Mycorrhiza...


"Endomycorrhiza" is a specific type of mycorrhiza, and "arbuscular mycorrhiza" is just a more specific name for endomycorrhiza.

Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) is a mutually beneficial partnership between beneficial fungi and plants. - the plant gets something it needs from the fungus (mostly soil nutrients) and in exchange the fungus gets sugar or carbon.

In just one handful of good soil/coco there are more than 100 million bacteria, several miles of fungal filaments, and another million of algae, protozoa, and nematodes combined. This diverse community is responsible for nutrient cycling and storage and provides competition for disease causing organisms. Soil fungi are the dominant residents of this community, contributing over 50% of the soil biomass. The obvious stars of this living soil are a specialized group of beneficial soil fungi that form an intimate relationship with plant roots. This relationship is called mycorrhiza. Mycorrhiza plays a key role in plant-soil health and functioning.

The AM fungal hyphae increase the amount of soil that the plant roots can "mine" for nutrients and thus increases the soil nutrient uptake. This works most effectively on nutrients that are poorly mobile in the soil. Phosphorus is a particularly "sticky" nutrient and extremely important in plant nutrition so it gets a starring role but mycorrhiza has also been shown to increase the uptake of other poorly mobile nutrients.

Watch Phosphorus

Fertilization Phosphorus plays a major role in the establishment and functioning of the symbiosis. High phosphorus fertilization limits mycorrhiza effectiveness, but low to moderate levels of phosphorus or the use of slow release forms such as rock phosphate maximize plant benefits from mycorrhiza.


Increased Drought and Pest Tolerance

Along with accessing more nutrients, the hyphae also allow greater access to water. In addition, the extensive hyphal network block pest access to roots. The improved plant nutrition of mycorrhizal plants also boosts the plants natural ability to fight drought and pests.


Increased Tolerance to Toxic Heavy Metals:

Mycorrhiza alleviates root stunting typically caused by toxic metals, thereby increasing nutrient uptake. AM fungi may also bind metals in the root zone and alter the plant cells ability to capture the metals.


Improved Soil Aggregation

The AM fungal hyphae has also been shown to excrete gluey sugar based compounds termed "Glomalin" which helps to bind soil particles and create stable soil aggregates, which gives the soil structure and improves water and air infiltration as well as enhance carbon and nutrient storage.


Enhance Biodiversity of Soil Microorganisms

The presence of mycorrhiza also increases the biodiversity of soil microbe populations, which creates a healthy soil ecosystem. What a healthy soil ecosystem means to plants is improved nutrient cycling and retention, improved air and water relations, and importantly resistance to invasion and establishment of disease causing organisms.


BOOST PLANTS "IMMUNE SYSTEM"

All of these benefits are actually interrelated and all work together to make the plant healthy by recreating a "Living Soil".

Mycorrhiza...

Increase Plant Establishment
Sustain Plant Production and Productivity
Reduce Soil Erosion
Reduce Transplant Shock
Reduced Use of Fertilizers and Pesticides
Lower Water Requirement
Increased Soil Aeration and Drainage


How much Mycorrhizae do I need?


Specifying Mycorrhiza, or more specifically, mycorrhizal inoculant (inoculum and inoculant are the same) is like specifying "grass seed." You must specify the right kind in the right amounts in the right form. Just like you would not specify "pounds of grass seed product" per acre you need to specify numbers of ENDO mycorrhiza propagules per acre.

Remember; ECTO mycorrhizal spores will not benefit your ENDO mycorrhizal plants. If you wish for the benefits of mycorrhiza to Pines, Firs and Spruces and certain Oaks you would specify ECTO mycorrhiza as spores. For planting individual seedlings it is most cost effective to apply the correct mycorrhiza or a cocktail of both ENDO and ECTO mycorrhiza to each seedling with a root dip. A mycorrhizal material that does not clarify the specific amount of each kind of spores or propagules in its' inoculants may be "watered down" with cheap material that is not of benefit to your target plants.







