Biofertilizers and Mycorrhizae

[amideutch]

Came across this article on the web. A good read. Ami

http://www.urbancreeks.org/Biofertil...ycorrhizae.pdf

Here's another link with suppliers of Mycorrhizae included.

http://www.ipa.net/~steved/mycorrhizae.html

And another.

http://www.reforest.com/pdf/symbios_faq_email.pdf

[mdvpc]

Ami-Nice article-I downloaded it for study. Thanks for posting.

[shoofly22]

Ami ' can you ship the mycorrhizae in freezing temperatures without killing them ?
jim

[amideutch]

Tell you the truth I don't know. I will ask the question and post the answer in this thread. Ami

[amideutch]

Jim, the answer is yes. Here is what the folks at fungi.com had to say. Ami
The fungi in question are in spore/sclerotia form and are quite stable from below freezing to desert heat although for optimal shelf life they should be stored in a cool (40-60F) and dry place out of direct light.

[shoofly22]

thank you Ami

jim

[geeboss]

i remember reading an article by those individuals growing giant pumpkins over 1,000 lbs. and the use of Mycorrhizae to stimulate more root development which enabled the plant to soak up more nutrients and water. Can't believe that now in such a short time they have gone from 1,000 lbs. to 1,600 lbs.

George

[mdvpc]

what we need is a great tasting 1600 lb tomato! that stores well and is pink and grows on a plant no taller than 2.5 feet tall.

[geeboss]

Where's the photoshop master when you need one? Imagine that the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes was borne using Mycorrhizae.

[newatthiskat]

I have really been looking forward to trying these products this spring but am not going to be able to. I really wanted a 1600 lb tomato OK I will settle with any tomatoes. I just woder how those poor vines supported such a big pumpkin. I can't even immagine it in my little garden
Kat

[~Duane~]

Originally Posted by geeboss

i remember reading an article by those individuals growing giant pumpkins over 1,000 lbs. and the use of Mycorrhizae to stimulate more root development which enabled the plant to soak up more nutrients and water. Can't believe that now in such a short time they have gone from 1,000 lbs. to 1,600 lbs.

George

In the picture above is Joe Jutras of RI who is the current World record holder for the largest pumpkin ever grown. That pumpkin weighed 1689 pounds. I have two seeds from that pumpkin.
Both Joe Jutras and Ron Wallace who was the previous World record holder at 1502 pounds use a mycorrhizal product called Symbios Pumpkin pro.
This product is not the only reason for their succes but has played a large role in it. Equally important factors which they have focused on are superior soil biology, genetics, pest and disease control, vine training and Luck.

Originally Posted by geeboss

Where's the photoshop master when you need one? Imagine that the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes was borne using Mycorrhizae.

This past season I used a mycorrhizal fungi in my entire garden and on all vegetable plants sold during spring sales at my greenhouse. I chose a product from http://www.mycorrhizae.com/ , thier product has a higher spore count than any other I have found on the market. It was also my first year growing tomatoes for size. I beat the previous Ohio State record for heaviest tomato ever grown in Ohio at 4.48 pounds. I also had one which weighed 3.36, one at 3.17 and several over 2 pounds.

I am totally convinced that this product has given me an edge, not just in growing for size, but my entire garden seemed healthier and more productive. I also had the most incredible root systems I have ever seen.

[amideutch]

These are the same folks that "Garden Grounds Concentrate" comes from that I have used and posted about. Ami

Kat, why aren't you able to use these products this year? Ami

[rnewste]

...but does a BIGGER tomato result in a tastier tomato?

I grow for taste - - not absolute size. This year, I will use Actinovate rather than Myco-Grow which I used last season. While I got a lot of large (sometimes malformed) tomatoes last year, I am still not convinced that Myco-Grow enhanced the taste of my tomatoes.

Ray

[~Duane~]

That's a tough question rnewste.
The tomatoes I didn't grow for size were extremely tasty but that could be due to variety selection, pruning and other factors rather than use of the myco product? The particular variety I had used for size is not very well known for it's flavor, but it wasn't chosen for that. Even though the myco product makes no claims to increase of flavor, I do believe that an increase in flavor is likely possible with it's use. Mycorrhizal fungi attaches itself to plant roots helping it absorb nutrients, resulting in a healthier plant. It makes sense to me that a healthier plant would produce healthier fruit, which are more likely to be flavorful. A healthier plant is a key here, if all nutrients needed by the plant are present in the soil and available, the more nutrients are also in the fruit of that plant and available to the consumer.

I have grown tomatoes for the culinary market, at one time over 600 heirloom tomato plants. Pruning was a key factor in flavor then. Focusing simple sugars to limited fruiting sites.

[rnewste]

Duane,

What is cautioning me about Myco-Grow is that I had a number of fruit that didn't develop as they should have done. Here is a photo of Indian Stripe which ought to have been a nicely rounded tomato. Instead:



Was this caused by the Myco-Grow treatment, I can't say for sure, but it was a HUGE tomato - - but as Carolyn said: "Malformed".

So this season I will stick with Actinovate as it is showing good results on my Snow Pea trials as of today.

Ray