For the person who was enquiring about adding microrhiza when
planting, this was featured on "A year at Kew" tonight. A rare tree
was being planted, and microrhiza was added to the planting hole.
David Attenborough was doing the official "planting" bit. He sounded
very breathless; not too healthy at all.

Pam in Bristol

In article ,
Pam Moore wrote:
For the person who was enquiring about adding microrhiza when
planting, this was featured on "A year at Kew" tonight. A rare tree
was being planted, and microrhiza was added to the planting hole.
David Attenborough was doing the official "planting" bit. He sounded
very breathless; not too healthy at all.

Just because Kew can do something doesn't mean us oiks can. I know
a bit about this area, and it is just a waste of time and money for
amateurs. Mycorrhiza (sic) are SERIOUSLY soil, host and climate
dependent, in general, and the methods of transmission are poorly
understood. Most terrestrial orchids are obligate mycorrhizal
hosts, but UK woody plants are facultative ones, and will grow
perfectly well in reasonable soils without them. They need them
only in poor soils. Yew has none; birch has dozens; in many cases,
it is not always known whether associations are mycorrhizal or
parasitic, or whether plants ever form mycorrhizal associations.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
Just because Kew can do something doesn't mean us oiks can. I know
a bit about this area, and it is just a waste of time and money for
amateurs. Mycorrhiza (sic) are SERIOUSLY soil, host and climate
dependent, in general, and the methods of transmission are poorly
understood. Most terrestrial orchids are obligate mycorrhizal
hosts, but UK woody plants are facultative ones, and will grow
perfectly well in reasonable soils without them. They need them
only in poor soils. Yew has none; birch has dozens; in many cases,
it is not always known whether associations are mycorrhizal or
parasitic, or whether plants ever form mycorrhizal associations.

http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/fores...corrhizas.html

According to the link above, which I had passed on to the enquirer of
mycorrhiza, it is a natural process for all plants when making roots.
Some have less than others - hence the need to use it. I find it better
than the man made hormonal powder we are told to use, which I don't. On
a big scale nursery, it is indeed a grand leap towards using organic
ways but as you say, for the amateurs and non commercial gardeners
amongst us, it is a waste of time and money.

In article .com,
"La puce" writes:
|
| http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/fores...corrhizas.html
|
| According to the link above, which I had passed on to the enquirer of
| mycorrhiza, it is a natural process for all plants when making roots.
| Some have less than others - hence the need to use it. ...

Er, no. It doesn't say that at all. It says essentially what I
said. Not all plants have mycorrhiza, and many/most don't need
them in suitable soils.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
Er, no. It doesn't say that at all. It says essentially what I
said. Not all plants have mycorrhiza, and many/most don't need
them in suitable soils.

I thought it was an occurence in any plant, it is a fungi after all,
with different patterns in distribution throughout the year so that
sometimes you can see it and sometimes you can't, which doesn't mean
it's not there. I thought it wasn't a matter of 'needing' it as such,
but increasing the amount of it so that the plant would benefit from it
to form more roots.

In article .com,
"La puce" writes:
|
| Er, no. It doesn't say that at all. It says essentially what I
| said. Not all plants have mycorrhiza, and many/most don't need
| them in suitable soils.
|
| I thought it was an occurence in any plant, it is a fungi after all,
| with different patterns in distribution throughout the year so that
| sometimes you can see it and sometimes you can't, which doesn't mean
| it's not there. I thought it wasn't a matter of 'needing' it as such,
| but increasing the amount of it so that the plant would benefit from it
| to form more roots.

It isn't a single fungus, but a common ecological mode of many
fungi. It is believed that, just as most woody plants can grow
with or without mycorrhiza, some mycorrhizal fungi can grow in
other modes.

Your last sentence is correct, and is why many plants rely on
mycorrhiza in poor soils, but not in rich ones.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.