which fungi to use to inoculate veg roots?

hello i have just splashed out on some Royal Horticultural Society Rootgrow mycorrhizal fungi product. the packet says it contains UK species of arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi and is "good for" all plants except acid loving ones and brassicas. it says to sprinkle it in the trench before sowing seeds. i don't mind buying it as an experiment but i assume i could perfectly well make my own next year. i have a working knowledge of UK wild mushrooms (because i like to eat them); can anyone point me towards which ones might be good for inoculating my veg and fruit?

is anyone already diy-ing this and do you have tips on how? especially in terms of storing such a mixture given that most mycorrhizal fungi fruit in autumn and most planting i'll do is in spring. this product is dried powder - but dehydrating lots of mixture would use so much energy i'd probably be as well to just buy it. any ideas?

Fungi are normally beneficial to TREE roots whereas bacteria is more beneficial to annual/vegetable roots.

Sounds like the packet you have is for garden vegetables and possibly some perennials. They are ecto and endo mycorrhizal fungi. Many of which that (iirc) do not create fruitbodies... There are many different types... Some better for the garden, some better for larger perennials/trees, some for acid lovers such as those in the heath/Ericaceae family...

Fungi Perfecti has quite a selection; as well as other companies...


It is also possible to expand fungal growth via correctly made AACT (actively aerated compost tea)

i havent ever messed with anything like that.
for storing i would guess that cool, dark, and in amber or colored jar would be good. but thats just a general guess, cause thats the issue mostly with storing anything - no clear jars or exposure to light.

i have been pouring over stuff like this, on a learning curve with making IMO and fermented inputs.

theres a lot of different ways and recipes to make various things like this to add...and i dont think you have to be exactly precise as all this stuff to get this effect.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/17295835/Korean-Natural-Farming-Inputs

http://www.scribd.com/doc/15940714/Bokashi-Nature-Farming-Manual-Philippines-2006

http://www.scribd.com/doc/16646414/Farmers-Guide-on-BioOrganic-Inputs-from-Plants-Fish-Animal-Liquid-Extracts

with some recipes to make:

CRH Carbonized Rice Hull
FAA Fish Amino Acids
FFJ Fermented Fruit Juice
FPJ Fermented Plant Juice
FRB Fermented Rice Bran
IMO Indigenous Microorganisms
KAA Kohol Amino Acids
OHN Oriental Herbal Nutrients

but these are more bacteria and good funky stuff, fermented stuff, not mushrooms specifically..
the idea is to draw on your local good fungi and bacteria and help it along

here i just put out wood and within minutes it seems its covered in fungi!
exagerating a bit...but not really. so it seems good to just set up the conditions they like and they will come =)

i see mushrooms as more helpful to the soil, and then therefore the plants through helping the soil. well thats just the way i look at it...cause i guess theres some that are directly helpful to plants- but i have no knowledge of that.

Assuming you have the right fungi for the job. You could do one of the following.
Freeze them without killing them.
Refrigerate them without killing them.
Dehydrate them without killing them.
Grow them on solid Strawbale/etc without killing them
Grow them in solution. Water, air, sugar, mineral/molasses. You would need a airstone.

I have also read that you can also add 1% oil to the solution and it improves things by aver 100%.

that's all good info, thanks.

i'm aware that annuals are supposed to benefit from bacterial-rich soils, not fungi, but i just figure that the RHS are a reputable organisation, the product must be based on research and be proven to work, and quite possibly the boffins stole the initial ideas from permaculturists! therefore i want to bypass paying them for it hmm, maybe i should propagate what's in the packet? perhaps make it into tea and try to keep a continuous supply alive, see if it will grow on bales etc etc?!

i will look at Fungi Perfecti and read up on ecto and endo fungi and try to find out where i can find them.

our no-dig mulched beds have plenty of fruiting fungi in them already, which i assume are helping break down the mulch and create healthy soil. so it's probably pointless putting this product in there as there are already dominant fungi. but i wonder whether this product can help my seedlings get off to a better start as i'm having to start them in bought compost as it's our first year and we haven't made any yet.

In the uFngi Perfecti website, in the books section, is a hefty tome on someone doing research on just this idea.

try and find it interlibrary.

there are actually 2 books in their possession, only one on the website.

only studies being done right now are on grains, but you would be in good shape digging into an old leaf pile in one of the old veggie patches in the country estate , and bringing home some moist dirt to inoculate a compost pile with.

Don't take it from a old potato patch tho, don't want those vile ones....

