Why Adding Mycorrhizal Fungi to Your Garden Soil

Mycorrhizal fungi form complex symbiotic relationships with plants. They provide extra nutrients and water to their plant partners through their mycelial networks, while plants supply them with the carbohydrates produced by photosynthesis. These beneficial relationships also help the plant partners survive harsh conditions. Because of these connections, vascular plants depend on the presence of mycorrhizal fungi for proper growth.

The first step in adding mycorrhizal fungi to your garden soil is to amend your soil. This soil must be healthy for your plants to grow and thrive. A healthy soil is nutrient-dense and can help your plants grow. Fertilizers can also stimulate plant growth by improving soil structure, but they can't prevent root disease or store water for a long time. Fertilizers can also lead to water pollution. They can also make your soil unsuitable for some plants.

In addition to improving soil quality, mycorrhizal fungi product may also contain a variety of nutrients and ingredients. The nutrients will help the fungi grow, and the organic matter will increase microbial activity and improve the soil structure for root growth. Some products also contain water-absorbing gels that help the spores adhere to feeder roots. Finally, there are some products that contain stress vitamins, which may help the plant gain greater nutrient uptake.

The amount of carbon a plant has in its soil also plays a role in the biomass of mycorrhizal fungi. When soil is rich in carbon, mycorrhizal biomass increases, while when it is low, mycorrhizal biomass decreases.

Mycorrhizal fungi have a wide variety of species. Some species are rhizoctonialike, while others are called ectendomycorrhizas. Both types of mycorrhizal fungi require a specific environment.

While mycorrhizal fungi have long been known as a beneficial soil organism, most of our urban and man-made environments have destroyed the conditions that are necessary for these organisms to flourish. Therefore, most landscape projects that take place in disturbed urban environments lack mycorrhizal fungi. In these environments, plants survive through intensive care and lots of water. Some landscape projects even use soilless planting mixes, which remove mycorrhizal fungi from the soil.

The genome of two EM fungi has been sequenced, providing new insight into their biology. The 125-Mb genomes of Laccaria bicolor and Tuber melanosporum contain an estimated 7500 protein-encoding genes. This is the largest fungal genome ever sequenced. However, their proteomes are modest compared to the proteomes of other filamentous fungi.

The mycorrhizal fungi nz have a symbiotic relationship with the root systems of vascular plants. These fungi invade the roots and cover them, exchanging nutrients and water with them. Their hyphae can extend up to 1000 times the length of a plant's root. In addition, they can help plant plants absorb more nutrients from the soil.