Mycorrhizae: all you ever wanted to know.

bonsaikc

To inoculate or not: that is the question:
Similar results seem to be achievable either way.

This is a healthy Japanese black pine rootball which was never inoculated with mycorrhizae. It's a function of proper soil, watering, fertilizing, and care.
Mycorrhizae

Vance Wood has similar results with innoculation in this thread.

The question is, is it a result of inoculation, or the superior care both trees have received? In my opinion, mycorrizal inoculants are like chicken soup: they couldn't hurt.

Chris

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ALDEVAUX

The mycorrhiza don't get on or in the roots by magic.
If they are not inoculated by artificial means they are naturally inoculated when they get in contact with the roots in soils that contain them.
Its is almost impossible to visualise the benficial effects of the symbiosis by just ordinary observations. You have to carry out a control experiment with enough repetitions to carry out a statistical analysis which shows that there is a difference between inoculated and non inoculated plants for growth rates etc.
You also have to enoculate a fungal pathogen like Verticillium or Fusarium to show statistically that the inoculated myccorrhiza protects the plant from infection and death by wilting.
You also have to grow the plants in wet and dry soils to show that the mycorrhiza protects the trees from drought.
This is why you can rely only on scientific research to know if it is beneficial or not.

bisco_bonsai

First of all, it ain't that hard to grow this stuff in a jar, and buying it is a rip off unless your innoculating a large growing bed. Secondly, you guys are right to point that it is species specific. Ecto-myc dies everyear, but the spores are air born and usually re-innoculate an area every year. If you live in an area you know has mychorrizae in the soil, just take the benefit of nature and leave your trees outside instead of in the greenhouse. For deciduous, VAM-Mychorrizae works well with some species, especially some acers. But this stuff is probably not worth the effort. It's more difficult to grow in pure culture and it does not produce a Cortig Net (white stuff). It actually enters the root cells by an apparatus called an arbuscle, and begins a symbiotic relationship with the plant. Bottom line, you wouldn't be able to tell if your plant had the stuff unless you took a root sample to your friendly neighborhood mycologist. Anyway, most people don't see the benefit of this stuff, so they don't fool with it. No problem. But I just thought I'd share a good, concise resource for us nerds who love this science stuff. Thanks guys.

All the best,
JDL

johnbonsai

Hi there, the granular form of Mycorrhizae is available to me and I'd like to try some with Pines and Cedars. So is it possible to use this additive to pot up after root pruning or is it too much of a chemical. Inducing root burn etc?

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Will_Heath

A few more links on this subject have been compiled since this thread was originally posted. For those who are interested, they can be found here.


Will

johnbonsai

Thanks Will, lots of info.

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"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a delay of about three hours." Milton Burle.

rockm

"So is it possible to use this additive to pot up after root pruning or is it too much of a chemical. Inducing root burn etc"

Root burn isn't the issue. Pocket book burn is. The granular additive may--or may not--work. This fungus is species specfic. In other words, you may be applying myc on a white pine that was taken from a Scots pine. It might not work on the tree you applied it to. And you're probably paying an arm and a leg to do it. The myc formulas sold by nurseries are the latest "fad" for high end gardeners. Quarts of the stuff go for $25...

I think there are a couple of better(both free) ways to procede. Wait for nature to innoculate your pine. This doesn't happen overnight, but it does happen, as the soil "matures" in the pot and the plants settles in, myc usually establishes itself--and it's ALWAYS the form that's compatible with the plant.

You could use some myc from a known source. Bonsai club members who have the same species you do are ideal. Ask them for a tablespoon full of soil (or more of their old soil left from repotting or from small scoop from a pot with a tree in it. They will most likely happily oblige.

johnbonsai

Thankyou Rockm, I think keeping some of the old root and soil with the fungus and adding it to the new soil is the way to go, thanks.

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"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a delay of about three hours." Milton Burle.

Lee

kaizen bonsai produce a few myc innoculants.I've tried them this year,one of my shohin white pines never seemed to get a nice "white rootball",6 months later you can see it through the drainage holes,growth and health looks much better,therefore so does colour.I now add it to all collected material,i havent lost any so far.I think this may be where we get a real positive benefit of adding myc,it's cheap enough,i've used it loads of times,and still have plenty left