How to Pick Mycorrhizal Fungi for a Garden

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Mycorrhizal fungi are one of nature's best kept secrets. These fungi grow in and around plant roots to form an extensive network that help plants absorb precious nutrients they would not otherwise have access to. Picking the right mycorrhizals for your garden can be confusing as they come in many forms and are often mixed with other organic matter. But successful use of these gems will yield healthier plants and minimize the use of fertilizers. Read on to learn how to pick mycorrhizal fungi for a garden.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Caulking gun
Watering spikes
Empty plastic bottle

Step1

Make sure whatever form of mycorrhizal fungi you choose that it's the endomycorrhizal variety. This species will penetrate plant root cells and are ideal for vegetables, grasses and shrubs. Ectomycorrhizal fungi are only beneficial to trees as they don't penetrate root cells like the endomycorrhizals do.

Step2

Use a powdered form of mycorrhizals when transplanting seedlings. Just dip the roots in the powder before moving to your outdoor garden. You can also mix the powder with water and pour over your established garden plants to give them a healthy boost periodically.

Step3

Inject a tube of mycorrhizal fungi into the soil next to young plants for a one time booster shot. The tube resembles caulk and is operated with a caulking gun. These mixtures are generally made up of fungi and water retaining crystals, so it's a two for one shot for your plants.

Step4

Insert watering spikes in a garden to give a continuous feeding to well established plants. After driving the spike in the ground next to the plant, insert an upside down bottle of liquid mycorrhizal fungi. This method will release the water-based liquid into the soil as needed.

Tips & Warnings

No matter what form you pick for adding these types of fungi to your garden you can't go wrong. The make up of the fungi is all the same, but you may find one form easier to work with than another so it's really just personal choice.