Mycorrhizal Fungus: Can you add it later?

[NickfromWI]

I have a client that wants to add mycorrhizal fungus to a few of her fruit trees. Makes sense to me. I add it to practically every tree I plant (which has been many hundreds of trees). But now this is an established tree we're talking about.

What's the best way to do it? I've typically used a powder/grain form that we sprinkle in the planting hole at planting time. I imagine that sprinkling it around an established tree wouldn't have the desired affect.

My current plan would be to punch small holes with a trowel, sprinkle in some pixie dust, tamp the hole down, then make another hole and repeat until I've done a bunch of holes around the tree.

Sounds like annoying work. Is there a liquid pourable way I could do this?

love
nick

 

[NeTree]

Use a pitchfork to make many small holes fast. Sprinkle the powder. Don't worry about what gets in the holes and what doesn't. Water it in. Presto!

We also use it for our giant pumpkins, too, FYI.

 

[NickfromWI]

Just had a great talk with one of the reps at this company:

He recommended this stuff:

$20 for a 4oz container which he says is mixed with water at a 200:1 ratio. So the cost would be just a few bucks per tree. I'm gonna give it a shot.

I like the pitch fork idea, though. I wish I could do testing on all this stuff to see which is best rather than taking the word of sales guys!

 

[Old Monkey]

One of the tree PhDs that came to our Horticultural Expo here in Boise said they had tested a number of these products only to find little or no live mycorrhizal fungus in it. That's not definitive by any means but I find myself very skeptical about applying it. Have you ever tried applying to some trees and not others you planted Nick, to see if there is any difference?

 

[NeTree]

All things being equal, it's added about 275 pounds to the pumpkins, IMHO.

 

[Old Monkey]

I'll try it in my yard on one tree and not another.

 

[NeTree]

The scientific method, for sure.

In my case, it's only opinion; we've been adding it for three years now, but to all of them... so while I believe it's doing something, it's not been very scientific.

Still, 1700 pounds is a nice f'in pumpkin.

 

[sotc]

That particular brand has the highest independat lab ratings for live product. I buy the myco apply soluble, mix a pound with 100 gallons of water and my homemade soil needle to inject it in a grid pattern. My father in law has noticed a great difference using it on his tomato starts. I spec it in pre and post construction, new installs, and new developments. I try to sell mulch at the same time for a more long term soil building process

 

[Paul B]

I used it on a few hostas one year when I split them and potted them up, the few that had the inoculant were far better than the few that didnt have it. Much more root mass and somewhat larger plants. Too bad it was prior to the digital camera age.

 

[Old Monkey]

Interesting. Our vegetable beds seem depleted this year despite composting and fertilizing. We have four beds, we'll try it in three.

 

[NeTree]

What kind of veggies, D.? This has been a strange year for us; tomatoes haven't done much, corn is a joke, but cucumbers... man have I got cucumbers. I've never had so darn many.

 

[Old Monkey]

About the same Erik. Squash and cucumbers are on fire while the corn and tomatoes seem anemic.

 

[NeTree]

Must be an echo... 'cuz I've been hearing that from everybody, it seems. Less sun/more rain.

 

[sotc]

Interesting. Our vegetable beds seem depleted this year despite composting and fertilizing. We have four beds, we'll try it in three.

Too fresh of compost? Sometimes beds take awhile to "settle" down. You know, to find themselves?

 

[thattreeguy]

dr earth... they have some great organic ferts with mycorr. included,
i go for the vert mulch technique, happy frog compost..has mycorr. and the dr earth together
fill yer holes and water in..it helps, been using it for about 5 yrs