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briana_2006

Anyone tried mycorrhizal Products with any success?

briana_2006
14 years ago

Hello -

Any thoughts on the use of this product?

http://www.soilmoist.com/products/mycorrhizal.php

Soil Moist Container Mix Plus containing mycorrhizal for growing fig trees in containers?

Can any store bought mushroom do the same thing in terms of promoting enhanced growth? If so which type should I buy and try to innoculate the roots with?

Thanks for your help,

Brian

Comments (13)

  • johnsvmf
    14 years ago

    Brian,

    I haven't used the specific product you are referring to but I have been using MYCORRHIZAE fungi in trial. I used the product from the link below when I potted up my plants this past winter and used it with my air-layers this summer with impressive results. I plan on trying to root cuttings with MYCORRHIZAE fungi this spring to see if it will accelerate the rooting and growing process.

    In my opinion mushroom manure and MYCORRHIZAE fungi are two separate and distinct products and should not be confused with one another.

    Good Luck!
    Vinnie

    Here is a link that might be useful: Dirtworks

  • price403
    14 years ago

    Pro-Mix BX potting mix has Mycorrhizal innoculum added to it. I use it with good results in my greenhouse business for cuttings, air layers, transplants and seed starting. My plants are the healthiest and best looking ones sold by local retailers. I'm having trouble keeping up with demand. (I need a bigger greenhouse!!!) You can use any mycorrhizae fungi product and get good results but don't expect mushroom compost to have any mycorrhizae in it. Edible mushrooms are a totally different type of fungi. The mycorrhizae fungi colonize the roots and help to break down soil nutrients for easier uptake by the plants in exchange for some of the stored carbohydrates in the plant's roots.
    You can use mushroom compost as a soil conditioner or mulch. I actually use it in my organic potting mix recipe. It's a good source of nutrients for plants. It's also a great mulch for your vegetable garden. I use it in raised beds by mixing some into the top inch or two of dirt in the early spring before planting and as a mulch about 3 weeks after planting transplants or 4 to 5 weeks after planting seeds.

  • Dennis AKA Snaglpus
    13 years ago

    I use it for all my cuttings and fig trees. Pro-Mix BX potting mix has Mycorrhizal innoculum added to it. It makes a very healthy tree. And starting cuttings makes some very large main roots jump out of the soil! Dennis

  • ottawan_z5a
    13 years ago

    Dennis
    Pro-Max has different variations such as BX, HP (high porosity) etc. Is it only BX version that includes "Mycorrhizal innoculum" added to it?
    I have been using HP for a while.

  • jimmieldavis
    13 years ago

    @Brian - I use a pinch of endomycorrizae (from Fedco) at seeding and transplant. Via side-by-side visual comparison, there is no doubt that it works well for plants. This winter I added it for the first time on fig cuttings, i.e., coming out of the baggie and going into the pot.

    @Akram - Premier Horticulture has Pro-Mix BX, HP, and BRK with "Mycorise Pro" (orange bag).

    JD

    PS. All that follows is direct from the Premier Horticulture website:

    PRO-MIX now offers the latest in biotechnology, MYCORISE PRO in PRO-MIX professional formulations. MYCORISE PRO is the most advanced mycorrhizal fungi product on the market with benefits that are revolutionary and renowned.

    PRO-MIX 'BX'/MYCORISE PRO is a "general purpose" peat-based growing medium with vermiculite and perlite, used for the cultivation of a wide variety of plant species. MYCORISE PRO ensures stronger, healthier plants due to more developed root systems and better fertilizer uptake.

    Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss (80-85 % / vol.)
    Dolomitic & Calcitic Limestone (pH adjuster)
    Endomycorrhize (Mycorise Pro)
    Macronutrients
    Perlite horticultural grade
    Micronutrients
    Vermiculite
    Wetting Agent

    PRO-MIX 'HP'/MYCORISE PRO is a "High Porosity" peat/perlite-based growing medium. This mix ensures optimum growth, especially when high air-capacity and extra drainage are required. It is ideal for water-sensitive crops, rooting cuttings and/or low-light growing conditions. MYCORISE PRO ensures stronger, healthier plants due to more root systems and better fertilizer uptake.

    Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss (70-75%/vol.)
    Dolomitic & Calcitic Limestone
    Endomycorrhize (Mycorise Pro)
    Macronutrients
    Extra Perlite horticultural coarse grade
    Micronutrients
    Dolomitic & Calcitic Limestone
    Wetting Agent

    PRO-MIX 'BRK', now enhanced with MYCORISE PRO a "General Purpose", peat/bark-based growing medium offering the renowned quality and consistency of PRO-MIX. Its processed Pine bark adds weight and reduces water retention of media while its quality Sphagnum peat moss ensures optimal balance between air and water. This mix resists long-term compaction and improves container stability.
    Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss (40-50 % / vol.)
    Dolomitic & Calcitic Limestone (pH adjuster)
    Endomycorrhize (Mycorise Pro)
    Macronutrients
    Processed Pine Bark (35-45 % / vol.)
    Micronutrients
    Perlite horticultural grade
    Wetting Agent

    Here is a link that might be useful: Mycorise Pro

  • foolishpleasure
    13 years ago

    Unfortunately the Premier Horticulture website does not sell any product on line. You have to find a distributer near you HUH the nearest one is over 100 miles.

  • drivewayfarmer
    13 years ago

    foolishpleasure,
    Make friends with your local nursery or garden center they are often happy to add what you want to their weekly or bi weekly order from their supplier. Sometimes it helps them meet the minimum order they need for delivery.

  • lee_in_iowa
    13 years ago

    Does anyone think maybe these are similar to the soil inoculants called "rhizo..."(something or other) that are sold to use with beans and peas? Those inoculants also add microbials to the soil to help the plants "fix" more nitrogen. Most every good garden center has the legume inoculants on hand to sell.

  • bonechickchris
    13 years ago

    I have used the Pro Mix with the mycorrhizal in it for a few years now. Defintely a great mix. A little pricey, about $32 a bail here. My local Ace Hardware orders it for me. Do you have one of them around?

    The Pro-Mix works awesome on all of my vegetables in cotainers. I also use this in all of my Earthboxes with excellent results.

    However, it may be a little too wet for fig trees in my opinion. I did lose my Lyndhurst White fig that was in straight Pro-Mix BX. So you may want to add something to it for better drainage for figs? Something of a larger particle size perhaps bark?

    I do have to say I think the mycorrhizal does work. All of my tomatoes in containers in the Pro-Mix last year went disease free. However, most of my tomatoes in the garden had horrible disease last year. It may or may not have been because of the mycorrhizal, but whatever was in the Pro-Mix worked.

    Pro-MIx also does not get that stinky damp rotten smell I notice that Miracle Grow Soil gets when it sits around too long in moisture. Which means it probably holds too much water. When I did use Miracle Grow, I had to always add more perilite or something to it.

    Hope this helps! Christy

  • ottawan_z5a
    13 years ago

    JD
    Thanks for posting the composition of Pro-Mix (BX vs HP).

    It shows that both have the same ingredients except that the standard BX has "Perlite horticultural grade" whereas the HP (High Porossity) version has "Extra Perlite horticultural coarse grade" which accounts for the difference in peat moss percentage and thus porosity.
    I always add more Perlite to make it XHP but I still seldom get those fat white roots that I see in other's pictures. Those may require some other fine touch (or magic).

  • foolishpleasure
    13 years ago

    I found a distributor about 30 miles away from me and they have the stuff. I am excited because I need to re-pot some trees and start my seedling for the spring vegetable garden.

  • organic_popeye
    12 years ago

    Have read all the posts above and here is my experience: I have used mycorrhizae in my gardens for the past 2 years and the results have been phenomenal. I have used a humus product containing them as well as a powdered seed innoculant. I am located in Cochise County, Az. The soil here has less than 1% organic matter and is severely alkaline. (ph8.8) My first year startup garden last year came on line rapidly and produced beyond my wildest expectations. Flavor and yield was excellent. This season I had to move so I had to start over. This soil is much different than what I had a few miles away. I am dealing with much poorer soil than what I had last year. (silt loam last year and sandy soil this year. My plants are much smaller this year but are bearing well and producing excellent flavor. As long as we are mentioning products and companies why not visit the industry leader's website, soilsecrets. Their website is an education in itself. About 95% of the plants on Spaceship Earth form the symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizae. I can yak ad nauseum about them but we are better served by visiting the experts. By the way, Michael Melendrez, owner of soilsecrets is a marvelous human being. Four years ago he put together a group of research chemists who are taking the humus molecule apart down to the sub-atomic level. The work is being done at the National Laboratories at Los Alamos and Sandia, New Mexico. The Department of Energy found out what they were doing and gave them a very nice grant to help out. Their work is re-writing the textbooks in the organic world. From my chair this is top shelf stuff - I am only interested in what works and is in harmony with Mother Nature. Mycorrhizae and humus work! The faster we get them into our gardens, the sooner we reap the benefits.

  • hummersteve
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This will be my first season using mycorrhizae in my garden and flower plants. I recently started 3 cuttings with the mycos only no rooting compound at all. Curious to see if there is any difference. I think I will pull one out change to a honey mix and the mycos. Its just an experiment to see what goes. My mix is vermiculite, coco coir, and worm castings 1/3 ea.