The other twenty-four hour period I was pull in up some Egyptian walking onion plant in a free - for - all garden layer where I ’d allow all sorts of plant overwinter and grow ( possibly a bit too ) sky-high through spring . While I was digging around , I come across several clump of “ white mould ” growingall overmy soil and clinging to the roots of the plants .
And while the very idea of “ mold ” is usually cause for vexation , in this showcase , it ’s an amazing thing to find in the garden ! Yes , there ’s a fungus among us !
That livid mold is actually mycorrhizal fungi , and it ’s a sign of very healthy , active soil .
The wordmycorrhizaliterally means “ fungus root , ” and there are several thousand dissimilar coinage of mycorrhizal kingdom Fungi that have been around for hundreds of trillion of year .
Think of mycorrhizae as undercover mushrooms that seem as fibrous white strands ( much thinner than human hair ) . In the soil , these strands naturally infect the roots of their legion flora , thereby form a reciprocally beneficial ( symbiotic ) human relationship . ( If you ’ve read my post about howrhizobia bacteria work with legumes , this is the same idea . )
How it works : The fungi pull up water and food that would otherwise be unavailable to your flora , and in act , your works provide the fungus with needed sugar and carbon that are raise through photosynthesis .
You see , some works nutrients move verrrrry slowly in the soil . This sluggish movement shows up as a inadequacy in the flora — for example , atomic number 15 , which is mostly insoluble . This make it unavailable to plant roots , and that ’s where mycorrhizae come up in .
The fungi can convert grease nutrient into a more soluble shape and fork out them to the plants ’ etymon system , causing more fork and amend the roots ’ ability to store water and nutrients .
In a nutshell : Mycorrhizae depend on plants for food , and plant development is greatly improve by mycorrhizae .
you’re able to see in the image below how the mycorrhizae are concentrated around the root of my winter rye ( which I grew as a natural covering craw ) .
Turns out , rye is a superb host for mycorrhizal fungus , as are many of the crops we wish to develop : love apple , cucumbers , squash , beans , pea , white pepper , onions , garlic , corn , carrots , asparagus , lettuce , artichokes , sweet basil , strawberries , sunflower , genus Nasturtium , and marigolds , to name a few .
Over 85 percent of plant have symbiotic relationships with mycorrhizae ( with notable exception being blueberries , spinach , beets , and the brassica syndicate ) . Mycorrhizae are not undivided to just one plant , either . The strand can overlap and create a communion connection of water and nutrients throughout your garden .
That means mycorrhizal fungi can move between plant in a raised bottom , or between a shrub and a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree in the primer , or from annual to perennial in a garden . If you grow organically and holistically , you could have an entire connection of these antecedent - like strands grow bigger and bigger every year , and not even know it !
Mycorrhiza is naturally present in most soils but sure things can and do harm the population . So , how can you hold up its growth ?
The good news is , you may always “ go over ” and rebuild the mycorrhizal electronic internet by using exceptional inoculants or soil amendment that turn back them .
Could or should you inoculate your soil with mycorrhizal fungi to give it a boost ?
Sure . In some instances — like if youstarted a rear bed and filled it with commercial soil , or if you make a trade name - new garden over an expanse that used to be concrete — inoculation can help give your garden a solid start .
But there ’s probably no demand to continually add mycorrhizae , so long as you provide levelheaded territory for them to thrive in .
Disclosure : If you shop from my article or make a leverage through one of my golf links , I may receive commissions on some of the product I recommend .
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