 At some unknown point he became interested in plants, and in 1791 he published "Tentamen in historiam plantarum Theophrasti", on Theophrastus, and the following year he is recorded as "Extraordinary Professor of Botany and Fruit Tree Culture" ("außerordentlicher Professor für Botanik und Obstbau") at the University of Kiel.He studied plant anatomy from 1795 until 1812, when he published "Beyträge zur Anatomie der Pflanzen" on his results.Immediately subsequently he concentrated on fruit tree culture.