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Mycorrhizal Fungi with roses

celcius_kkwcelcius_kkw Posts: 753
in The potting shed
Hi guys 

What’s your experience with the use of mycorrhizal fungi when you transplant your roses? Most websites advocate its use but I’ve tried with and without and frankly I don’t notice any difference at all. Has anyone tried planting their roses with and without it and if so have you noticed any difference? 

Adrian 
«13

Posts

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I understand that David Austin, GW and Beechgrove swear by it.
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I can't find it for sale in France. I looked up about it and read an article about how it is naturally present in fertile soil anyway so there is no need for it.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    If I was planting in poor soil I would use it.

    As the soil in my garden has many years of compost and leaf mould containing natural fungi and bacteria I don’t think there is a need for it here. 

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





  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    Like @Dovefromabove, if my soil was really , really bad, I might consider it, but I've seen no evidence that it's any use when the soil is in good shape. 
    IMHO, it's a bit of Emperor's new clothes
    I'd be interested to see if there has actually been any comparative plantings with and without, but I can't find any.
    Devon.
  • celcius_kkwcelcius_kkw Posts: 753
    edited March 2020
    @Fire yes, and I’m trying to figure out if it’s truly necessary, after all these are big organisations that would want to promote their own products (or any producers that are associated with them) 

    @Busy-Lizzie @Dovefromabove @Hostafan1 I grow mine in containers only using mixture of John innes and rose compost. Does that make my soil/potting mix of ‘good quality’? 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited March 2020
    @celcius_kkw " I’m trying to figure out if it’s truly necessary"

    Your roses won't die without it. No.


  • TenNTenN Posts: 184
    I planted a few bare root roses last year, got to the fourth when I remembered the mycorrhizal fungi I'd bought, planted a rose using it, then remembered I had some blood and bone mix in the shed so used a bit of that on the last two. A year later I can't remember which had what but they're all looking ok. Remember people have been growing roses a long time before mycorrhizal fungi became a discovery.
  • celcius_kkwcelcius_kkw Posts: 753
    @Fire would it make a difference though? 

    @nickten Did you grow them in pots or in the ground?
  • TenNTenN Posts: 184
    In the ground. I don't dig over but the beds had had a good dump of winter leaves that I left to nature to work in.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    The only report I saw which categorically said it improved results was in soil removed from excavations for the channel tunnel. I can't imagine anyone garden soil is THAT poor.
    Devon.
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