Using Fungi to grow Big Buds?!!

[Infinitee]

Well, i was recently reading a book on Organic Gardening/Living (Michael J. Roads - Great Read! out goes the Chemical ferts) and read a short passage on Mycorrhizal Fungi.

In a nutshell, this is basically a fungi that grows in soil (all over the world) and leaches it's growth onto a plants root mass and forms a symbiotic relationship with it, it gathers nutrients from the soil and forces it through the tiny roots of a plant, while getting sugar (i think it's sugar anyways) in return.

 

Here's a short description i found:

Millions of years ago, trees, flowers and grasses faced many natural stresses, such as low soil fertility, drought and temperature extremes. To survive, most plant species established  a symbiotic partnership with a unique group of soil organisms called mycorrhizal fungi. These fungi are considered by plant scientists to be the biological cornerstone of plant life on earth.

 

This little known family of beneficial fungi live in and around the roots of 95% of the earth's plant species, serving as a secondary root system, extending themselves far out into the soil. Mycorrhizae extract mineral elements and water from soil for their host plant, and live off the plant's sugars. Trees and plants with thriving "mycorrhizal roots" systems are better able to survive and thrive in stressful man made environments.

 

So as any stoned stoner would do ( :: ) I started dreaming about trying it with MJ. Of course i didn't really think it would work, untill just before when i was googling Mycorrhizal Fungi that i saw...

 

Mycorrhizal.com by Rick Maughs. The Author of Medical Marijuana Guide 2005

 

As you know there are many different kinds of mycorrhizae. Over 2,100 species identified in North America; more than 5,000 + worldwide. 1,000's of different companies that sell it... and we have targeted it like no other companies can.

 

... Our Big Bud Myco Grow can never be matched.

 

As soon as i saw that last line...... :reallyexcited:

 

So..........does anybody think this would work?

 

*starts looking up Aussie Myco vendors*

[Doob]

haha sound like a good idea

[Infinitee]

http://www.buckingham-nurseries.co.uk/acatalog/images/plants/Larch_Roots.jpg

All the white roots on the Larch seedlings in picture are 'Friendly Fungi' roots, the thicker red/brown roots are the Larch's roots. This fungal network increases the volume of soil explored by the plant by up to 700 times.

 

Gardening including hoeing, tilling and regular chemical fertilizer use can inadvertently disturb and reduce the friendly fungal root network. Equally, the roots of some plants may seek a fungal partner that is not abundantly found in our gardens. Without changing your garden methods you can introduce mycorrhizas suitable for UK gardens through a simple application of RootGrow to the planting hole during planting out.

 

 

Benefits to the plant

 

Fungi transfer essential minerals such as nitrogen and phosphorus from decaying organic matter to the plant. They are able to use chemicals (enzymes) to break down substances which plants cannot use unaided, such as cellulose, thus making more nutrients available to the plant. The countless hyphae extending from the plant's roots also increase the overall area of nutrient and water uptake. These fungal threads can be very fine, branching between soil particles, and even exploring the shells of dead insects!

 

Some mycorrhizas may speed plant growth, stimulate fine root development and lengthen the life of the roots. They can also protect plants from drought, predators (such as nematode worms), and pathogens (micro-organisms that cause disease).

 

:scratchin

 

Holy shit, this IS old news, just found this on OG:

 

HOW IS THIS INFORMATION USEFULL TO YOU AS A GROWER?

Mycorrhizal fungi will colonize the rhizosphere

of any plant, given the right conditions. These fungi are as diverse as the stars in the sky, and many fungi are plant specific, some are not. We have had great success with MJ inoculated with SC-27, developed by Dr. Frank McKenna of Australia. We have also witnessed mycelium from fungi on MJ roots, visible to the naked eye, develop over time with no inoculation.

 

The problem with MJ, and so many plants, is that they are being grown outside of their native soil environment, much like the southern pines in Puerto Rico. Some plants adapt more readily to foreign environments than others and are less dependent on the symbiotic relationship that exists between plant and fungi. In nature, plants grow in the same soil season after season, developing a "relationship" so to speak with soil and its microscopic inhabitants.

 

SC-27 made by Frank McKenna from Aus, should be no worries to get. :thumbsup

[audiospectrum]

Yes, I've definately heard that it can speed up plant growth significantly. A nice little scratch-my-back-I'll-scratch-yours going on!! Nature is so amazing. It would be better do do this on outdoor crops, yes? So you can regenerate plants and not disturb the root system as often as indoor potted plants?? I'm not too sure, just a logical guess.

[Pure]

Pm funkfungus if somone in aus can help you it is likely him :thumbsup

[Infinitee]

Thanks for that Pure, will try.

 

Audiospectrum, i'd say it'd work better on outdoor plants, simply because Mycorrhizal enables use of greater quantities of soil, so unless you have MASSIVE pots indoors, it'd likely just be overkill (although, i have heard there are particular fungi's which help prevent certain diseases, so these could be helpful to any grower, i 'spose).

[audiospectrum]

Infinitee, the biggest pots I can find around my area are about a metre across. Do you have any space outdoors? I guess you could always build your own tray to accomodate if outdoors is a no-go area. How big/deep would your indoor box have to be? Just curious?

[Infinitee]

Heh, i really don't know alot about this at all (still trying to learn about it myself).

 

I guess your pot could be as small as it normally is, but if you wanted the mycorrhizal to take up MORE nutrients, you'd want MORE space.

 

Anything bigger than your roots could ordinarily expand to would be good, because then the mycorrhizal could fill up where the roots couldn't reach, hook up and start giving your plant more nutrients.

 

I think a metre across would be big enough to do this with some success, a bit of depth wouldn't hurt either.

 

I personally, would try this outdoors, but if you had even a half metre across, half metre plus deep, you would no doubt get some good success. (Btw, let me know if you do )

[thc24]

you can by it at bunnings a bit pricie $55 , but dont think it grows roots like that well not the stuff ive got basiclly its friendly bacteria.

[Infinitee]

Thanks thc24, I'll have to check that out.

 

There are thousands of different inoculations you can get (some with root-type symbiosis etc.) but i'd still be interested in what Bunnings got to offer. Thanks.