Garden and Leisure Industry Exhibition (known as Glee) at the NEC, Birmingham, this September. The hand-held ‘Magic Seeder’ allows users to plant seeds accurately at the push of a thumb-operated plunger. As well as saving time for everyone, the seeder could be of benefit to more elderly gardeners and those with decreased mobility in their fingers.
Derek Stride, who runs an organic herb nursery in the small village of Coad’s Green near Launceston, came upon the idea of the seeder when he was looking for a simple and effective way of planting seeds into trays and pots for his own business.
He said: ‘At a trade show in Holland I saw a large, commercial seed sowing product from Korea, but couldn’t find anything that could cope with a wide range of seeds. We tried every product on the market but none of them fitted our requirements. Eventually I found an American, hand-held gadget on the internet. I went to the US and met the inventor, and he has allowed me to develop my own updated version to sell in the UK, Europe and Asia.’
The original product resembled a syringe which dropped seeds down a tiny chute through thumb pressure. Derek’s new, improved version has a clear, square, non-rotating body, shaped for easy gripping in the palm of the hand. Seeds can be poured straight from the packet into the device. A carefully shaped nozzle funnels them towards a tapered groove, down which all but the very tiniest of seeds can pass one at a time.
Derek’s new ‘Magic Seeder’ has already attracted attention from major retailers and is becoming increasingly widely available and popular, so much so that a low quality imitiation bearing the same name appeared on, and had to be withdrawn from, the UK market.
Derek added: ‘I see the Magic Seeder as a product that everyone can make use of as it is so simple. We are keeping the price low and hope that members of the public out shopping will be happy to pick one up along with a packet of seeds.’
ENDS
Notes:
Derek Stride has worked in horticulture for nearly 30 years, serving an apprenticeship with the Royal Parks, working in garden centre management then retraining in nursery management. After running a conifer nursery in Norway for 3½ years he set up his own nursery in Cornwall before being approached by a Europe-wide plant-sourcing company. He was based in Paris for 1½ years then worked from home before founding his current organic herb nursery at Coad’s Green in 2002, producing organic plants which can be sold for the same price as non-organic ones.
Glee is Europe’s largest annual exhibition for the garden, pet and leisure industries, taking place annually at the NEC in Birmingham. This year it takes place on 16–18 September.
For further information contact 01566 782064.
Media enquiries: media@magicseeder.co.uk or visit www.magicseeder2.co.uk
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