Mycorrhizae
What
are mycorrhizae?
The word ''mycorrhizae'' derives from the Greek words: mykes,
meaning fungus and rhiza, meaning root. That is just what mycorrhizae
are, specialized beneficial fungi that establish symbiotic relationships
with plant roots. It is estimated that as much as 90 of the worlds
land plants develop some kind of symbiosis with mycorrhizae.
How
do they work?
The mycorrhizal fungi penetrate growing plant root tissues, surround
the root mass and extend far into the surrounding soil, encompassing
a much greater volume of soil than that occupied by the plant's
own roots and root hair system. The fungi's long thread-like
mycelia are especially effective in capturing moisture and nutrients
from the soil, particularly Nitrogen and Phosphorous. The fungi
consume the nutrients but more importantly,they generously share
them with the roots of the host plant. In return, the host plant
provides the fungi with photosynthesized nutrients, especially
sugars.
Building
great soil structure:
Mycorrhizae also act as an important soil-binding agent, significantly
contributing to friable soil texture. Their countless long filaments
called hyphae tend to accumulate in the soil over a period of
time and can persist for months or even years. Larger soil particles,
particularly the sand-sized fraction, tend to be held together
by these hyphae. The filaments tend to have sticky surfaces from
extra cellular polysaccharides,which are sugars processed and
exuded by the mycorrhizae. Additionally, the tips of developing
root hairs likewise secrete polysaccharidic mucigel,a similarly
sticky, plant-produced substance. Together, these sticky materials
enable the filamentous hyphae to strongly adhere to the soil
particles, physically binding and enmeshing them together to
form tiny, semi-stable aggregates. This aggregate structure increases
in the root zone, encouraging further root growth, which in turn
attracts more mycorrhizae, leading to more aggregation and so
on, perpetuating the process.
What
does this process mean to the gardener?
Mycorrhizae help to absorb nutrients, assist in drought tolerance
and create ideal garden soil structure, soil that drains, breaths
and retains optimum moisture. The near perfect ''coffee-grounds'
soil texture often found in fastidiously maintained organic gardens
are an example of long-term mycorrhizal soil activity.
Just
Go Organic!
WHY
IS DR. EARTH FERTILIZER SUPERIOR?
Dr. Earth has conducted more research in the pro-biotic organic
fertilizer field than most competitive companies combined. Dr.
Earth has conducted extensive research to produce consistent
premium products for their customers for over 11 years. It is
not enough to gather a few organic or natural ingredients and
mix them with randomly sourced organisms and then package them
in a box, that produce a high quality, superior fertilize product.
Dr. Earth uses many selective natural and organic components,
Ecto and Endo Mycorrhizae and at the heart of their superior
growth system is our pro-biotic, which includes seven champion
strains of beneficial soil microbes. Their superior growth system
provides fast but also sustained results that last for months
in the soil, providing plant nutrients for a long period of time. |
Seminars
• Saturday,
July 12th 10am
Pruning Japanese Maples.
• Saturday,
July 13th 11am
Hummingbird Gardens
• Saturday,
July 19th - 27
Gallery
in the Garden
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Seminars...
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