There is no doubt that these fungi are essential for all plant growth, but I don't believe there is any evidence that adding some magical powder has any benefit.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
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.
Dunno @Hostafan1 ... I’ve seen some appalling new build gardens ... a few inches of poor topsoil laid over solid sticky clay subsoil ... any plant would need all the help it could get even if manure, compost and grit was dug into that.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
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.
Dunno @Hostafan1 ... I’ve seen some appalling new build gardens ... a few inches of poor topsoil laid over solid sticky clay subsoil ... any plant would need all the help it could get even if manure, compost and grit was dug into that.
I'd agree,however such gardens are in a minority, but certain folk on TV seem to suggest it should be used by everyone, in every garden on every new plant. I simply disagree with that .
All just another pointless add-on - a way of squeezing extra pounds out of people at the checkout.
I just shove stuff in the ground and had great success with that!
Who remembers " water retaining gel" which "THEY" were all using a few years back. Now totally debunked. Hey Ho. There's always a market when there are gullible consumers.
My garden is on the edge of the local clay mines area. The so called top soil is approx a spades depth deep before reaching compacted shale and bed rock. It needed a pneumatic drill to break it up when a soak away was put in. When I moved here 15 years ago I noticed a total lack of worms so did a soil test which showed a complete lack of mineral and trace elements. The only reading the tests gave was the soil is slightly acidic. The soil is very gritty, with lumps of clay and lots of stones so I have a contradiction in that when there is a lot of rain the garden is under water in places, however it drains quickly and does not retain much moisture. Any fertilizer of any kind is washed out rapidly. I make and use as much of my own compost as possible and have to feed, feed feed during the main growing season. I grow a lot of my treasures in containers for ease of care as I am surrounded by uncultivated fields and there is a type of field grass which grows freely around here. It looks almost like a miniature bamboo, when I dig it up it has bulbils like celandine and every one will grow, multiply and suffocate any other plant. A real thug. Weed matting and any other aid is a God send to me. Not sure why I persist in trying to create a garden. Just the satisfaction of eating what does grow. It must be in the blood. According to my mother I began my gardening career when I was 3 years old. I watched my father thinning his onions at the week end and on the Monday, when left to my own devises in the garden while mother did the washing, I carefully pulled up the remaining onion seedlings Dad has missed! Just helping.
No bless him, Mum went out, put them back and didn't tell him. I am sure he knew.!
Dad always gave me my own little plot after that, and seeds like annuals which are almost guaranteed to grow. When we moved to Guernsey our garden sided onto a flower nursery, I would sit on top of the cinder wall to talk to the workmen while they were working and was given cuttings and spare seedlings which I planted in "my garden". I managed to keep an apricot pink going for nearly 20 years by taking cuttings from it. I was very sad when it finally died of old age and a weakened constitution.
My grandfather taught me to look at the insides of flowers with a magnifying glass, he never lost his wonder that something that looked like grains of soil could be grown into a beautiful flower or a delicious vegetable.
I didn't stand much chance about whether I would enjoy gardening or not. Never pressured, just encouragement, wonder and fun.
The horticultural world functioned perfectly well enough before the introduction of MF....
It may indeed help...but equally it may have no positive effect at all...at the price being asked for it I will stick to bags of manure...I know that works.
The commercial horticultural world especially in arboreal culture have used it for years it is relatively recent (10-15 years) in the amateur world. I agree with others that in good soil and when planting well grown plants at the right time there should be no need, but we have discussed this at length on other threads, & I find it does help in certain specific situations. If you are moving or transplanting mature plants in less than ideal conditions, and some of my plantings of soft fruit give me higher yields with larger fruit & better drought resistance when I have used it. Many who say there is no benefit don't seem to have ever tried it. Edited to add: The main benefit for roses is said to be to combat Rose replant disease though I have no personal experience of this.
Posts
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I just shove stuff in the ground and had great success with that!
Hey Ho. There's always a market when there are gullible consumers.
The soil is very gritty, with lumps of clay and lots of stones so I have a contradiction in that when there is a lot of rain the garden is under water in places, however it drains quickly and does not retain much moisture. Any fertilizer of any kind is washed out rapidly.
I make and use as much of my own compost as possible and have to feed, feed feed during the main growing season. I grow a lot of my treasures in containers for ease of care as I am surrounded by uncultivated fields and there is a type of field grass which grows freely around here. It looks almost like a miniature bamboo, when I dig it up it has bulbils like celandine and every one will grow, multiply and suffocate any other plant. A real thug.
Weed matting and any other aid is a God send to me. Not sure why I persist in trying to create a garden. Just the satisfaction of eating what does grow.
It must be in the blood. According to my mother I began my gardening career when I was 3 years old. I watched my father thinning his onions at the week end and on the Monday, when left to my own devises in the garden while mother did the washing, I carefully pulled up the remaining onion seedlings Dad has missed! Just helping.
Dad always gave me my own little plot after that, and seeds like annuals which are almost guaranteed to grow. When we moved to Guernsey our garden sided onto a flower nursery, I would sit on top of the cinder wall to talk to the workmen while they were working and was given cuttings and spare seedlings which I planted in "my garden". I managed to keep an apricot pink going for nearly 20 years by taking cuttings from it. I was very sad when it finally died of old age and a weakened constitution.
My grandfather taught me to look at the insides of flowers with a magnifying glass, he never lost his wonder that something that looked like grains of soil could be grown into a beautiful flower or a delicious vegetable.
I didn't stand much chance about whether I would enjoy gardening or not. Never pressured, just encouragement, wonder and fun.
Edited to add: The main benefit for roses is said to be to combat Rose replant disease though I have no personal experience of this.