Are bottled microbe products a ripoff? How can you be sure without a microscope?

I agree that most of bottled beneficials are a ripoff IME…
Yes that Oregon ag report is very interesting and proves the fact.
What we really missing in this industry its the ability to run comparative tests, none does, none has the time…so we rely on marketing that relies on old academic researches on other plants, experiments runnd in a lab on lettuce and basil…
There are so many wrong things in those products…
First the fact that in pure isolated form, some bacterias are anthagonist of spores ,they cant just be put togheter in a container and hope they will all germinate and proliferate togheter… Then there is the expiration date problem, then the way they got stored…and of course the price…
Mycorrizae cant germinate in Phosphorus packed soils like the one we use for cannabis…
Plus most of those products contain always some sort of nitrogen to make your plant green up and make you think that is working like a miracle…
Areated Compost Teas from EWC and Labs are the best way to get your soil or medium thriving with beneficials
Lately i started use Mammoth P, and yes i noticed my buds getting more frosty…i kept using it but i swear that it must be the triancontanol present in it and not really the Pseudomonas…anyway, also here i cant speak “scientifically” never rund a comparative test but since i noticed the improvement i kept using it…

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Been using Recharge for awhile now and my plants seem to perk up every time. I introduced a product called Mega Phos this run and I think it might be the reason the flowers look dipped in dust.

Old Soul


Goji #1

Maybe I’ma fool but I will continue using both of these products. Can’t see running out of either before 2025. Not sure how long Mega Phos will be around so might get a larger package :wink:

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https://u.osu.edu/vegprolab/microbe-containing-products-advertised-to-enhance-crop-growth/

Slightly older pdf but it’s an easy read, the database is current;
microbial-products-supplement-oct-23-18-137maf8.pdf (190.1 KB)

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Sometimes, there’s a lot of successful snake oil salesmen in the industry, mostly because it’s not hard to grow impressive weed so you catch a newb say use this stuff with these other tried and tested products and they will and they’ll grow some fire and attribute it to whatever nonsense additives they used.

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Man that goji looks absolutely beautiful🤤

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My microbe fridge is broken down. The rooting microbes have root-like fuzzes growing around the lid. It’s not the relay or overload, hopeful the thermostat.

I got the microbe fridge because liquid rabbit manure stinks and has to be offgassed often, even when cooled. I’ll probably stick with dry pellet from now on. But the high end dry microbes I use have expiration dates and narrow temperature ranges… Every serious grower should have a microbe fridge. “After this date, the microbial inoculant portion of this product may begin to lose effectiveness” Date is 1 year 55 weeks after the package date. That’s purpose bred inoculant direct from a microbe manufacturer, not bottled potatoe peels fish vomit and hobo turds sitting in a warehouse.

Stop buying sewer water from Amazon and things aren’t quiet as “pointless”.
Bottled liquid microbes contain acids to put them to sleep. The smells of those products is indicative of exactly what they are, minus the acid source (phosphorus, sulfuric nitric etc)… Offgasing is largely ammonia nitrogen loss. Retail liquid nutrients don’t make sense,with the undisclosed solute nutrient sources to get customers a perceptible plant response or a shelf stable liquid.

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From the paper @Dirt_Wizard posted above:

Relationships that plants and microbes form – or will not form – should be considered when selecting a microbial product. These relationships can be very specific. Also, this specificity leads microbial products to have widely varying effects on plants and to create these effects in different ways.

For instance, can anybody name the type of Myco that will associate with Cannabis?
Not all do you know.

The video below shows why I do not like mycos for indoor potted plants.
Mycos are communication cables that connect to the under-net.
Indoor plants can not connect to the under-net.
One of my favorite videos to learn from and it never says a word… :joy:
I have probably watched it 30 times or more and I still enjoy it.

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I dont’ think I would call a man that can grow weed like this a fool.
Nice work by the way! :drooling_face:
But one is free to do as one pleases I guess… :rofl:
image

Found one of my favorite quotes, that I forgot about… :upside_down_face:

Fellow growers, please remember to share what you have learned with others!!

Any who wishes to profit himself alone from the knowledge given him, rather than serve others through the knowledge he has gained from learning, is betraying knowledge and rendering it worthless!

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The indoor plants love it , biologically speaking there are many benefits to using it indoors if growing in soil.
That video looks to me like it’s showing the benefits of having them present btw.

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It is indeed my friend.
Mycos is the one that works way better outdoors.
I wonder if that one even works at all in small pots?
No one to talk to.
Like a WIFI router in a faraday cage.
It is in there doing something, but nothing of any value.

Now on to how good Myco’s work outdoors.
I was told by someone called the Plant Lady that if you grow cannabis near the edge of the woods you will be in a more fungal dominant soil.

Therfore using myco’s to attach to the already existing under-net is extremely beneficial.
The cannabis plants can then trade off excess nutrients for some much needed nutrients.
Like in the video.
If needed they can trade with all plants connected to the network.
I am not sure it is true, but rumor has it these networks can stretch for many miles.
Your cannabis plants could in fact trade nutrients will a 100 year old tree ect.
Why would this happen?
They both need something so they trade VIA the myco’s under-net.
It really is amazing. :heart_eyes:

But is what we are buying dead?
Current research seems to indicate freshness is a must.
Does anyone think their bottled microbes are made fresh and delivered fast?

