Anyone use michrorhizae products ?

[xellos99]

Have been looking at root boost products that are michrorhizae / mycorrhiza / Mycorrhizal fungi type products. Sorry not sure of the correct name. It seems to be that tomato plants are knows as one of the crops that benefits from it and I assume increases root mass or whatever.

Anyone here use these type of products. It seems to be common in powder form and especially used when transplanting. People dust the new hole and the root ball and water it in as normal.

[Nan_PA_6b]

I water my seedlings with it. I have a horrible battle with fungus gnats, which affect the plant roots. So I use a gnaticide (Yeah, that's probably not a word), and then Myco Blast to strengthen the roots. I mix with water per package directions.

[tryno12]

Nan, I have gnats in my seedlings also. Using Gnatrol. Do you think the Myco Blast helps prevent the roots from being destroyed?
Pete

[Nan_PA_6b]

Yes, I think it protects the roots and/or helps them to heal afterward.

Sometimes I have a few seedlings that stay pale yellow-green, and never seem to need watered; those have roots that aren't healing up right.

If you use peroxide to kill the fungus, you might need to re-treat with the mycos. But Gnatrol doesn't kill off mycos.

I have taken to cooking my soil in the oven before using it since stuff can come from the store with gnats.

[tryno12]

Thanks Nan, I just ordered some Blast and Gnatrol - I need my seedlings to survive.

[Tomzhawaii]

Types and benefits of mycorrhizae
There are three main types of mycorrhizae:

Ectomycorrhizae—for pine, fir, spruce, oak and eucalyptus
Endomycorrhizae (arbuscular mycorrhizae) —for most crop plants
Ericoid mycorrhizae—for blueberry, rhododendron, azalea, Pieris and cranberry
Some plants, such as crucifers, the carnation family and sedges, do not form mycorrhizae. It is important to match host plants with the right kind of mycorrhizal fungi. The following is a list of benefits that refer to all three types of mycorrhizae, although some are more relevant to one type than the others:

Improved root development:

Any treatment that can enhance the rate and extent of root development will greatly affect the growth and health of the whole plant. The specific situations can be an increased rooting of cuttings, enhanced secondary root development and simply increased root biomass. The benefit then goes further in that the plant has more roots to be colonized by mycorrhizal fungi, which can impart even more benefits to the plant.

[maxjohnson]

No, I used to mulch heavily with woodchips in Florida and I see the mycorrhiza 'roots' when I dug the soil.

[LK2016]

I used Great White last year with fabulous results. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants all loved it. Revolutionary.

[xellos99]

Originally Posted by LK2016

I used Great White last year with fabulous results. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants all loved it. Revolutionary.

I read that was a particularly good product but I went for cheaper one to try this year called vitax q4 rootmore. I have been very happy with the quality of their other products so thought they were worth a try before getting the higher end stuff.

[DonDuck]

I've read many good reports on Actinovate. Most years, I have three or four tomato plants die from fungal diseases when the weather gets hot. I ordered a two oz package of the product and soaked the tomato plant root balls in the product while transplanting them from the grow pots into the garden. All my plants currently look pretty healthy, but I waiting for hot weather to see if the typical pattern changes. I may give them a second dose of Actinovate before the hot weather hits. Two ounces of actinovate goes a long way if used correctly.

[LK2016]

Originally Posted by DonDuck

I've read many good reports on Actinovate. Most years, I have three or four tomato plants die from fungal diseases when the weather gets hot. I ordered a two oz package of the product and soaked the tomato plant root balls in the product while transplanting them from the grow pots into the garden. All my plants currently look pretty healthy, but I waiting for hot weather to see if the typical pattern changes. I may give them a second dose of Actinovate before the hot weather hits. Two ounces of actinovate goes a long way if used correctly.

I bought some Actinovate last year but never got around to using it. I was afraid it would irritate my throat/bronchi just like Great White does, and I didn't want to double up on that.

I have terrible leaf disease problems here in NJ. I think I get it all, leaf spot, EB, LB, fusarium, verticillium, you name it. Rain, rain, rain, heat, heat, humidity, repeat.

Last year I tried spraying hydrogen peroxide mixed with water on my tomato leaves late in the season (can't remember the exact proportions, I think it was a tablespoon per gallon? Whatever The Rusted Gardener recommended, I'll have to check).

It worked incredibly well, I wish I had done it earlier in the season.

But also, I think using the Great White mycorrhizae, and good compost and organic fertilizers, helped the plants power up and continue producing well despite the ever-encroaching leaf disease problems. I had some plants with almost literally no leaves left that still produced some big late-season lovelies.

[DonDuck]

I add two teaspoons of the Actinovate powder to a two gallon watering can and fill the can with the water running hard in order to mix it well. I place the plant in a hole and fill the hole with the Actinovate/water mixture. Then I back fill the hole with the soil I took out and douse it again with the mixture making sure the plant is also covered with it. I planted forty tomato plants and I still have four to six teaspoons of the product left. I will probably use it in a couple of weeks to treat a few plants that don't look as well as the other plants. If you have kept Actinovate on hand for a year, it probably isn't any good. I'm sure it has passed it's expiration date and the organisms are dead.

[LK2016]

Originally Posted by xellos99

I read that was a particularly good product but I went for cheaper one to try this year called vitax q4 rootmore. I have been very happy with the quality of their other products so thought they were worth a try before getting the higher end stuff.

A little Great White goes a long way. The only drawback for me is that no matter what precautions I take, the fine dust irritates my throat so I'm coughing for a while after I use it.

Let us know how the vitax q4 rootmore works. It looks like it is available only from the UK, so shipping costs would push the price way up for those of us in the U.S.