I have used a mushroom called Pisolithus tinctorius (dye-makers false puffball/dead man's foot) to inoculate trees, shrubs and vegetables. The mushrooms are common in Oregon (and probably in Europe/UK, too) and are easily harvested in September- I dry the mature mushrooms in the sun, then smash up the spore-filled mushrooms into a powder, then store the spores in ziplock bags in a cool, dry, dark place. This is the most commonly used species in commercial mycorrhizae products because it will form mycorrhizae with most plants that have roots, but I'm not 100% certain it will work with all non-brassica vegetables. For more info, click on the link below to go to the website of Dr. Mike Amaranthus, who makes all kinds of mycorrhizae products. His website is called "mycorrhizae.com".

http://www.mycorrhizae.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Plant-List-11-08.pdf

buy some here, there is multiple ones in the mixes,

http://fungi.com/shop/fungi-for-healthy-gardens-and-garden-supplies.html

I gather and grow mushrooms, too, but mycorrizal is impractical to gather. First of all, there are many different species. Second of all, many of the fungi are tiny. Some of these companies sell powder made of mycorrhizal powder.

Rodale has done some interesting research on this. There is a successful technique involving growing grain, inoculating it with the powder, and then planting the grain in several areas of the yard/farm. The mycorrhizals then grow with the grain. Rodale's research has involved a tropical grass that grows for a season and then dies. They do that so that the grain doesn't become invasive in the yard/farm. I'm probably going to do it with winter wheat, which is much cheaper. I'm fine with having some strands of wheat in my yard. I could use the straw to grow mushrooms. I don't want to pay a lot for tropical grasses.
John S
PDX OR

I been having an interesting thought on this subject partly due to the last post. I am a wee bit poor as are most people, certainly I would like to be wise with my money. We dont actually have to buy and use the products at the recommended rates, i am thinking we just start these in the soil and let them do their thing, they will want to spread right?

Cant we just put some down in each area we are growing in and wait?

These mushrooms give you food, improve your soil, and improve your diversity for an organic/permaculture garden. You can get wood chips to grow them on from tree services.

A good way to do this for us somewhat poor people is to check out some mushroom identification books at the library. Also look for videos on web of course. Youtube is great. Start with "4 Easy beginner mushrooms" or the like. Find out which mushrooms are easy to identify and grow well in the soil in your area. Look, observe, and ask. Join your local mycological society. On the East Coast, King Stropharia Wine Cap is an easy one to cultivate. Here in the PNW, shaggy manes are one of the easiest to identify and cultivate. Paul Stamets books and videos are the best resources in my opinion. I'm buying spawn from him, partially as a thank you for having written such excellent books and videos from the library that I got for free.
John S
PDX OR

This is an example from the web:
AMERICA'S BEST, SAFEST
EDIBLE WILD MUSHROOMS!
HEN OF THE WOODS (also known as MAITAKE or SHEEPSHEAD MUSHROOM)
Scientific name: Grifola frondosa
BEAR'S HEAD TOOTH MUSHROOM and equally delectable sibling species
Scientific name: Hericium americanum, H. coralloides, H. erinaceus, etc.
GEM-STUDDED, PEAR-SHAPED, and GIANT PUFFBALLS
Scientific names: Lycoperdon perlatum, L. pyriforme, Langermannia gigantea and others
THE SULPHUR SHELF or CHICKEN MUSHROOM
Scientific name: Laetiporus sulphureus
THE SHAGGY MANE MUSHROOM
Scientific name: Coprinus comatus
THE YELLOW and BLACK MORELS
Scientific names: Morchella esculenta and M. elata
THE BLACK TRUMPET and HORN OF PLENTY Mushrooms
Scientific names: Craterellus fallax and C. cornucopioides
THE SWEET TOOTH or HEDGEHOG Mushroom
Scientific names: Hydnum repandum and H. umbilicatum
________________________________________

oh dear, yes i want to grow some mushrooms for real but here we simply speak of garden innoculant which does not produce fruiting (mushrooms) but rather forms a relationship with the plants in the soil and makes them happy.

Despite that, I am reading your list of mushrooms because it is interesting, thanks

If you're only interested in mycorrhizal mushrooms, and not ones to eat, here are a couple of ways. One is long-term. Grow organic, bring in free wood chips from tree services. Some of them will grow over time.

Another way, like the lady posted, is to buy a bag of the mycorrhizal powder. It needs to be put on living plant roots or it will die. The best method so far is to put this dust on a living small plant when you move it or transplant it. Some people grow grains on purpose, to then transplant out into areas in which you want the mycorrhizal fungi to live.
John S
PDX OR