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Mycorrhizal Fungi - is there any difference between brands?

NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
in Plants
So I need to get some for new bare root roses, so far I have used David Austin’s MF plus their Rose Feed. There are cheaper brands of MF out there, are they any good or should I stick with DA? 
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    I have used various brands and can't say l have noticed any different results between them. You pay your money and take your choice !
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Interesting, I hadn’t thought of different fungi forming different relationships with different plants. I wonder if that means it’s probably better to buy a rose grower’s MF mix for roses or if there is no difference really. I guess its difficult to compare brands unless you had several identical plants and tried a different brand on each, but even then it could be down to other factors or just plain chance.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • jamesharcourtjamesharcourt Posts: 465
    I've used the "Empathy" stuff you can get in Wilko and whilst it's hard to actually know the effect without having a parallel planting without and then uprooting and measuring root mass ... I did notice a lot of root growth in the things that I did move a few months after planting.  

    I also bought a big 5KG tub of "Root Grow" as well but it's too early to see the results yet really.
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    I have to admit to finding this very strange.
    There is as yet no scientific evidence, that powdered fungi work at all.
    Why would they? They are powdered, are they even alive?
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • tessagardenbarmytessagardenbarmy Posts: 346
    I'm a bit skeptical  about all these powders if you've  got  a good well nourished soil with plenty of organic matter,"magic muck" etc. I'm sure  the fungi will be there in the soil ready?
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I also think that if your soil is good with lots of organic matter that's been there a goodly while then adding mycorrhizal fungi may not be necessary ... but in new build gardens or poor sandy/gritty soil or  heavy clay I'm convinced by the arguments I've read that they can be beneficial. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    I am certain, that fungi are essential, just very sceptical about packets of white powder, masquerading as fungi, being beneficial.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited November 2018
    From what I've seen, it bears a remarkable resemblance to the packaged dried mycelium(?) labelled mushroom spawn that Ma used to spread on beds of horse manure in a shed to grow mushrooms for sale at the farm gate back in the late 50s early 60s. 
    :)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BraidmanBraidman Posts: 274
    When this magic ingredient came out at first, I won a £20 bag as a gardening  show prize!

    I used it on my indoor tomatoes, different varieties, worst tomato plants ever and almost no tomatoes, wasted season!

    Never again, no doubt some one will say it should not have been used for toms, but it was and didn't work!

    You live and learn, thank goodness I did not pay for it!
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    If you look at how to grow fungi, the sterilisatin steps are huge and very important, I doubt dropping some spores in hole will do much, what is already there will take over.
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