This fungus is wholly dependent upon relationships with higher plants and attaches itself to roots in order to obtain carbohydrates which the plant provides. In exchange, mycorrhizae perform a myriad of chores to protect the plant and encourage growth. Most importantly, it grows a complex network of fungal filament that can mine a far greater area of the soil based moisture and nutrients than a naked root. (up to 50 times more area). It also produces a complex by product known as "glomalin" that improves soil structure allowing greater movement of moisture the topsoil and into natural aquifers.





Glomalin is produced by Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF). Discovered by NRCS Soil Scientists in 1996, "Glomalin", was noted by two characteristics; The first was the apparent abundance of this material that was produced by AMF and the second was the "toughness" of its molecular structure. It was observed that higher levels of "Glomalin" improve water infiltration, increase soil permeability to air, promote greater root development, higher microbial activity and greater resistance to surface sealing (crusts) and erosion (wind / water). It is thought that "Glomalin" helps protect the filaments or hyphae produced by mycorrhizal fungi that collect moisture and nutrients for the host plants. The plants in return, supply large amounts of carbon to the fungi, which in part is used to produce "Glomalin". The carbon sequestration resulting from this process can reach 40% or greater of the total carbon retained within the plant itself.


Limit Use of Fungicides

Some fungicides have been found to damage AM fungi.

Limit Soil Disturbance

Severe disruption of the soil hyphae limits nutrient and water movement into the
plant root.

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I hope this is the first in a series.

Now that we have the basic facts, how do we apply in practice?

Carbon

there are plenty of products out there, i am currently using Great White by Plant Success and Mykos from Xtreme Gardening... just follow the directions on the label...
the idea is to build the fungi colonies up as large as you can as early in life as posible, i use during veg and bloom but i usually stop using it around week 6 of flower.

this stuff is awesome and my yields have gone up since i started inoculating my garden...

the guy who has grown the largest/heaviest world record pumpkin says that it is all due to inoculating his soil.... he uses the brand "Mykos" .... they also make "Mykos-30" whick contains some other ingredients and organic fertilizer.

compost teas are also a great way to build up colonies.

do you have any specific questions?

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There are several companies selling it, it is usually included in the full line-up of any popular nutrient brand, Advanced Nutes, Humboldt Nutes, Botanicare... You usually have to "brew" the Microzymes and then apply to the soil, after which you supplement with enzymes such as Hygrozyme or SensiZyme from Advanced...

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http://www.rollitup.org/grow-journal...oejam-big.html MEDICAL, All advice given and recieved is pertaining to legally licensed medical marijuana patients and caregivers.

This needs to stay 1st page or stickied, this is the advanced section and many people could gain info from that....
DOes this stuff have any application in hydro? your first answer may be no, but think about in the netpot around the hydroton and rockwool....

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128w CFL GodBox- Strawberry Lowryder / Random Seed Bubbleponics [Comments Welcome]

http://www.rid-x.com/faq.shtml

Has anyone ever tried using Rid-X to boost the colonies in the soil? I've heard good things about it.

You are flirting with disaster, dont do it! im finding the post i need to show you right now!

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128w CFL GodBox- Strawberry Lowryder / Random Seed Bubbleponics [Comments Welcome]

Hope u didnt already! not sure how it works in soil, but i cringed when i heard this guys story with dwc

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128w CFL GodBox- Strawberry Lowryder / Random Seed Bubbleponics [Comments Welcome]

No I did not, but thanks for the reply. I always wondered about that stuff. I'm close to harvest and there is no point in messing around with things now.

GREAT WHITE claims that it works well in hydro systems and i know some pros on here can agree on that. (I think they can colonize in the root mass)

some of these products have directions for foiliar spray feedings.... this way it wouldnt matter what grow method you use. (i have never tried this myself tho)

I'm growing in pure Canna Coco and the colonies can really thrive in this stuff. The MYKOS comes in a oversized tea bag and i suspect that the colonize can build up right in the tea bag that floats in the rez.

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