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Norton, MA

Hi. I thought of this a few days ago as a way to get the same effective fungus for much less $$$$$$. What if me and say 9 other growers around here were to buy a jar of it for say 300$, so 30$ each, and split it equally. Once we each had our 1.6 oz. or whatever we could grow some small, fast, easy plants (beans for example) in a big box with sterile potting media. The myccoryzae would colonize these roots as they grew and when we needed to inoculate some pumpkin roots we would cut up a bit of bean roots in the soil and put it where we wanted it. We could keep an indoor colony going indefinately. Why wouldn't this work? Who would like to participate? Where do we buy a good one? AleX Noel.

2/5/2006 4:37:02 PM

North Smithfield, RI USA

Good question !! Alex I'm ready to participate !

2/5/2006 5:56:18 PM

Mn

I thought that if we could get some petry dishes and a incubater we could mass produce this fungus. I'm just not sure wether the fungus can servive without a plant host.

2/5/2006 6:35:08 PM

Western NY

might want to use some junk AG seeds instead. those fungi can be very specific, so the types that work on beans may or may not work on pumpkins.

2/5/2006 6:51:08 PM

Norton, MA

Would the whole thing work though? AleX Noel.

2/5/2006 7:22:35 PM

Syracuse, NY

kinda like a batch of Myco-Brownies, lol!
hey, one thing i know is when i am germinating
seeds in my germination buckets, the soil i have inoculated
(actually, pure seed-starting mix by Scott's) becomes covered with the downy, white Mycorrhizal fungus
on the top of the seed starting mix---so, at the moment
i doubt the fungus needs a plant host AT FIRST, but maybe soon....this sounds like an awesome idea...right up there with sending rooted vines through the mail, lol! go for it!

2/6/2006 5:44:29 PM

Syracuse, NY

PS---that's BioGrow Endo Plus from Joel Holland that i use.

2/6/2006 5:45:39 PM

Montoursville, PA

We are back to square one again. Innoculation is done and complete the instance one hair root comes, in contact with one good supporting fungi (mycorrhizae) spore that is right, for that plant. Once the association is begun the mycorrhizae moves out, in three hundred and sixty degrees away and ahead, of the hosting roots. By the time the next root touches the soil or emerges the mycorrhizae is there waiting, to be hosted. If this is not true, in any given patch, there are soil contents that are killing the fungi. If that is happening adding more will not solve any disease or chemical problems. Mycorrhizae is a fungi...a good fungi. Anything that harms or kills good or bad fungi will prevent the spore added, to the patch soil, from being hosted, by the root.

One moves from sick or unballanced soils within given time, by using good soil building techniques and less harsh chemicals that disrupt or wipe out the biological food chain. If one's soil is, to bad, a new patch may be the only sane answer. The old jolk that West Va. crop rotation was ten years, of corn followed, by fifty years, of jack pine, is worthy, of some observation, by those, of us trying, to grow pumpkins, on pumpkins, on pumpkins. Granted some have not the option, to rotate, but that does not change the truths.

Crop rotation is very important, to healthy soil. Some, of us try, to beat the basic truths and fail miserably. That would be no surprise, to a reasonably good soil builder.

2/6/2006 7:59:28 PM