Mycorrhizal Fungi - Orchid Board

keithrs · #1 06-22-2011, 01:33 PM

I was simply wondering if anyone here as experimented with mycorrhizal fungi on terrestrial orchids?

Tindomul · #2 06-22-2011, 01:58 PM

Im interested in this too.

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #3 06-23-2011, 03:01 AM

I'll answer this question to the best of my ability...

I have tried using some spores of mycorrhizal fungi that I assume is most likely not the specific group of species of fungi associated in the symbiosis of the orchids' roots, (which I purchased from a particular online store that specializes in selling fungi), on a few of my terrestrial orchids, (namely my Cyps). Without doing a large scale controlled experiment and using specialized lab equipment that would break my bank at the moment, I cannot conclusively say anything of any kind of use to anyone in terms of what the benefits of using them on terrestrial orchids would be. Anything I do conclude is purely anecdotal.

I have also used potting soils with mycorrhizal fungi in it, (again, where the group of fungi species in the product are most likely not the ones that are known to form symbiotic relationships with the terrestrial orchids I'm growing), on some of my terrestrial orchids, (my Cyps and my Bletilla striata) and I have the same thing to say as above.

Although, if you wanted to know if the mycorrhizal fungi additives would hurt the terrestrial orchids you're attempting to grow, my answer is - most likely no, it will not hurt them.

keithrs · #4 06-23-2011, 12:02 PM

I sent a email to the folks over at Plant Success and they responded by basically saying that no orchid has a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhial fungi to there knowledge and they have done research with inconclusive results.

O' thanks for sharing your knowledge King.

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #5 06-23-2011, 12:15 PM

No problem. The reason why the people at Plant Success say that is because they're using the wrong fungi.

keithrs · #6 06-23-2011, 01:52 PM

Ya... They said something about most orchid form relation with a "pathogenic" type of fungi.

I also read last night that there are some indication that some terr may from relation with ectomycorrihal fungi.

I have my terr in a equal mix of happy frog and perlite. The fox farms happy frog has lot of mycorrhizea and bacterial. They seam to love it! I unpotted a strata over the weekend and found the the roots have gone crazy.

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #7 06-23-2011, 02:29 PM

It does appear that the mycorrhizae does help to some degree, but again, this is pure speculation at the moment.

I have used the Happy Frog potting soil you talk about though, and it is a pretty good potting soil. It's not popular here, so other than that one time, I didn't see it again.

orchids3 · #8 06-23-2011, 06:15 PM

Several years ago there was a couple of products on the retail market that were supposed to produce their own Nitrogen by action of the mycorrhizal fungi it contained - I tried it and could not say wheather or not it did anything. It looked to me like it produced a black slime that seemed to get all over everything and my wooden benches rotted even more quickly than usual. It was not a scientific approach and my comments should not discourage anyone from trying the product.
What I can observe is that the product is no longer on the market.

Zdenglan · #9 07-02-2011, 12:43 PM

Hi I don't know if this helps but I use product called Root Shield (BioWorks Inc. | RootShield WP) which contains a T22 strain of Trichoderma harzianum which DOES work with chids. I can't perform a comparison experiment but someone else has done...check this article out:
Acclimatization of Micropropagated Orchid Guarianthe skinnerii Inoculated with Trichoderma harzianum
The evidence strongly suggests that it works.
My plants are very happy but I can't tell if T22 is the contributing factor or not...Anyway I'd reccommend it.