Mycorrhiza fruiting bodies emerging from tomato compost
Stuart R
Posts: 42
Hi everyone,
Does anyone have positive/negative experiences growing tomatoes, or other veggies which have been started off in mycorrhiza inoculated compost?
The mutualism between mycorrhizal fungi and plants is extremely widespread in nature, and I think it's fair to say the evidence is substantial that plants infected with mycorrhiza have better disease resistance and are more stress tolerant.
Since mycorrhiza fungi has recently become commercially available in small quantities, I'm wondering what everyone's experience has been so far in terms of blight resistance in tomatoes/potatoes and drought tolerance, or just overall better growth in other veggies.
I have noticed some very tiny fungal fruiting bodies (look like minuscule Ceps) in a few of my tomato pots. I'm hoping this is good evidence that the plants have associated well with the fungi and they are both very happy. The tomato plants themselves are looking very healthy! Can't wait to plant out under cover in 3 weeks or so and see how things go!
Cheers,
Stuart
Posts
I've never used it. I get assorted fruiting bodies appearing in pots though.
In the sticks near Peterborough
What have you inoculated with? I'm guessing you haven't done the inoculation yourself, as if you purchase mycelium you do so as a named species. Looks like ceps is not the same as ceps. Please don't eat them unless you know exactly what they are... Fungi are the third part to natures living world alongside animals and plants. Without it the world couldn't work :-). The symbiosis that can develop between some plants and the right 'partner' fungi is truly amazing. Would be interesting to hear how your tomatoes crop and what they are like.
I used 'Rootgrow' Butterbear. Here's an exert from their website:
'What is rootgrow™?
Rootgrow contains a mixture of species of UK origin mycorrhizal fungi. These fungi are completely natural and are grown at our production facilities in Kent. rootgrowTM also contains an inert clay carrier which acts as a substrate for the fungi to grow through and a few bio-additives which enhance mycorrhizal colonisation.'
They are certainly not ceps, Boletus in general only associate with a limited number of tree species. I'm sure none of the species included in the mix are edible, won't touch them, don't worry!
Thanks for your comments, I'll certainly let you know if I get good results
I often get fungi appearing in my compost, most of which are decomposers of woody matter. Mychorrizal fungi associate with specific plants, or plant groups. Thus Boletus edulis grows with beech, oak, pine and other large trees, but not with rose bushes, or privet hedges. So unless your fungi are ones which grow in association with tomato, they won't be doing much. I wonder what the packet says? Do they tell you which fungal species? Or which plants they associate with?