Scotts New "Natural" Weed Killer In the Pipeline

A natural weed killer made from thistle fungus ... roach killer derived from soybean oil ... water-saving grass seed mixed with coconut fibers. These are some of the "natural" lawn and garden solutions in the works and on shelves from Scotts Miracle-Gro -- the world's largest player in this market.

Some critics say Scotts' roots in synthetic chemical solutions make its full-force entry into the natural market amount to too little, too late. Others cheer the arrival, saying a strong commitment to naturals by a monolith like Scotts could dramatically alter the face of the industry, and the environment and human health, for the better.

We discuss the opportunity here on CNBC and check out WSJ.com for two videos that give a sneak peak into Scotts' labs as well as a rare in-depth interview with its brash-talking CEO Jim Hagedorn at his Marysville, Ohio home where you can see the one bare spot in the grass chieftain's own lawn. (Note: we had to do a lot of "bleeping" during the interview.)

Testing "Natural" Pest Control Methods

This summer, I've been waging war against carpenter ants, wasps and cabbageworms by testing a new lineup of "natural" pest control products as chronicled in a recent Wall Street Journal story. Increasingly, well-known insecticide manufacturers, retailers and even professional pest-control services are rolling out solutions whose active ingredients are derived from materials like animals, plants, bacteria and minerals, many of them considered potentially safer to humans, pets and the environment than their synthetic-chemical counterparts.

Here's a list of common ingredients you'll find on the labels of natural products and the types of pests they target.

Should There Be a Universal "Eco-Label?"

With the proliferation of products being pitched as "green," there's been a surge in the number of third parties offering eco-labels as validation, as I discuss in yesterday's WSJ story. By one count, more than 300 labels exist putting their seal on everything from coffee and wood to cosmetics.

As such, some are exploring whether there should be an "Eco-Label" run by the federal government, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California. Meantime, the free market isn't waiting around and retailers are adopting their own label programs.

Drawing by Michael Witte for The Wall Street Journal.

Rating Furniture Cleaning Services

In yesterday's piece, my Wall Street colleagues and I tested upholstery cleaning services that come to your house and spit-shine the furniture. It's a route more consumers are taking to save money and make their furniture last longer in tight economic times.

While all our wares turned out a bit brighter, we found some spots -- coffee and ink for instance -- tougher to delete. We also found some services touting "green" and "organic" solutions, though there is still confusion in the marketplace about what this exactly constitutes.