Mycorrhiza in the garden. How to use mycorrhizal vaccines?

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I found out about the benefits ofmycorrhiza in the gardenwhen I first used the mycorrhizal vaccine for conifers, rhododendrons and blueberry. Rhododendrons bloomed like crazy, conifers delighted with green needles, and blueberries sprinkled with fruit like never before. Seewhat the secret of mycorrhiza is , how to choose the right mycorrhiza for your garden andhow to use mycorrhizal vaccinesfor the best results!

The use of mycorrhiza in the garden brings fantastic results!
Fig. depositphotos.com/pixabay.com

Information on the possibilities offered by mycorrhiza in the garden was prepared by Rafał Okułowicz, the publisher of PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl, who for several years has been advising on how to create beautiful gardens and solve everyday problems that arise when growing plants.

Once you learn this secret , your approach to growing plants can change completely. By using less fertilizer and spending less time caring for your plants,you will get much better results from your crops , beautiful and lush flowers and generous yields of vegetables and fruits!

I have been collecting information for this article for almost 10 years, andthe effectiveness of mycorrhiza and the effects obtained in plant cultivation have been confirmed by numerous opinionspresented by users of our forum in the mycorrhiza section. Let me take you on a journey to the world of mycorrhiza, that is
an unusual symbiosis of plants and beneficial mushrooms, thanks to which the gardener gains numerous benefits , and the plants grow he althy, bloom abundantly and yield.To enjoy all these benefits,it is enough to apply the mycorrhiza to the plant only once and take only a few minutes!

1. Pour the contents of the SYMBIVIT® mycorrhiza package into water
2. We mix and wait a moment until a gel is formed
3. Dosing of mycorrhiza will be facilitated by a special applicator
Fig. © PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl

What is mycorrhiza?

In the fall, every year many of us go to the forests to pick mushrooms. Experienced mushroom pickers know thatspecific species of mushrooms should be searched for under certain species of treesAnd so under spruce trees you can find boletus, in birch forests, and under pine trees you can find red pine and pine boletus. This is not a coincidence, but
common examples of mycorrhizaproviding evidence that fungi live well with plants. What we collect during mushroom picking arefruiting bodies of mushrooms living in symbiosis with plant roots This symbiosis is mycorrhiza.

The growing of certain species of fungi only under certain tree species is one of the many evidence for the existence of mycorrhiza

And how is it in our gardens?Do mushrooms grow under the trees in the garden, as in the forest?Probably not. And even if it is, it happens rarely and is rather a coincidence.
Meanwhileintroducing the appropriate mycorrhizal mycelium to the garden can significantly improve the condition of plantsand make them resistant to disease attacks . Your trees and shrubs can grow more profusely and bloom more profusely, and your orchard plants will bring a much greater yield.

It is clearly visible on the Wikipedia photo presented below. We see European beech seedlings planted in the spring. In the fall you can already seethe huge difference between the mycorrhizated plant(left)and the plant that grew without mycorrhiza(right).

A. Seedling with mycorrhiza, B. Seedling without mycorrhiza
Fig. Ingrid Kottke, source: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Anyway, just think.In the garden, we must provide the plants with the best possible growth conditionsContinuous care, fertilization, watering. Sometimes it is even necessary to fight diseases and pests with the help of chemical preparations. So the gardener has a lot of work to do!
How is it in the forest?In the forest, plants cope on their own, although no one provides them with special conditions and they are not constantly cared for . And yet they grow. And how! Trees grow much larger in forests than in our gardens.

The difference in the growth of pine seedlings obtained thanks to mycorrhization
Fig. Ingrid Kottke, source: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

In natural conditions, plants cope on their own, without the help of a gardener-guardian, because they have their natural helpers in the form of mycorrhizal fungi This coexistence of plant roots with fungi is precisely called mycorrhiza. As many as 80% of plants growing among us benefit from the benefits of mycorrhiza. And it has been for many millions of years! "

Remember!
Mycorrhiza is a common phenomenon consisting in the coexistence of plant roots with mycorrhizal fungi inhabiting the root zone of plants. Thanks to mycorrhiza, plants obtain a number of benefits, and we can use this phenomenon in our gardens.

What are the benefits of mycorrhiza?

Plant roots, supported by the surrounding dense network of mycorrhizal fungus hyphae, gain an absorbent surface even several thousand times larger than without a fungal companionMushroom hyphae transport nutrients and water from places that the plant roots would not reach on their own.
This makes the plant much stronger. It has easier access to water and nutrients taken from the soil.In the garden, this translates intofaster growing plants, full of he alth and vigor, while requiring less watering and the use of smaller doses of fertilizersYes, yes, thanks to mycorrhiza you will save money by using less water for watering and fertilizer!

Spruce roots surrounded by hyphae of mycorrhizal fungi
Fig. Silk666, source: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

For me personally, however,the most important benefit of mycorrhiza is greater plant resistance to diseases . And even the possibility of treating plants with mycorrhizal vaccines.
A good example is Jeffrey's Pine 'Joppi' growing in my garden. I planted it in the spring of 2018. I found out very quickly thatthe seedling I bought was infected with pine rashThe needles turned yellow, covered with spots and fell one by one, and the disease started spreading to other pines in my garden.
In the fall of the same yearI applied ECTOVIT® mycorrhiza to all the pines in my gardenIn addition, I sprayed with the natural preparation Biosept Active, avoiding the use of any chemicals. I wanted to heal the plants in a 100% natural way.
Currently, 1.5 years after the application of mycorrhiza (spring 2020), I can say thatno pine in my garden shows symptoms of rashThe effects of treating Jeffrey's 'Joppi' pine, susceptible to this disease, are shown in the photos below.