And remember, There are seven different types of mycorrhizae.
There are endo (arbuscular), ecto, ectendo, arbutoid, monotropid, ericoid, and orchidaceous mycorrhizae. only endo-myco’s will associate with cannabis.
That is the answer to the trivia question from earlier. :exploding_head:

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I promise they provide benefits even indoors it is not just about what you are describing but there ability to prevent soil born disease and aid in better nutrient absorption by the roots. To say they do nothing for indoor plants is horribly wrong.

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@shag we may or may not have touched on Extreme Gardening Mycos and AACTs before. Me thinks yes. In 20s and 30s outdoors with a long veg, something was working. Got my tea info from Tim Wilson “the microbe man” and stick to that. Man knows his shit/fungi. Had a good illuminated magnifier I could see the critters. It broke but I have a good process to work with. I still reference him.
I got samples of Mycos and as it “seemed” to help I got more. Used it at transplant. But I had too many variables to know what was really going on.
Plants were big and healthy. Made AACT weekly. Soil and foliar. My soil was repeatedly re-ammended FFOF. Just a ton of organic inputs. Some probably quite useless and not cheap either.
Like I said though, no idea what or why things went well. Or didn’t. You watched me go in the tent. Some success, then eating shit and not having a clue why. You, @SHSC-1 and some others helped salvage that run, then move me to peat/perlite so I can control what’s happening. Or try too. I still use Myycos transplanting but won’t be getting more. Not necessarily a bad or bogus product at all. I personally do not think the short veg times happening indoors lend themselves well to fungi. Not just short veg times, I see a lot of gear pimped as short flowering time. Especially Sativas with shorter times. I think a good tea, applied as both foliar and root drench, on a regular basis, have more benefits. Cheaper too. My yard from excess tea waterings look so good!
Just rattling on cuz I can’t sleep.

But your best advice Shag? SHARE WITH OTHERS WHAT YOU KNOW! Good experiences. Bad ones. Be encouraging. Be honest. I have seen you offer so much information to so many people. Not so much “advice”, or plane old “do this”. You sure made me think, and continue to do so.
Can’t thank you and EVERYONE like you who has shared so generously.

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Ok, fair enough, you may be right.
How about this… I have not seen any scientific proof of it’s benefits in small pots as of yet.
But
I have not really looked for any. :smile:
I think I understand how myco’s work pretty well.
I just see them as extremely underused if they are contained in small pots.

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You make a good point.
Well stated too.
How do you know the microbe man?

So true, so true.
You make fresh microbes vs dead expensive microbes in a bottle.
You are becoming wise beyond your growing years Grasshopper… :joy:
I take pleasure in helping you in any way I can, you are always grateful
I love to help folks that pay attention, you have always done that @crownpoodle
Even when I thought you missed something, you tend to show me later that you were already on it.

This quote has had its influence on me for sure.
Any who wishes to profit himself alone from the knowledge given him, rather than serve others through the knowledge he has gained from learning, is betraying knowledge and rendering it worthless!

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The relationship between them and the roots exist whether inside a pot or not, they may not be able to exchange with other plants but they still receive all the other benefits of the relationship.
@crownpoodle my indoor mother plants are in a constant state of veg.

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I think a mother might benefit being just in veg continually. There’s an opportunity just due to time.

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I agree here, no doubt, except in the case of high “P” in available form.
See the article below.

Any idea what they might be?
None come to my mind.

I mean I get the concept of overgrowing the pot with good beneficial microbes so they out-compete anything else attempting to take hold.
Other than that I do not see any benefit.
But my mind is open to it, should I hear something. :slightly_smiling_face:

I don’t disagree, I only wonder to what extent.

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So I used to grow soil years ago and some of my best crops to date were with reused soil and spent myco cakes from my mushrooms. The mycelium was still very much alive and I would commonly see some bright white fresh fuzzy growth. The nutes at the time were GH maxi. The plants just seem to tolerate more temp and ph wise with just a in general trouble free growth.

I also agree that this should be taken to the microscope as how do any of us know what’s really growing. I wonder if you could try to grow out the microbes of a product by inoculating it into sterile conditions and seeing what grows…petri dish, myco jar etc.

So yeah I think some work and it very s greatly from product to product.

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Thanks for the added information @Grapefruitroop
This is some good info!
I almost forgot about the “P” factor.

SUMMARY

In summary, mycorrhizal fungi and their host plants both need phosphates, and both work hard to accumulate this important mineral nutrient. But when soluble phosphates are abundant, the host plants tend to increase their restrictions to mycorrhizal fungi, resulting in lower levels of root colonization. So avoid applying high levels of soluble phosphates at the same time that you apply mycorrhizal fungi. Instead, consider reducing your total phosphate fertility, and spread your phosphate applications out more broadly.

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