For several years now we have been experimenting with mycorrhizal innovation of new tree plantings.It has been so successful , that since 2004 we have made a practice of adding a spoonful of dry mycorrhizal spores to rootball of every new tree we plant. It is, of course, early days yet, but so far results have been 100% successful.Now we have developed a technique of injecting a bio-gel containing the activated mycorrhizal mixture directly into the soil around the roots of already established trees. This must have a hugely beneficial effect on any valued or special tree, and is not at all expensive. For example, an established apple tree will cost about £ 7.00 to treat. Treatment is best carried out in the winter, when trees are dormant.
To read more about this method please see below.
Recent advances in ecology and mycology have shown up an extraordinary set of symbiotic relationships between trees and shrubs and soil living fungi. Foresters have known from ancient times that certain edible fungi were found only in association with certain types of tree. This traditional lore has been based on generations of observation , but only now is the amazing truth being unravelled.There are hundreds of species of fungi each of which lives only on the roots of one or a small group of tree species.
These fungi grow in a sort of sheath around the roots of these trees. The important part of a root is the tiny, often microscopic, "root hairs", found at the finely branched ends of the visible roots. It is these root hairs which are the "business end" of a root system - for it is here that water and dissolved minerals, nutritients etc are absorbed. Root hairs, being so small, are very delicate, and a freshly planted tree will often have its root hairs broken, or missing. This is where The Mycorrhizal Fungi come in. If they are present in the soil the tree is planted in , they quickly get to work on the roots, encouraging them to grow new root hairs, and even sending into the roots their own tiny " arbuscles", a finely divided growth , which invades the actual cells of the tree root, quickly pumping in nutrients , water and all good things.They continue to envelop the developing root system, and will grow up with the tree, a partnership which may last centuries.
Now, if you are lucky , just the right fungal spores will be lying around in the soil just where you decide to plant your tree. But why trust to luck? When we plant a tree, we always sprinkle a spoonful of mycorrhizal spore mixture in the hole with the planting compost. Each spoonful contains the spores of hundreds of different fungi, to make sure your tree has the right combination for the very best start in life. For more information on Mycorrhizal Root Treatment, call Noel on 07971 707 740.
If you have an established tree, or especially a newly planted tree, and it hasn't had this treat , it's not too late. We can visit and inject the ground around it with the spores. Don't forget, these mycorrhizal fungi are crucial to many trees' ability to extract the maximum available water from dry soil, so this dry 2006 summer it will be especially important to give your trees the best possible start.