Question
Hello, Can you tell me what is Messenger?  It came up in another reader's question and I had never heard of it.  Thank you.

Answer
'Messenger' is a official name of a product that was discovered at Cornell University's School of Agriculture laboratories.  This stuff is technically 'Harpin Protein' -- actually a bottle of protein molecules that trigger certain responses in cells of treated plants to make them grow, to make them resist disease, to set flowers and fruit, to recover from injury, etc.  I have started using it on my (rather small) vegetable garden and I've been using it with limited application on Perennials and Shrubs.

I was surprised to find that Ralph Snodsmith, the syndicated garden radio advisor and author, has been a Messenger fan for over a year.  I don't listen to garden experts -- they don't really have anything to teach me at this point -- but Ralph (who I spoke with at a local appearance) is quite impressed with this product.

So am I.

This is the 21st century equivalent of a Magic Wand.  If you do your own testing, and treat only half your plants, you will see a remarkable difference in the treated growth.

As for risks, there are no risks.  This is a purely organic product that requires no precautions and will not cause cancer or weird liver diseases, it will not kill fish or birds, it will not change the genes of anything you use it on.  Sound, spectacular science.  You WANT to get this stuff.

In certain areas, I expect it to be my new gardening secret.  Because thanks to the tiny ad budget of the little think-tank that makes it, few people outside of the gardening community are familiar with it.  The American Rose Society is using Messenger enthusiastically, and it is gradually getting more attention from the press.

Take this article in , which states, 'In the late 1980s, Zhongmin Wei, a Cornell University scientist, discovered that when a plant detects this naturally occurring protein, an early-warning system triggers the plant's protective systems. As a result, the plant acts as if it's under attack. Since there's no disease to fight off, the plant responds with increased growth and vigor.'  You can read an excerpt from the article at the Dirt Doctor website:

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/forum/archive.php/o_t/t_2662/new-product-and-quotmesse...

It comes in little packets that you mix with water and put in a little spray bottle as needed.  It has a short shelf life once mixed so you should use it asap, preferably within hours.  This solution should be SPRAYED by the way on plants to treat them because watering it in leads to a lot of loss in the runoff.   And this is expensive.  So you want to stretch it.  It is totally effective as a spray.

The general description of how it works is a little oversimplified for my tastes.  If you would like a more technical explanation I would be happy to give you that, but I'm afraid it would put most people to sleep.  You don't need to know the molecules personally to use it.  It's like using spray starch when you iron, chrome polish on your car tires, a spray for washing windows and mirrors.  For use on Roses, you need one of those major spray contraptions.  But for potted plants and seedlings and vegetables, it is an easy, simple exercise and I am quite excited about it.

To buy it you can go to the Eden Bioscience website and 'Find a Retailer'.  Note that it is not distributed -- yet -- in many states, so you may have to order it on the internet.  Eden Bioscience is here:

http://www.edenbio.com/garden/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=78

Hope that answers your question.  Thanks for writing and if you do pick it up, please let me know how it works for you.