September 2019 Update: MycoApply® Injector Endo is now registered and available for sale in all US States, including California, Hawaii, and Alaska, as well as Washington DC!
Many of Mycorrhizal Applications’ recent ornamental horticulture and turf product line innovations have been sparked by direct requests from the market, especially from growers themselves and/or the distributors who serve ornamental horticulturists (for example, the new 1 lb. package options for MycoApply® Ultrafine Endo and MycoApply® Ultrafine Endo/Ecto). The latest addition to the MycoApply® horticulture and turf family of products is no exception!
History
When Mycorrhizal Applications began to reinvigorate our presence in the professional turf and ornamental markets in the Spring of 2016, we started by selling products that had been previously developed by the company for use and applications in other markets like landscaping, forestry, and agriculture. After the past several years of working with horticultural distributors and visiting growers, it became apparent that there was a bit of a gap in Mycorrhizal Application’s product line and its ability to serve ornamental growers of all sizes. After looking at the competition in the horticultural market, we realized that our competitors likewise had a similar void in their product lines.
What we determined was that large growers and the distributors that serve them were looking for a highly concentrated product that could be applied as a drench via a horticulture injection dosing system. Fortunately, we were able to work with Mycorrhizal Application’s Grants Pass Oregon Technology and R&D team to develop a brand new product to meet this demand: MycoApply® Injector Endo. This same team had developed similar highly concentrated agricultural products for Valent U.S.A. (our sister company and exclusive US MycoApply® agriculture distributor) and other Sumitomo affiliates around the world. The goal was to develop something that would work using the typical 1:100 ratio horticulture injector. The product we had been recommending previously (MycoApply® Ultrafine Endo) worked in an injector, but required constant agitation and often left a clay residue in the injector tank. Growers also wanted a product that was more soluble, so we went to the drawing board to determine the best carrier for this purpose. (However, you can never create a completely soluble mycorrhizal drench since the root fragments and spores that make up a mycorrhizal inoculant will never go into solution while remaining viable. When a mycorrhizal product is run through an injector, the grower needs to remove the bottom screen (similar to what they do for beneficial nematodes) of their injector when they apply the drench. Any screen or nozzle on the applicator needs to have an opening of #50 mesh (297 microns) or larger to allow the mycorrhizae to pass.)
Birth of a New Product
The use of a humic carrier for MycoApply Injector Endo improves the uniform suspendability of this product in the injector stock tank.
As I mentioned earlier, one of our objectives in this new product development was to create a new product that could easily go into suspension in one gallon of water in the injector stock tank. At the same time, we wanted the volume to be enough so that it was easy to measure by the grower. The end result of our new product development work was a 20 gram application dose diluted into 100 gallons of water, applied via a 20-gram scoop (similar to what you would use to make instant lemonade). Mycorrhizal Application’s Technology team was able to reduce the volume of product needed in suspension in the stock tank to 1.6% of the volume of MycoApply Ultrafine Endo that would be needed for the same application. The carrier was also upgraded from fine clay powder to a humic acid (which also offers a bio-stimulant effect).
This new four species MycoApply® Injector Endo mycorrhizal product will be sold through Mycorrhizal Applications distributor network. A list of distributors by state is available under Professionals on our website’s Distributor Map. The product will be sold in 100 grams pouches, allowing for five applications and each pouch comes with a 20-gram scoop. With a two-year shelf life, the MycoApply product should be easily used up by the grower before the product reaches its expiration date.
In addition to the easy to read label and Application/Specification Sheet, Mycorrhizal Applications has also developed a more detailed MycoApply Injector Endo Drench Application Recommendations sheet. The actual directions are simple, one 20-gram scoop per one gallon of water, insert injector, adjust to 1:100, then apply via 100-gallons of drench. However, the Application Recommendations sheet contains a lot of valuable information. As an example, the volume of water/suspension that needs to be applied to a propagation tray is 360 milliliters. A propagation tray is defined as a tray with cells more than 1.5 “ deep and cell counts less than 128.
On the reverse side is all the information you need to use MycoApply Injector Endo via a boom sprayer. Large plug/propagation growers now have the perfect product to apply mycorrhizae to your crop. We offer boom spray application rates for both area of treated plants (10 square feet) and per 1,000 plants. Most of the information is available in American and metric formats.
Costs
MycoApply Injector Endo is applied at a rate of 20 grams (scoop included) per 1 gallon of water in the injector stock tank, diluted through a 1:100 ratio injector.
Saving the best information for last is the cost to treat a propagation tray. If you have read my previous articles, one of the most important messages I try to share is: it is best to treat plants during propagation. My reasoning is twofold: 1) to save money (lower cost to treat a smaller soil volume) and 2) to start the process sooner (typically takes four weeks until the plants start to see benefits after an application and eight weeks before a grower will start to visibly see the benefits), so you can start to benefit from the application of mycorrhizae sooner. Benefits typically are not as visible to the grower until the plant is planted into a finishing container. Using the Mycorrhizal Applications suggested grower price, the cost to treat a propagation tray is a little over five cents per tray. That translates to a cost per plant in a 72 tray of $0.0007 per plant. Considering all the potential benefits to the grower, the retailer, the landscaper or home owner will experience, the use of mycorrhizae is a solid winner in the cost verses benefits calculations.
For more information about MycoApply Injector Endo, please view the product’s webpage on our website: CLICK HERE. Additional resources available on the page include an SDS and the application/specification sheet.
If you have any questions about anything covered in this article, please contact us at 866-476-7800 or email us at inquiries@mycorrhizae.com.
Article by: Blair Busenbark – Mycorrhizal Applications’ Sales & Commercial Marketing Manager
May 16, 2019 – Updated September 11, 2019
