Messenger

I saw the product Messenger at a local nursery and bought some on impulse- I thought I had remembered reading rave reviews about it on this forum.

Is there anything you would NOT recommend using it on, or time you wouldn't apply it? (I have mostly shade perennials, and some daylilies) Basically, is there anything I should know about it that isn't included on the packaging?

I've never heard anyone mention plants that it shouldn't be used on so you're probably fine using it on anything (if there was something that it would kill, it would be in the company's best interest to mention it on the package somewhere so they don't have to replace a bunch of dead plants) When you ask about a time you wouldn't apply it, I'm not sure if you mean a time of day or a time of year so I'll answer both...I believe you're best off applying it either early morning or in the evening because those are times when the plant's leaves will absorb it better, but in your humid climate doing it in the morning is probably better, getting leaves wet in the evening can promote fungal infections. I wouldn't do it in the middle of the day when the sun is beating down on the plant. And since it is supposed to stimulate growth and blooms, I wouldn't apply it in the late summer/fall when the plant is getting ready to go dormant for the winter, but spring and early/mid summer are fine (if it's a time of year when you'd consider fertilizing, it's probably fine to use Messenger then too)

Thanks ecrane. Yes, I was referring to time of day, or perhaps hot day vs cool day, if that makes any kind of difference. Also, if a plant was about to bloom, that type of thing.

And, if I use it, do I still continue to fertilize? I really do not have a handle on the whole fertilzer/ plant food thing and now I'm throwing Messenger into the mix- probably a bad idea, lol. If a plant seems healthy and is growing fine, should I pass on Messenger? I'll say one thing, the sudden heat wave of the last day certainly caused things to grow, noticeably!

Messenger has a new product named Mighty Plant that is a fertilizer with a tad of Messenger in it.

But if what you have is regular Messenger, it is not a fertilizer, so you will still need to fertilize just like you normally would. And Messenger is best absorbed through the leaves anyway, so I'm not sure that it will have as great a benefit mixed in the Might Plant fertilizer as it does when you use it by itself as a foliar spray. As far as whether to use Messenger or not, some people swear by it and others are more doubtful about its benefits, the best thing to do is search for the many other threads around here where it has been discussed at great length and then make up your own mind based on what you read. I don't think there's anyone who thought it hurt their plants, so in that sense I guess there's nothing to lose (except $$) by trying it.

Thanks again- I will try searching thru some of the past threads. I'm glad to know that it doesn't seem to harm plants, anyway, which is what I was afraid of doing.

I particularly wanted to try it out on a Cimicifuga Hillside Black Beauty I purchased last year. I swear, it did not grow an inch after planting it early last summer, and this year it is up, and seems to be stalling out at the same level it was last year (about a foot high). I actually bought two of them, and the other is doing a little better (planted in the same bed). I bought a third from another nursery but got the wrong cultivar by mistake. I planted it with the other two, thinking it wouldn't make a big difference in the big picture (it was Atropurpura (sp?)). I have heard they are slow to get established, so I don't think I was expecting a lot. Well, that Atropurpura took off like a rocket last year, and even bloomed in the fall. It is huge this year already, while the HBB is still a puny foot tall and is seemingly going nowhere fast!

Mighty Plant is still very new and has not been approved for shipment yet to many states - including AL. No doubt this will change but right now the "approved by state" list is rather short. So, I had to buy Messenger rather than Mighty Plant.

I've looked in the local area and can't find Messinger. Can anyone give me an idea of who carries in and what section of the store they stock it in (since it's NOT a fertilizer)? Or is there a good online source? TIA

Kim

Typically you'll only find Messenger at real nurseries, not the garden centers at places like Home Depot/Lowes, and at least around here I've only seen it at a few nurseries, so you're probably better off shopping online.

Here's a link to the mfg's website, it doesn't seem to be working for me this morning but try it again later. You can order direct from them, or I think there may be a link somewhere on their site where you can search for local places that carry it
http://www.edenbio.com/

I think Gardener's Supply and/or Charley's Greenhouse also carry it.

ecrane -- thanks for the link. I had checked all the garden centers and nurseries around here (not just the big box stores) and hadn't found it. Your link worked and was VERY helpful. Turns out the closest place to stock it in their store is 76 miles from my house, so I'm going to order online. Thank you so much!

Kim

What is Messenger?? I am Canadian and have never heard of this product. What does it do? What is the purpose of it and what is the actual ingredient in the product? So I can check if we have it under a different product name. As to when to fertilize, Plants do most of their growth in the first six hours of daylight, so that is the best time to fertilize.

It's an immune booster for the plant--the ingredient is Harpin protein. The best thing to do for info is go to Eden Bioscience website that I linked to above, it explains how it works. I believe they have a patent on it so they're the only ones who can make it, so if it's available in Canada it would most likely have the same name. If it's sold in Canada you'll probably find that on their website too.

Gardens Alive vends basicly the same product as Green Guard Plant Growth Enhancer.

That's interesting, I had assumed Eden had a patent on the stuff but I guess they must not.

Like most companies with patents, they probably sell to other companies that repackage under thier own names.