I do not believe you have to innoculate plants. I bought some goumi plants last fall from a man who knows a lot, and he never mentioned it.

All the innoculating I have heard of was done to seeds (peas, beans, clover, etc). I've always suspected that it just helps keep the plant going until it can produce its own nitrogen.

These plants fix nitrogen naturally, taking it from the air and storing it in the roots. I don't know exactly how it works, but other plants seem to have access to it. It may be that, since a certain number of roots die periodically (or constantly), the nitrogen in them becomes available to the plants searching for nitrogen. But this is just a guess.

Sue

Sue,

All nitrogen fixing plants require the presence of a specific bacteria in order to fix nitrogen, they cannot do it on their own. It may be, that in the case of Goumi and other Elaeagnus species, that the required bacteria is present in most soils, but I am having trouble finding information on this.

Alex

If you try to find a locally native nitro fiwer, then the necessary bacteria would almost certainly be present. It's only when we bring in outside species that the question even arises.
I have a choice of buying leguminous seed with or without innoculant. If I'm not concerned about adding nitrogen then I don't bother, because they'll get their nitro from the soil in other ways. However, if I'm growing a crop that will act as a green mulch/manure then I almost always bother, at least the first time. The innoculant can be very species specific. What's suitable for one, simply won't cut it for the other!

Hello,
I live in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and have a climate zone of 6 also. We are lucky to have a native tree that is a tremendous Nitrogen fixer. It is called
Red Alder. I am not sure how well it would do in Pennsylvania but it is a very fast growing tree and is a work horse for fixing Nitrogen. I am currently restoring part of our property to a native Oregon forest and Red Alder is a big part of the plan. Give one a try. They are not very expensive and grow exceptionally well.

healthy soil should have an adequate supply of bacteria and fungus that would not require innoculation.

perhaps when starting from a scratch, in an area that had previously been treated with chemicals or seems sterile, one would benefit from adding innoculants.

Also keep in mind when you are talking seed you have no root system but with a growing plant the roots will already be established and more than likely contain the bacteria in question within the root system. The bacteria works within the root system so once they are interacting you will have the bacteria present within the roots as well as in the soil. Even bareroot plants will contain some bacteria.
Mike