Mycorrhizal Fertilizer: Properties & Application

Mycorrhizae are used more and more in the garden. We show what the fungi are all about and how to use mycorrhizal fertilizer correctly.

In autumn, when the leaves turn the most beautiful colors and the sun is lower in the sky, it's time for mushrooms. But what do the strange contemporaries do during the rest of the year? And what does the underground part of a mushroom actually look like? Both questions are of great importance for plants, because fungi lead a mysterious life underground. You'll be surprised what mycorrhiza fertilizer is all about.

If you deal with the topic of soil fertility, sooner or later you will also come across mycorrhizal fungi. These fungi have a huge impact on soil and plants and play an important role in organic farming. But they also achieve significant effects in your own garden. In the meantime, they can even be found on the market as preparations under the name “mycorrhiza fertilizer”.

What is a mycorrhizal fertilizer?

Actually, mycorrhizal fertilizer is not a fertilizer at all. With the so-called mycorrhiza fertilizer, the soil is only inoculated with a specific fungus. To do this, spores and hyphae, the underground network of the fungus, are mixed into a substrate such as expanded clay, which you can then easily spread out in the garden. Subsequently, a widespread network of fungi develops underground and unnoticed by you.

And now comes the important part, because fungi form a relationship with the roots of your plants. Nutrients such as phosphorus and magnesium are often present in the soil, but the plants themselves are often unable to absorb them in sufficient quantities. This is due to the fact that these nutrients are not freely available in the soil solution, but can only be taken up through direct contact with the roots. The mycorrhizal fungi solve this problem by increasing the surface area with their huge network and thus absorbing nutrients and passing them on to the plant. Mycorrhizal fungi are sometimes even able to release nutrients bound in rock and make them available to the plant. In return, this gives the fungus a considerable amount of glucose.

Although the soil is not fertilized directly, the plant still has many more nutrients available. Incidentally, a symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi is not the exception in nature, but the rule. Researchers suspect that it was only because of this close connection between fungi and plants that the latter were strong enough to survive on land.

By the way: The mushrooms that you can gather in the forest in autumn are just the tip of the iceberg. They also have a wide network of fine hyphae underground. Many of our edible mushrooms thus supply whole trees with nutrients unnoticed and serve as a link between the roots of different plants.

Properties and effects of mycorrhizal fertilizer

All the effects that mycorrhizal fungi have on plants seem almost magical. The most important is probably the supply of nutrients. In particular, phosphorus, which is difficult for plants to obtain, but is usually more than sufficiently available in the soil, is supplied by the fungus. But mycorrhizal fungi can do even more. Plants that enter into a symbiosis with the fungi are healthier, stronger and significantly more resilient. Especially in dry conditions or in with salt or Soils contaminated with heavy metals benefit these plants. Mushrooms can even help with some pests or diseases. For example, some of the mysterious mushrooms have specialized in Nematode Worms to catch and eat, while others boost the plant's immune system.

It gets really weird when you look at it on a higher level. Mycorrhizal fungi usually associate not only with one plant, but with several. This makes them important links between them. Plants are able to exchange information via this link. In addition to all these effects on the plant, the fungi also ensure, through their fine network, that the structure of the soil improves greatly - this in turn is of course ideal for yours Plant.

The fungi can be divided into two groups: On the one hand, there are the ecto-mycorrhiza, which form a dense network around the roots of the plants and do not penetrate the root cells. This group of fungi is particularly found in symbiosis with trees. Herbaceous plants are mainly colonized by so-called endo-mycorrhizae. This group of mycorrhizal fungi invade the root cells to ensure a good exchange between nutrients and carbon. As fertilizer, representatives of this group are bred and sold.

What can mycorrhizal fungi do?

• Supply the plant with important nutrients, especially phosphorus
• Strengthen plants and keep them healthy
• Protection from heavy metals, salt and drought
• Enable information exchange between plants
• Improve soil structure and reduce erosion

Pros and cons of mycorrhizal fertilizer

As a special kind of fertilizer, inoculating mycorrhizal fungi has various advantages for you as a gardener and for your plants.

What are the advantages of mycorrhizal fertilizer?

• Healthy growth of the plants without much effort
• Higher drought tolerance of the plants
• Saving of fertilizer, because mycorrhiza fungi usually only have to be inoculated once. From then on, they provide your plants with valuable nutrients

Unfortunately, like so many things, mycorrhizal fungi also have a few – albeit few – disadvantages.

What are the disadvantages of mycorrhizal fertilizer?

• The fungi have to be taken care of by the plant. Of course, some of the energy that the plant gains through photosynthesis is lost in the process. Fortunately, the loss is more than compensated for by the beneficial effects of mycorrhizal fungi
• You may need to change your growing style. Mycorrhizal fungi are living things and they have their needs. From now on, digging is undesirable

Buy mycorrhiza fertilizer: Our recommendation

In a healthy soil with active soil life, mycorrhizal fungi are naturally present. Especially in cities, where gardens are often heaped up from construction excavation, or on previously intensively used and dug up areas, the mushrooms are often in short supply. To speed up their spread and improve the soil, a little mycorrhizal fertilizer can go a long way.

Instead of a mycorrhizal fertilizer are also soil activators with mycorrhiza spores a very good way to make the garden soil fit again. These not only bring mycorrhizal fungi into the soil, but also ensure that they feel comfortable. Our Plantura organic soil activator meets these criteria and does not contain any animal ingredients. It ensures a higher humus content in the soil and supports soil fertility. It can be used in the vegetable patch as well as on lawns or for new plants.

Apply mycorrhizal fertilizer correctly

Unlike ordinary fertiliser, just using it according to the package insert is not enough. Mushrooms are living things. The conditions have to be right, otherwise the fungus will be gone just as quickly as you put it underground. The most important thing you should know about the application of mycorrhizal fungi is the following.

What should be considered when using mycorrhizal fungi?

• There are some families of plants in which many species do not associate with mycorrhizal fungi. The most important of these families are the cruciferous (Brassicaceae), to which something like candytuft (iberis), canola (Brassica napus) and cabbages (Brassica) of all kinds. Even lupins (lupinus) want nothing to do with the mushrooms.
• Not every mushroom is suitable for every plant. Some fungi are specific to a plant.
• A great gift to mineral fertilizer harms the mushrooms. Phosphorus in particular should not be fertilized.
• Since the finely branched fungal network runs through the soil, every digging up is harmful to the mycorrhizal fungus. Take care of your floor and try to leave it as untouched as possible. This not only benefits the mycorrhizal fungi, but all useful soil organisms.

More information about our Plantura organic soil activator with mycorrhiza can be found here.