Mycorrhizal Applications

[Ebenezer]

Anybody ever used them or thought about using them? Two examples are linked. Thanks.
https://www.valent.com/agriculture/products/mycoapply/index.cfm

https://www.ag-usa.net/

 

[ClinchValley86]

Where would you apply it? Pasture or hay field?

It makes a difference in container gardening. And the science is there.

I like the thought of it, myself. I have wondered about something along these lines. Get our soils working for themselves again.

 

[cow pollinater]

I fixed a fifty acre walnut orchard with them one time. At least I think it was them. I was losing my biggest strongest trees and nobody could tell me why. I tried micro nutrients, foliar fertilizers, hard pruning, root pruning, different irrigation, etc. Things turned around after I injected them into the irrigation system.

 

[M-5]

Where would you apply it? Pasture or hay field?

It makes a difference in container gardening. And the science is there.

I like the thought of it, myself. I have wondered about something along these lines. Get our soils working for themselves again.

If folks would lay off the wormers and only keep cows that that function with a normal worm load your pastures would benefit. Farm the grass and use the cows to harvest. Its pretty simple but it has gotten convoluted by scientist that fix one issue and create more in the process. They aint really that smart if you ask me .

 

[Ebenezer]

Where would you apply it? Pasture or hay field?

It makes a difference in container gardening. And the science is there.

I like the thought of it, myself. I have wondered about something along these lines. Get our soils working for themselves again.

I have been clearing land to plant more pasture and wondered if the plantings would benefit. I talked with a friend who is a watermelon breeder and he said that research has the use on plants used as pollinators producing more and higher quality pollen. I talked with a friend in south GA who put the AG-USA product on winter annuals and said that the soil was much better conditions on the half of the field where he trialed the product. I do wonder if we have areas where we have been doing all or most of the right things for true soil health if there would be as big of a benefit.

 

[Ebenezer]

If folks would lay off the wormers and only keep cows that that function with a normal worm load your pastures would benefit. Farm the grass and use the cows to harvest. Its pretty simple but it has gotten convoluted by scientist that fix one issue and create more in the process. They aint really that smart if you ask me

We do not worm sheep and if one needs worming the lamb and the parents are culled. They are getting to be lesser and so far zero this year. We do not worm any beef animals after they are 3 YO. Calves get wormed when cows get fly pour on, weaned calves get wormed 2X when vaccinated and the most (only) response I think I ever see from worming is with 2+ YO heifers when nursing calves. I keep thinking that if the sheep can go without should I stop the tradition of worming the young cattle and let them cull themselves over worm loads and resistance?

 

[Banjo]

Looks interesting....could it be put directly on the seed like an inoculant say on clover or does it have to be sprayed?

 

[M-5]

If folks would lay off the wormers and only keep cows that that function with a normal worm load your pastures would benefit. Farm the grass and use the cows to harvest. Its pretty simple but it has gotten convoluted by scientist that fix one issue and create more in the process. They aint really that smart if you ask me

We do not worm sheep and if one needs worming the lamb and the parents are culled. They are getting to be lesser and so far zero this year. We do not worm any beef animals after they are 3 YO. Calves get wormed when cows get fly pour on, weaned calves get wormed 2X when vaccinated and the most (only) response I think I ever see from worming is with 2+ YO heifers when nursing calves. I keep thinking that if the sheep can go without should I stop the tradition of worming the young cattle and let them cull themselves over worm loads and resistance?

I think worming young calves is beneficial and adds # in the long run and the impact on land is less severe unless you run nothing but stockers. I have no data to back up anything except experience and observation. But when your forage is healthy your cows will benefit.

 

[Redgully]

I've been using microbes for nearly twenty years. Some places it helps, others does nothing. Its not like chemical fertiliser where you see a difference over night. We have noticed an increase in earthworms which is a very good sign. We rarely worm or vaccinated as we simply have never needed to. Getting the right microbes is the key and a lot more work needs to be done there. The one true thing i have noticed is after using microbes for a couple of years and then applying nitrogen things go nuts. It was explained to me the microbes get the nitrogen and go supercharged but can also burn them out.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

Yes. there is a guy in New Mexico working on building a system using compost for generating local organisms to use on rangeland. If I can find the link again I will post it.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Mainstream US farm ag is a mess, where most buy into a seed and chemical recipe that is priced so producers make a small profit, some years.

Biological farming works but it takes several years to see big effects. Not days or weeks like some chemicals. The biological suppliers have a problem in that there is not a lot to sell, and you may not need it every year. I have bought some bio seed treatments like Quick Roots. The issue is the same as chemical recipe farming - - the marketers price it so there is not much profit left for the producer. :nod:

What prevents you from growing your own mycorrhizal fungi from scratch? Can you measure the fungi vs. bacteria effect?

 

[Banjo]

I've heard that sunflowers are good for mycorrhizal fungi and probably lots of other plants also except for brassicas...maybe if you "plant it they will come".
Where I have a good amount of clover, I have dung beatles. Where its mostly grass with sparce clover....none.

 

[ClinchValley86]

What prevents you from growing your own mycorrhizal fungi from scratch? Can you measure the fungi vs. bacteria effect?

Quoted from google. "You can use a trap culture method to multiply commercial inoculant (skip forward), or to make your own local AM fungi from a soil sample. The easiest way to make mycorrhizal inoculant is to get it from a nearby plant. Simply take an infected plant's root area and place it close another plant's roots to inoculate."

Its just like growing any other fungus. A little can and will grow a lot. Just a matter of applying it to to scale that we would need.

 

[ClinchValley86]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4idmOD7d18
Growing Mycorrhizal Fungi in Chicken Manure and Wood Shavings


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJd9U4LtP6Q
How to harvest Mycorrhizal Fungi from the forest food.

What a stillframe!

I think i am going to put forth effort and try this in a spot or two.

 

[BFE]

There are a growing number of row crop farmers who are recognizing the importance of soil health and are seeing the results of using methods to promote it. Many use components of conventional ag as well as more natural practices. Used to be farmers looked at N-P-K and that was about it, while many now are recognizing the importance of soil structure and biological activity as well. A long time cover crop man about forty miles from me has changed his soil structure from the use of deep rooted covers, pushing the natural hardpan in our local soils from 12-18" deep to over 36" or more, increasing water holding capacity and infiltration. Although I haven't used covers that extensively, I am dedicated notill using tillage only when absolutely necessary and the benefits show. Our fields are solid, not compacted, with loads of earthworms. Long term, I believe the ag community will recognize the strictly conventional methods aren't sufficient for long term (centuries) sustainability.

 

[ClinchValley86]

This is the reason they came to America hundreds of years ago. Had destroyed Europe's soil. Didn't take long to do it here I'm thinking that's the reason for the colonist and earlysettlers kept creeping westward. They were plowing and plowing and plowing.

I would love to see some of the stuff Louis and Clark saw. Some were grasses over their horses head if I'm remembering right.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

I can post you some picture of that from work. We have native warm seasons that will get that tall.