i Testing New Plants For The Home Garden Is As Easy As 1-2-3.

How do you know the plants in your garden will thrive? Do you examine the many cultivars, investigate the appropriate plant species for your area, and only choose plants that have been shown to thrive in your environment? Do you instead purchase whatever appeals to you at the garden center, plant it, and then wait and see what happens? I used to make fun of the fact that my backyard garden served as a horticulture i Testing ground since I tried so many different random species and gardening methods to discover what worked for me.

Now, thanks to the All-America Selections (AAS) programme, I get to do it as a joyful aspect of my profession. The AAS insignia is frequently found on seed or plant packets at garden centers or in catalogs. You might even find some in your garden (and not know it). It reminds me of the "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval" that was once shown on cleaning products, refrigerators, etc. In order for home gardeners to buy high quality seeds and plants and to help the horticulture industry sell advancements from their breeding projects, the AAS programme was established as a non-profit organization in the 1930s. Here you can discover more about AAS's past.

How The i Testing Is Conducted

Although university crop research may be more rigorous than the AAS Trials, I do value the processes in place that provide results that are unbiased and of a high caliber. The AAS board reviews novel plants that breeders, developers, and horticultural businesses intend to introduce in the future for inclusion in the trialing programme. Novel qualities of the plants are determined during the application process to make sure that the plant delivers something fresh and exciting – these are the traits that judges will notice and score. The application is examined by the board to see if it complies with the programme guidelines.

Trial judges for the programme are expert horticulturists from universities, seed firms, botanical gardens, etc.; they are people who understand how to grow things and are familiar with the appearance and behavior of high-quality plants. There are trial locations all throughout the nation, allowing for replication and results that can be applied to the majority of the country's regions. Location also affects the environment that plants are grown in. My trial will take place on a farm with minimal management. When we arrived at the summit, we went to the Ball Horticulture Trial Gardens, which compared to mine, seemed much better cared for and kept. This provides information on the various maintenance levels you'll find in residential gardens; some gardeners are highly meticulous about upkeep, while others take a more lax approach. The plants must perform well across the nation in all of these various circumstances in order to be named a complete national AAS winner. Regional winners may occasionally be those who excel in a few regions but not the others.

Private Plants and Confidentiality

Confidentiality is enhanced by the i Testing blind nature and the non-disclosure of test results for "failed" attempts. The tests' and test sites' exclusivity is another significant aspect of i Testing. With the exception of perennial trials, these are brand-new plants that have not yet been released onto the market, and they are often for patented or proprietary plants. Signs barring the collecting of seeds, pollen, or cuttings should be posted at test locations, and access to them should be restricted in some way. You wouldn't believe how competitive and dog-eat-dog the world of plant introductions can be.

What Does It Matter If It Loses?

One of the i Testing cool features is hearing about the winners early the following year. When you look at the list of plants, you recall the crops you raised the previous year. Oh yeah, I remember that plant, it did great, and occasionally I even wonder "how did that win, it did terrible for me." This serves as an excellent reminder that we shouldn't rely advice for general gardens on anecdotal evidence. What worked for me might not, and vice versa, for someone else. The combined findings from all the i Testing sites give a broad overview of the plant performance. Some people will benefit from it, but not all. Therefore, if the majority of the judges decide that the crop doesn't perform, look, or taste as well as the comparisons, the plant loses. The end of that. You won't be aware that it failed the test because of the testing's confidentiality. It failed the i Test, although I was unaware of this. Without the AAS certification, it will probably be put to an even greater test: the i Test of consumer demand. Of course, some people may grow it unsuccessfully while others may grow it well.