Reproduced from American Nurseryman, March 2013:

On February 1, 2013, the SPOT-SPITTER product line was acquired by Primerus Products LLC, a startup company founded by veteran irrigation industry expert, Jack Butler. Mr. Butler has been a leader within Roberts Irrigation and John Deere Water for nearly 20 years where he played an important role in bringing the SPOT-SPITTER to its current market position. According to Butler, “Primerus Products is able to continue the high level of manufacturing quality provided by Roberts and Deere, while providing the core focus on nursery irrigation applications that is necessary to help its growers and dealers succeed.”

The SPOT-SPITTER nursery sprayer is the original spray stake invented by Jim Roberts, founder of Roberts Irrigation Products Inc., in 1968. A product ahead of its time, it set a new standard for precision spray irrigation and quickly became accepted in nursery and greenhouse applications across North America. While there have since been imitations developed by other companies, the SPOT-SPITTER remains the most popular and most recognized spray stake among progressive growers nationwide. The SPITTER was originally manufactured by Roberts Irrigation Products, Inc. of San Marcos, Calif., then in 2006 was taken on by John Deere Water Inc. when it acquired Roberts Irrigation. Both Roberts Irrigation and John Deere Water delivered the product to growers through a broad network of specialized irrigation and nursery supply dealers.

Primerus will continue to sell through the existing SPOT-SPITTER dealer network, and will also supply accessory products such as Spaghetti tubing and the 1/8-inch hole punch. When asked what’s next for Primerus, Butler says, “Stay tuned. We are committed to supplying the products our dealers and growers need to be successful in today’s competitive environment. For now, we are simply proud to hold the responsibility of continuing a great tradition … the SPOT-SPITTER.”