Gardening Articles: Care :: Plant Care Techniques Add Beneficial
Fungi When Planting by Charlie Nardozzi Many gardeners,
especially those in warm areas, are still planting bulbs, trees,
and shrubs, and adding soil amendments such as compost and
fertilizer when planting. But the most critical additive may be
fungi. Mycorrhizae are fungi that colonize plant roots, and it's
estimated that 90 percent of the plant species in the world have
them, including vegetables, flowers, bulbs, trees, and shrubs.
Mycorrhizae aid plant growth in several ways: they help plants
absorb and hold major and minor nutrients, increase tolerance to
stress and drought, and inhibit disease organisms in the soil.
While mycorrhizae are naturally occurring in healthy soils, they
are deficient in many disturbed soils, soils on construction
sites, and in plants grown in nurseries. You can buy special
mycorrhizae formulations, and fertilizer manufacturers have been
adding mycorrhizal fungi to their products as a way to boost
plants' performanc