Grow Vigorous and Healthy Plants with Beneficial Fungi
Give your fruits and vegetables, lawns, and ornamental plants a secondary root system that is more extensive and efficient than their own to improve nutrient uptake, drought tolerance, and overall health with a beneficial fungus known as mycorrhizal fungi.
What are Mycorrhizal fungi?
Mycorrhizal fungi are organisms that have been benefitting plants for at least 500 million years. Nearly all plants depend on them for nutrients and moisture. When plants first evolved, these fungi formed a beneficial symbiotic relationship with them, enabling survival in harsh soil conditions. This is still true today, especially in soils damaged by the use of tilling and chemical fertilisers. There are two general types known as endo and ecto mycorrhizae. Most plants form a relationship with endo mycorrhizae, while conifers and other woody plants form relationships with the ecto type.
How does it work?
In nature, the plants and fungi work as a single entity. The plants do the work above ground, creating energy through photosynthesis, while the fungi do the work below ground, gathering nutrition and protecting the plant roots. The fungus lives on the root system and benefits by getting sugars produced by the plant. In exchange, the plant gets increased water and nutrient uptake from the network of fungal threads that spread throughout the soil. Plants that grow without this relationship are more susceptible to pests and disease and require us to provide their nutrition in the form of liquid fertilisers.
What are the benefits?
There are many scientifically proven benefits of mycorrhizal fungi. The vast network of fungal threads enormously improves soil. Clay soils are broken up, allowing air and water to enter the root zone, while sandy soils bind together, forming a water-retentive biomass. The ability of the fungal network to scavenge water and nutrients far beyond that of the plant root system makes plants much more drought tolerant and reduces the need for fertiliser. Plants are more self-sufficient when used with other organic practices like mulch, compost, and trace elements. The protection provided by the fungi improves disease resistance and environmental stress. Plants grown in sterile soil and fed artificial fertilisers, like those purchased from nurseries, establish quickly and chances of survival are increased. Enhance all these benefits by practicing no-till or limited-till to protect the soil life including the mycorrhizal fungi. These are just some of the many benefits.
How to use mycorrhizal fungi?
There are many easy to use products available and several ways to apply the fungi to your plants. The method you use will depend on your needs and situation. Add to the hole when planting, water into existing plantings, or dip bare root plants to coat the roots with the fungi. If I had to choose only one product to use in my garden, it would be mycorrhizal fungi. So go ahead, look online or ask your local nursery for a product that suits your needs and start enjoying the many benefits of this plant friendly fungus.
There are many scientifically proven benefits of mycorrhizal fungi. The vast network of fungal threads enormously improves soil. Clay soils are broken up, allowing air and water to enter the root zone, while sandy soils bind together, forming a water-retentive biomass. The ability of the fungal network to scavenge water and nutrients far beyond that of the plant root system makes plants much more drought tolerant and reduces the need for fertiliser. Plants are more self-sufficient when used with other organic practices like mulch, compost, and trace elements. The protection provided by the fungi improves disease resistance and environmental stress. Plants grown in sterile soil and fed artificial fertilisers, like those purchased from nurseries, establish quickly and chances of survival are increased. Enhance all these benefits by practicing no-till or limited-till to protect the soil life including the mycorrhizal fungi. These are just some of the many benefits.