An excellent article in the July/August issue of The American Gardener (the magazine of the American Horticultural Society - www.ahs.org ) has information about mycorrhizal fungi that should be of interest to both commercial growers and home gardeners.
The article was authored by Doreen Howard, who was among our first customers nearly 10 years ago.She had been frustrated trying to garden in a hot, humid,Texas climate when she noticed a comment about mycorrhizae on an internet discussion site and decided to try our inoculant.
In Doreen's own words, "That purchase proved to be a turning point in my gardening life. Fungi saved my gardens when disease, bugs, and weather conspired to destroy everything I grew. They soon became the strongest weapon in my organic arsenal."
Ac ouple of her specific observations:
"The inoculated(tomato) plants flowered and set fruit two weeks ahead of the control group. At the end of the season- late June in tropical south Texas - I was amazed at the difference in harvest totals. The inoculated 'Garden Peach' variety produced 103 fruits, whereas the control bore only 28. Even large-fruited 'Southern Night' had 74 tomatoes on the inoculated plant versus 14 on the control. The control plants were infested with early blight (Alternaria solanil), but the inoculated plants were disease-free."
"I bought three new bare-root roses, sprinkled inoculant powder over their roots, and planted them with high hopes. Rosa 'Oklahoma', R. 'Mirandy', and R. 'Medallion' rewarded me with huge flowers just 60 days after planting and no black spot or mildew appeared even though I did not spray."
Doreen also includes comments from others who have experimented with mycorrhizal inoculants, including a landscaper in New Mexico, a major California nursery,and a fellow gardening author in Alaska.The landscaper noted much improved survival of valuable ornamentals, the nursery produces plants that are more resistant to drought and transplant shock,and the Alaska gardener says that a big benefit is not having to water as much.
So, if nurseries, commercial growers, landscapers, and home gardeners can all use a very simple biological technique that greatly improves plant survival, calls for less watering,prevents diseases and boosts yields, why would anyone ever put plants in the ground without giving the man inoculation?
Beats me.
Cheers, my friends,
Don Chapman
President, BioOrganics, Inc.