Micorrhizae

Natures Beneficial Fungus

Each soil and each group of plants develops its own strain depending on many factors.

Micorrhizae benefits the plants it associates with by helping the roots to obtain nutrients from the soil.

In turn, the micorrhizae is able to use the sugars that the plants produce.

This is called a symbiotic relationship, with equal benefits for each organism.

Micorrhizae has long been known to botanists and soil scientists, but its purpose and activities in the soil were little understood until fairly recently.

It’s now known that it is possible to breed micorrhizae in a lab for dispersal on the soil of containers or gardens to help build up the beneficial fungus for better plant growth.

A soil with a good micro herd of all the microscopic life has been proven to produce plants with greater disease resistance and vigor, as well as increased drought resistance.

Compost tea has the beneficial effect of boosting the population of micorrhizae and other tiny creatures in the soil, as has the addition of compost.

healthy earthworms in the compost

Humic acid which is present in organic matter as it rots down is the food of choice for micorrhizae – luckily, adding organic matter to feed the micro herd is all that is required for the best growth of plants.

Seeding the soil with an inoculation to get it started is easy, as science has now developed dry micorrhizae which is easy to handle and spread where needed.

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