Mycorrhizae
 

Hey!
Anyone use this ?? Or would you?? and can you explain it??
Kylie:waving:

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

Yes, I have used it and still have some left.
Yes, it is awesome stuff!
Yes, it is also expensive

I have been using this product.
MycoBoost Beneficial Fungi for healthier plants and stronger roots

When I gave it to my potted nanaers the grew roots out of the holes in the bottom of the pots so thick and dense that water could no longer drain. My apple banana wet from pup to 18" and in ground with a huge root ball in about 3 months.

I gave it to a cutting I got from a Red Crape Myrtle, and in one season it went from a stick to a full small plant and that bloomed year.

I gave it to my Angel's trumpit cutting and the 1 gallon pot turned into nothing but a mass of roots, I moved it up to 3 gallon and added some more and then it filled out again right away.

I did not notice much from my Tom's are far as them reacing to it, but I did see my Green Beans make some big thick roots which was completly differnt then normal, and it also made my pineapple grow some nice thick roots but did not notice much change on the top.

I mix it into my potting soil, or push a hole in the potted dirt / plant and put a little bit in holes surround the root ball of the plant.

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

Basically what happens is that the fungi grows into the roots of the plant, either sliding between the cells in the roots or actually going into the cells themselves, and the plant and the fungi exchange nutrients. The mycelium of the fungi extends throughout the soil and becomes a symbiotic extended root system for the plant, greatly increasing the plants ability to uptake water and nutrients.

This is why mushrooms are often seen sprouting near the base of trees, because they are in a mycorrhizal association with the tree.

It's a rather complex subject with lots of info out there on it, so to get any useful and in depth details about it your going to have to do some investigating.

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

Gabe,
Thanks for the more detailed info! There is a lot of info out there.

I was turned on to Mycorrhizae by a guy named Paul Stamets, I would love to get some sport of the giant fungi he talks about and grow that inside and put the mushrooms under trees and plants to rot into the ground, feed to my worms, and mix into potting soil. Here is the video that really got me into Mycorrhiaze in gardening.

YouTube - Paul Stamets: 6 ways mushrooms can save the world

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

Thanks guys!
I was reading up on it till my eyes got crossed.. There is alot of info.... I was looking for personal experience..There is a coop starting up.. AGAIN maybe this is something that we can do to benifit us as community..I will keep an eye on resources and if there is any intrest in a coop here speak up..
Not sure I could pull a coop off but I know someone here can.. (subliminal message Richard can richard can richard can)
Kylie:waving:

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

Mycorrhizae have different effects on different plants. Some plants will have trouble growing well without them. They help plants absorb nutrients such as phosphorus and zinc and help in water uptake. The plants get nutrients from the fungi and the fungi get carbohydrates from the plants.

The hyphae from the fungi can increase the root surface area around 10x which helps greatly for the absorption of phosphorus since it is immobile in the soil.

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

SO this would be something that works best for our water hogs??? aka most Tropcs..

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

It depends. You have to remember that the fungi use the energy the plant makes. Usually, the fungi are most beneficial when the fungi supply something that is limiting the plant. If the nutrients are already in good enough supply, there isn't much of an advantage since fungi will be sapping energy from the plant that the plant could be using for itself.

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

LOL!! Sorry confused again... SO if your plants have all of the nutrients they need this is not beneficial? But how do you know if your plants have all they need? Most of what I grow with the exception of Veggies are a bit high maintenance ..I was thinking this might be a way to approach them organically and to cut down on time spent..???? I have a life times supply of organic matter..LOL We run Cattle.. Is this something that will benefit me or should I just gather more available resources...

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

I would say Bananas Love it, and Green beans, and lots of others, but some stuff seems like it has no effect what so ever. If you want to do a group buy I might jump in on it depending on what the price's would be. It is very fun to play with.

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

If we have an interest as a group I will keep track of resources and if anyone here has a resource .. That is good....

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

A basic fact to be aware of is that once you have inoculated your soil you don't need to do it again for years ... decades really -- provided there is also elemental carbon in the soil. This is why you see bags of granular "soil conditioner" with both mycorrhizae and humus or humic acid (elemental carbon).

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

Scot turned me on to the Bactria. he gets it for a hydroponic supply. its been awesome for me more roots in a desert invorment is a good thing! its been particularly helpful with transitioning TC plants. they have put on roots at a much faster pace. with are sandy soil roots have to grab the water wail its going by so more in this case seems to be helpful. i just started using it in Jan so we will see if it makes any difference in how the plants handle heat stress. the hydroponic people say it makes a big difference in stressful conditions

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

You can also get some of these benefits directly from compost or "brewing" an aerated compost "tea" with compost. There are many claims out there, though many are not backed up by studies, etc. (though some are). A compost with a lot of brown material will usually have more fungi which is generally considered more suitable for trees, shrubs, etc. for reasons I don't honestly remember.

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

Most people will understand that it is unnatural for roots of trees and shrubs to encounter fresh green plant material below the ground level.

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

I'm not sure how your comment relates to anything I wrote, Richard.

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

Maybe I need to clarify: a compost made with a more wood chips and less green material, for instance, will have more fungi and less bacteria than a compost made with more green material and less brown material. Composts with higher fungi populations reportedly produce a slime that is acidic and such composts (and teas made from such composts) are supposedly better for trees than ones made with lower fungi levels.

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

You'll have to test out the effect it has under the conditions in which you're growing the plants.

I found this by doing a quick google search. They seem to have had to success with bacteria and fungus but I don't know the conditions in which they were grown. It also did not test the benefit of mycorrhizae alone.

At my local Ace Hardware, they sold jars of mycorrhizae last year. Be aware that you have to incorporate it into the soil.

Are you talking about the Carbon-Nitrogen Ratio? When you apply compost that has a high amount of carbon compared to nitrogen, it actually locks up the nitrogen available to the plants. Soil organism need both N and C and if nitrogen is in low supply, they will absorb all of the nitrogen in the soil. Thats why its important to allow compost to decompose. The organisms release the C as CO2 which allows the compost to have a higher ratio of N.

Different types of composts have different C:N ratios. Wood chips are high in C. Applying a good amount of fresh wood chips to soil will cause nitrogen deficiency in the plants since the organisms will absorb the N in the soil. Organic forms of nitrogen such as urea will acidify the soil as they change form.

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

I specifically said compost made from a high percentage of brown material such as wood chips, so it should have been clear I was talking of compost, not of fresh wood chips which I made no mention of. Fungi are more commonly associated with composting wood chips according to materials I've read.

Further, I was mentioning the use of aerated compost tea made from compost which clearly would not tie up soil nitrogen. In fact, these microbes are fundamental to the process of making much of the nitrogen available for plant utilization.

Re: Mycorrhizae
 

how come every time we discus soil chemistry or any thing chemical in nature things get tense?