shopping What's everyone's experience with myco products?

This is my first year using them and from what I have seen I will use them again.  Myco Blast from Supreme Growers is what I have used since they had free samples earlier in the year.  I haven't ever had in ground plants react so quickly.
 
Robisburning said:
Righto, got it, thank you.  You might have saved me some wasted $.
 
I have struggled to find a good source of myco in New Zealand but did find this website:
 
http://www.rd2.co.nz/index.php?page=biologicals
 
The Mycomax lists Glomus intraradices, Glomus mosseae, Scleroderma cepa), is this the stuff I am after?
http://www.gardenews.co.nz/mail.htm
Before I left NZ I used that guy/company for many of my products ... He has some great products and mycos promotants ..although no mycos themselves
http://www.biostart.co.nz/mycorrcin.html
This stuff is great as well

http://www.gardenews.co.nz/biophos.html
 
Armac, I would like to hear more on your thoughts about this. I have no first hand experience but from what I have read it sounds like it works.  Do you know something we don't?
 
CalMag may have been a fad but if your soil is low in these nutrients I imagine it would still provide a boost to your plants.  Isn't that exactly what it claims to do? If folk have imbued it with near magical properties that is a reflection on them. 
 
Last year, every post was remedied with a dose of cal mag, this year everything will be better with myco. Look at wind chickens grow log, no myco there, some othe healthiest plants on this board.
 
armac said:
Last year, every post was remedied with a dose of cal mag, this year everything will be better with myco. Look at wind chickens grow log, no myco there, some othe healthiest plants on this board.
Well Strictly speaking that isn't true ... no added myco maybe but I bet my bottom dollar his soil will be teeming with beneficial microbes and myco.  The trouble is if you container garden its a lot harder to build that beneficial bacteria year upon year because you usually disturb the soil too much or replace it and that is where the addition of myco's may help.  
I agree its not the Silver Bullet many tout it as but it certainly will do no harm if you add it unlike excessive cal mag will.
 
Compost, then amend soil at least a season ahead of reuse.  CalMag is best for emergency treatment when a plant in poor soil shows symptoms, or for apartment dwellers who haven't the space or allowance to compost... tho it isn't hard to just throw your coffee grounds and egg shells in a bucket and keep them damp, anything is a start.
 
Dave2000 said:
Compost, then amend soil at least a season ahead of reuse.  CalMag is best for emergency treatment when a plant in poor soil shows symptoms, or for apartment dwellers who haven't the space or allowance to compost... tho it isn't hard to just throw your coffee grounds and egg shells in a bucket and keep them damp, anything is a start.
 
maybe if some worms ate the coffee grounds, but by themselves I don't see them having much value
 
Mycorrhizae penetrate into the root. The part that extends out into the soil is able to "digest" minerals that exist in your soil, that the roots cannot metabolize. The mycorrhizae then feed these minerals into the roots. This is not opinion, this is fact. However, if you don't believe that providing your plants with a higher diet of minerals that are present in your soil, grow them how you like.

I have had incredible results with stopping Blossom-End-Rot with a dose of calcium. Adding magnesium sulphate has given me results that were great. The magnesium supplementation has eliminated flower-dropping for me and, has provided a very noticeable increase in branching many times over the years. So, even though I've never used the Cal-Mag product, both of these elements have solved some pretty serious issues for me. Comparing the effects of myco to the benefits these two elements, would greatly encourage me to use myco in my soil.

Mycorrhizae will not only increase the amount of these two minerals to your roots, myco will provide your plants with an increase IN ALL MINERALS. As long as those minerals exist in your soil to begin with.

Mycorrhizae in your root zone, in effect, can have the effect of increasing your root-mass tens times over and, can metabolize stuff that your roots NEVER WILL. Yes, chlorine, chloromine, insecticides and harsh chemical fertilizers can kill myco.
 
So I wanted to make an addendum to this thread from last year to share my findings from using Promix HP with Myco...

I started my seeds this season in the Promix HP with Myco, using egg cartons for the sprouting process. At 2 weeks, I transplanted the tiny seedlings to clear plastic cups, using the Promix HP in half of the cups and using Miracle Grow Potting Mix in the other half of the cups. I had to use the Miracle Grow because I ran out of Promix. This gave me an opportunity to compare the Promix with Myco to Miracle Grow, as all seedlings at that point had similar root structures and the clear cups would allow the viewing of any subsequent root growth resulting from the soils that the seedlings were transplanted into.

After 2 weeks in their new soils, the results were very salient. All of the seedlings that were transplanted into the Promix HP with Myco have visible roots climbing around all sides and bottoms of their cups. None of the seedlings that were transplanted into the Miracle Grow Potting Mix have any visible roots when observing their cups.

As I was skeptical of Myco last season, and the subject frequently comes up here at THP, I just wanted to share my findings. If anyone is contemplating the use of Promix HP or Mycos for the first time this season, I say go for it.
 
Most of the mycos stuff all comes from the same source and is simply re-branded. Some is straight endo/ecto mycorrhizae spores while others add beneficial bacteria and trichoderma. There have be some who claim that the trichoderma can inhibit the endo/ecto but this has not been my experience. This is a very interesting thread on the subject:
 
http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/976433-mycorrhizal-fungi-myths-truths.html
 
I am using some Great White stuff this year, it includes the bacteria and trichoderma. I have had fantastic success.
 
To inoculate I simply dip each seed in the powder before planting, once the seed sprouts the fungi germs and attaches itself to grow with the roots. This allows one to inoculate 100s upon 100s of plants with a tiny amount of product (less than one ounce). I used less than a 1/2 tsp for over a 100 seeds. Everything I've potted up has had a strong root system completely covered with the fungi (the white fuzz).
 
The fungi is incredible stuff. If you're looking for the product that does not include bacteria and trich, I suggest having a look at www.fungi.com , I personally am very impressed with the business and a lot of their profits go towards some pretty incredible environmental and health research.
 
Edit: As for buying a mix with the myco spores in it, I think it doesn't hurt, but the issue here is that the root has to run into the tiny spore for things to get started. I've seen 1 spore/gram of soil on a few of these so I say why wait? Grab the oz and start things right from the seed so you know the process has started. The $10 will last most many a season that way too.
 
Edit 2: Even cheaper than I thought. $5 and you're set for multiple seasons: http://www.fungi.com/product-detail/product/mycogrow-for-vegetables-1-oz.html
 
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