Mycorrhizae - Soil science behind organics - Q&A

Mycorrhizae (My-Co-Rise-Ah) are a type of fungi which penetrates the cells of the roots of a plant and act in harmony with plant roots. In layman's terms they plug into your vines root system and greatly increase its size. With the help of the Mycorrhizae the vines root systems are much more effective.

Small fine roots in undisturbed soil.
Mycorrhizae are even smaller than these roots!

Unfortunately the fungi are sensitive to cultivation (it breaks them up) heavy fertilizer rates and herbicide (some promote bacteria at the expense of fungi, others destroy the fungi themselves).

The simple rules for maximising mycorrhizae are to limit;

• Cultivation (preferably none)
• Herbicide applications
• Fungicide applications

Not easy to do as limiting herbicide and cultivation means weed control (to prevent excessive moisture usage) is hard too manage.

High levels of Mycorrhizae are one of the key benefits of Organic/BioDynamic farming systems. High levels of Mycorrhizae mean more efficient root systems. More efficient root systems means more robust plants better able to survive stress.