Hey I went outside to find some mycorrhizae in the woods next to my home, and don’t you know I found some in a pile of rotting logs.
How do I make use of this resource?
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not sure how you want to use it, but I would take that wood and incorporate it in to my soil or compost. Do you know what type of wood? if you wanted to grow more of it you could try taking some smaller wood chips and feeding it a grain like rice, think half cooked rice, and some brown sugar or molasses. I’m just starting to use mycorrhizae myself so no expert.
I havent tried this method but will be this winter.
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these are actually indigenous micro organisims not mycoz. you can put old rotted wood right in your pots like i do. remember lifting old wood as a kid and finding worms everywhere? they love it!! you can also collect it all and soak in water then collect the bacteria. google BIM by the unconventional farmer. also google how to collect imos. you cook rice hard, fill wooden box 3/4 full loosely. cover so animals cant get in but it can breath and then set it near that area for about 4-7 days. 5 days is usualy the sweet spot depending on temps. once its done make sure there is no black mold. if so remove it all. then take the good part and mix 1:1 with sugar to make IMO #2
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Ok I have been reading about the symbiotic relationship of mykoz if the organisim I had looked at is not how will it benefit my grow? I got a whole yard of it to work with, I’m afraid of poisoning things
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fungi and imos have a wide array of benefits like pest control, water retention, decomposing, nitrogen and nutrient fixation. you wont poison anything
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I add semi decomposed maple/oak leaves that have been composting for a couple of years and usually they are well colonized with fungi and add a bit to my soil mixes just to add some life. Never had a problem and noticed plants will root faster in a mix like this vs promix or coco with root boosters…
I think I visited the unconventional gardner site, lots of info on natural gardening there.
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What you found is a mycelium of a fungi growing on rotten wood not mycorrhizal fungi, different species. There sure are plenty of beneficials in here but the mycelium is useless exept for speeding up the composting process of wood
.Usualy the fungi you want is to be found in pastures and brushes (endomycorrhizas) not in the forest as it’s a different Type of myco (ectomycorrhiza) which dedicates itself to the symbiosis with trees
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