How I overcame the pine rash thanks to ECTOVIT® mycorrhiza
Fig. © PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl

5 benefits you will notice in your garden after introducing mycorrhiza :

Better possibilities for plant growth and development , thanks to which plants will grow more luxuriantly and your garden will be even more beautiful,
Better use of ingredients contained in fertilizers, thanks to which you canreduce the amount of fertilizers used ,
Increased plant tolerance to drought , temperature changes or unfavorable soil pH, which will greatly facilitate garden care,
Increased resistance of garden plants to diseases(especially soil-related diseases, such as phytophthorosis), which will reduce the amount of plant protection products used,
Improving the flowering quality of plants and increasing the yield , so you will have even more fun in gardening!

And a side effect may begrowing tasty edible mushrooms under your trees(especially under spruce and pine trees). Just like in the woods! "

Edible mushrooms may grow under trees after the application of mycorrhiza
Fig. harwi, forum.PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl

What kind of mycorrhiza to choose for the garden?

To enjoy the effects of mycorrhiza, it is necessary to selectthe appropriate type of mycorrhiza to the plants we have in the garden .
There are3 types mycorrhiza that can be used in the garden :

1. Endomycorrhiza (arbuscular mycorrhiza)
Endomycorrhiza is the most common type of mycorrhiza. As much as 80% of plants use it. It is therefore alsothe most useful type of mycorrhiza in the gardenIn endomycorrhiza, mycelium hyphae pass through the cell walls of plant roots, in direct contact with the cell membrane.

The application of mycorrhiza under ts
Fig. © PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl

Importantly, ectomycorrhizal fungi cannot develop without contact with plants, which is why they are usually not found in new places prepared for plants.When planting plants in the garden, give the correct endomycorrhizal vaccine .

Endomycorrhiza can be used in the cultivation of such popular garden plantsas: thujas, yew, juniper, cypress, roses, geraniums, fruit trees and shrubs (apple, pear, cherry, nut Italian, currant, gooseberry, chokeberry) or vegetables (tomato, cucumber, pepper).

The most popular preparation containing the endomycorrhizal vaccine is SYMBIVIT®It is available in the form of a powder containing 6 different mycorrhizal fungi, as well as a hydrogel (provides a moist environment for the development of mycorrhiza) and fertilizers and other substances that give the mycorrhiza a good start. Thanks to this combination of ingredients,SYMBIVIT® is the most effective form of mycorrhizaused in the cultivation of garden plants.

Mycorrhiza Symbivit is perfect for the cultivation of thuja, yew and juniper
Fig. © PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl

The use of SYMBIVIT® mycorrhiza is very easyThe powder is poured into the bottom of the planting wells or added to the water to prepare a gel. You can dip the roots of plants in the gel immediately before planting or transplanting them. In the case of plants already growing in the garden, small holes should be made in the ground so that the roots can be reached directly and the mycorrhiza applied.

2. Ectomycorrhiza
In ectomycorrhiza, mycelial hyphae entwine plant roots, forming the so-called they become swollen and take over the functions of the root hairs . About 10% of plants are capable of creating relationships of this type, mainly trees.

In the garden, ectomycorrhiza is useful in the cultivation of conifers , such as: pine, spruce, larch, fir, Douglas firand deciduous trees : oak, birch, beech, chestnut, hornbeam, alder, poplar, willow, hazel, lime.

Ectomycorrhizal vaccines come in liquid form, because only in this form can ectomycorrhizal fungi surviveECTOVIT® is a good example of an ectomycorrhizal vaccine. There are two bags in the package. One with liquid mycorrhiza, the other with a powder containing a hydrogel, fertilizers and other substances that improve the start of mycorrhiza after introducing it to plant roots.

The contents of both bags should be dissolved in water to form a gel and applied to the plant roots in this formThe gel can be used to soak the roots of plants to be planted or, in the case of already planted plants, introduce gel for holes made in the ground, in such a way that it is in contact with the roots.

3. Ectendomycorrhiza (ericoid mycorrhiza)
The third type of mycorrhiza affects only a small group of plants, namely heather plants. For gardeners, this type of mycorrhiza is extremely important, becauseso much liked heather plants, basically without mycorrhiza, they cannot survive .
The mycelium hyphae in this type of mycorrhiza simultaneously penetrate into the plant cells and form a swirl on the outside.Ectendomycorrhiza therefore combines the features of endomycorrhiza and ectomycorrhiza .

Plants that benefit from ectendomycorrhiza are : blueberries, cranberries, rhododendrons, azaleas, heathers. Particularly good results of the application of mycorrhiza in heather plants are visible on barren soils and those with too high pH. Then heather plants do well, despite unfavorable growing conditions.

For the ectendomycorrhizal vaccine to be effective, it must contain live mycorrhizal mycorrhiza in liquid formThis type of mycorrhiza is RHODOVIT®, in the package of which we will find 2 bags. One with live mycorrhiza mycelium in liquid form, the other with powder (hydrogel + fertilizer and other mycorrhiza primers).
The contents of both bags should be dissolved in water to form a gel and in this form applied to the plant roots soil in such a way that it is in contact with the roots.