In my gardening business, I have both seen huge benefits from using mycorrhizal fungi when planting. We have significantly reduced plant losses when planting in less than ideal conditions.
These fungi are essential to optimum plant health and should be used whenever planting or seeding, propagating, or transplanting. The fungi will stay with the plant for life, so you only need to do this once!
In soil that has recently been tilled/worked, compacted, waterlogged, drought-stressed, or treated with chemicals, mycorrhizae will be lacking. They are typically not present in imported topsoil or most potting soil mixes, either, and they cannot be multiplied in compost as they need a living plant host to survive. In any of these scenarios, they need to be added back to the soil.
The product is also helpful in improving the quality and health of a newly seeded lawn.
How it Works
Mycorrhizal fungi form mutually beneficial relationships with over 95% of common plant species.
They surround and even enter the roots of these plants, and provide nutrients such as phosphorus (and to a lesser degree, nitrogen), trace elements, and water to plants in exchange for carbohydrates.
In fact, some plants trade more than 50% of their carbohydrates with these fungi and other microbes. Fungal mycelium represents carbon drawn from the atmosphere and stored in solid form underground.
The fungi also greatly improve soil characteristics by improving soil structure and porosity. And, amazingly, they act as a line of defense, protecting the roots in the soil environment.