Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
rhizome and means roots. Fungus root or root fungi is what they're named and
what they are.
Some mycorrhizae (my-ko-riz-ee) actually intergrow with the tiny root hairs of the
plants.The plant's roots are then a combination of fungus and root tissue; the fungi
share their own sap with the plants that are their partners; this type is called
endo-mycorrhizae because it lives partly within (endo=inside) the plants that are its
symbiotes. 90% of cultivated plants partner with endo-mycorrhizae. Other
mycorrhizae grow right next to the plant roots, sharing nutrients with the plants
through the soil water/nutrient solution. Ecto- means outside; ecto-Mycorrhizae live
entirely outside the plant roots. Most trees and shrubs partner with
ecto-mycorrhizae.Agood tip if you are planting new or having trouble with old
shrubs and trees, either ornamentals or fruiting types, is to find a place where the
same plant is healthy and growing well and scrape off a little of the topsoil or
surface duff to "seed" the soil around your new or problem plants with the
beneficial and symbiotic fungi from where the same plants are thriving. Plants can
usually live without their fungal and bacterial partners, but they won't thrive the
same way they do when they have all the help they can get.
One can hope that the right yeast spore for making champagne will fall into the vat,
but like professionalbakers and winemakers, many growers use a culture that they
trust to work and give them the results they expect.
There are a number of good sources for BSOs, including fungal mixes for special
purposes such as growing conifers and specialized bacteria for making compost.
We would recommend trying a few different types to decide which works best for
you.
Nitrogen N
(also see
Estimating Nitrogen ReleaseENR
in appendix)
Many soil laboratories omit Nitrogen from the soil report; the soil report we are
using for the examples in this topic does not include N. The reason for this is that
N levels are very unstable; Nitrogen is constantly leaking off into the air, leaching
downwards out of reach of the roots, or simply becoming unavailable due to the
soil temperature being too cold for biological action to release N from the organic
matter reserves of the soil.Any test for Nitrogen provides only a snapshot of what
is available at the time and at the temperature the test is done. In some cases,
Nitrogen levels are simply estimated based on the soil's organic matter content. If
the soil's organic matter content is 4% or above, there is likely to be a good amount
of Nitrogen potentially available. Humus in the soil generally has a 10:1 Carbon to
Nitrogen ratio.
Nitrogen is found in the soil in two forms, ammonia NH
4
+ and nitrate NO
3
-. NH
4
+ is
a cation base and can be held on the negatively charged soil colloids, humus, and
clay. Nitrate NO
3
- is highly water soluble and is more likely to be leached away; in
