Rootgrow Mycorrhizal Fungi root booster

A very knowledgeable vegetable grower on GC recommended I used the above when planting my tomatoes, cucumbers etc in the greenhouse soil beds rather than the hefty task of changing the soil which was always a hell of a job.
I bought the root booster, did not as per normal, change the soil and had very good results last season.
Does anybody know if I can repeat the process? as I will be planting most of my greenhouse veg by the end of next week, I would need to buy more as the pack I bought last year is finished. If it is something you can do annually, the product is available in big tubs ( not cheap!),I wonder does it keep ok if kept in dry conditions or is it better to buy new each year? Thanks

 

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Without previous experience of using the product, I would expect that having 'colonised' the soil, one might expect that the mycorrhizal fungi will survive, unless you have treated the soil with a 'harmful' substance. I would be surprised that the Rootgrow preparation is compatable with all crops as I think that there are specific fungal root affinities with each plant type. Can anybody provide a 'laymans' guide to these wee beasties?

 

I found this website useful Mycorrhizal Associations: Introduction quite old now though, Merlin Sheldrakes book Entangled Life has some information and is also a good read. Also the producers website Home - Empathy
You can buy a form of Rootgrow for ericaceous plants.
Mycorrhiza can be fussy, they are sensitive to artificial fertilisers as well as other chemicals.
The interaction is two way with the fungi gaining as well as the plant, there are also fungi fungi interactions.
I've used it for some years when planting out shrubs and perennials; I've also started using it in the greenhouse for tomato, cucumber and melon plants that I grow in large buckets.
I buy a 360 g pack when I need it as I don't know how well it keeps and Devon can be quite humid, typically I might use a couple of packs over three years.

 

Thanks @NigelJ, I think I will risk it and get another pack, I used the same size as you. Apart from a bit of tomato feed there have been no artificial fertilisers in the greenhouse just good old horse manure. Hadn’t thought about the possibility of the product going off and consequently working out way more expensive than just buying what I need this year. Thanks. Off to order a pack now as will be planting toms etc within the next week as long as things heat up again. Was lovely for 2 or 3 weeks now flaming cold again

 

Heard about this on the World Service early today by Suzanne Simard "Finding the Mother Tree"
About how trees communicate and support each other in forests.

 

I remember seeing a TV programme about that a while back, seems they know a lot more than we give them credit for.

 

You would n't think so, on the basis of much of the dross that is broadcast!

 

@infradig

I think it is the trees that know more than we credit them for not the programme makers.

 

At the moment I use a pack about every couple of months. Nothing goes into the ground without a sprinkling of Rootgrow and now I know it is good for cuttings I have started using it on the few occasions I have cuttings to start.

 

Does anyone know what this fungus lives on?
Because in theory you should be able to grow it yourself just like we grow mushrooms.

I was under the impression it was considered naturally occuring, so I can understand the use of it with plants that are growing in sterilised compost but shouldn't it be available to plants that are put into ground, that is already growing plants, anyway.

 

In many cases the fungus lives on sugars and such like produced by the plant.
It is not one fungus there is a whole lot of different species a lot of which haven't been identified. Some of them grow as a sheath around the root, others grow into the root structure, one of the things they do is increase hugely the volume of soil the plant has access to; there is also evidence that they may help protect from honey fungus and other pathogens.
They are naturally occurring, but do not thrive with artificial fertilisers, fungicides etc. I believe the artificial fertilisers reduce the plants need for the fungi so they become less hospitable. Also the use of sterile media means that the young plant/seedling doesn't meet the fungi.
The symbiosis between fungi and orchids has been known for many years.
I don't know the details of their cultivation, but would imagine vats of nutrient broth carefully aerated and temperature control.
The product you buy is a dry a bit like clay and I assume that this has the fungal spores in it which start to grow when it becomes damp and then comes into contact with the roots.

 

Thanks @NigelJ , I was hoping you would pitch in.

So, are we suggesting it cannot survive on its own in soil that doesn't contain any plants?

Also it kind of rules it out with growing anything you are likely to feed with chemical fertilisers veg mostly.

I had a small tree that had been in the same pot years, totally neglected really.
One year the pot put up masses of toadstools, and the tree put on exceptional growth, its never done it again, but I'm thinking this might be a slightly different effect.

 

That is exactly my understanding also. Many add topsoil to compost heaps, which would give the opportunity to 'seed' if it is ubiquitous ,but temperature generated would then destroy the fungus?.
Perhaps a 'compost tea ' approach, adding the brew* to seasoned compost would achieve the required result.
Using greenwaste compost as a soil conditioner has given me a good growing medium but the delivered compost (Veoila Progrow) is apparently devoid of all life forms, still steaming 4 weeks after delivery/dispersal! It certainly produced some 'interesting' fungi (toadstools) and one year on, shows many bundles of white fibrous strands. I think it has given a good foodsource to pre-existing dormant fungi spores and (hopefully) to smaller lifeforms.
*thinking along the lines of using forest litter in a tank of aereated mollasses solution-any thoughts?

 

My thoughts are just to try and work out in my own mind if this is really all its cracked up to be.
I dont dispute the science behind it I'm just dubious about whether it is something that is already there and we are being taken for a ride.
As said its not just one fungus, but many, and I think certain plants latch onto certain fungi species, so do these pack contain a broad spectrum of species.

I have used it but must admit I've never done any comparisons to get any real idea of whether its working or not.