See:
http://www.edenbio.com/garden/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=50&Itemid=88
Thank you Henry for posting this link. I hope they do more articles on other hybridiers. I love to learn about the people I look up to and associate with.
My comments about Messenger were unsolicited. I really did have a dramatic increase in hip set and germination. So much so that I had to build three new seedling beds this year to handle the unexpected increase in seedlings. I guess there’s no better way of saying how much I liked the product than to say I bought the company’s stock. I did not evaluate it as an alternative for disease prevention but simply considered its impact on fertility. As a side note my plants were huge and leaves 9" long or more were common. If anyone would like to see pictures email me and I’ll be glad to share them with you.
I met John and his daughter at a National Rose Society meeting at which he gave a talk.
I was very impressed by his record keeping.
If I remember correctly he put little inverted cups or something above the blooms to shield them from too much sun (or possibly rain). Perhaps John can clarify this for us.
Of course, his daughter stole the hearts of everyone in the audience.
I was very impressed with the seedlings that he brought to use as examples; but I warned him about the possibility of “bud-nappers”.
John,
I’ve just been to the site and read your article. Now I am consumed with a desire to learn more about your pruning discoveries. I live in the midwest in a climate not too unlike Chicago’s. I want to know how to grow my roses as tall as you did, esp. since mine often start at ground level (or, if I’m lucky maybe 12-18" tall!).
I’ve heard of Messenger but never used it. Is there one component that is better than the others? For example, do you use their seed formula but find the fertilizer to be not dramatically different than other fertilizers? Just wondering where I should start.
Thanks!
Alicia
Well Henry, It’s been a long time since I used the “Nickel Greenhouse” technique in my breeding. It’s kind of hard to explain in a short response. Today I am much more traditional in my methods and since I started using Messenger my number of seedlings and germination rates have both had dramatic increases.
Alice, when I lived in Chicago I would be lucky if I had 6" of cane to start with. Most plants were no more than 3 or 4". Messenger didn’t exist back in those days. I did discover what I considered to be a much better way to prune that resulted in far superior plants. Even tough ones in the Chicago area like Lanvin, became a signature rose for me. Most of what I do though is upside down from what you read in books. I reconcile the difference by saying the books are written for the average home gardener who doesn’t want to spend their life pruning their roses. The results they get are “Good Enough” Therefore, cutting a quarter of an inch above an outward facing eye at a five leaflet leaf junction will produce very nice roses. On the other hand, I don’t think it’s the best way to prune if you want to maximize the health of your plants. Pruning to me is a process, not an event. It starts in the Spring and continues throughout the season. Fertilizer while it’s important if your soil is lacking some nutrient, is NOT plant FOOD! All plants manufacture their own food through the process of photosynthesis. Fertilizer is to plants what vitamins are to people. I asked my doctor one time what vitamins I should be taking to improve my health. He said if you need vitamins to improve your health then you need to change your diet. I view plants and fertilizer much the same way. Have your soil tested and add what you need, beyond that focus on the things that improve the plant and its environment and your roses will do just fine.