Over the last two years Mycorrhizal Applications® has made a lot of changes to our MycoApply® product line. Most of the changes were rooted in requests by customers for products that would better fit their needs. This article is focused on helping you choose the best product to match your needs for your greenhouse or nursery.
To facilitate the discussion, I will breakout the customers into several different categories. The first and most simple is the size of the growing operation. I am breaking it down to three different sizes: Small, Medium, and Large.
- Small Size Grower: A business that is seasonal, buys most of their plants as plugs and rooted liners, and possibly might start some plants from seed.
- Medium Size Grower: A business that both buys plugs and rooted liners and grows their own plugs and starts their own liners via un rooted cutting or tissue culture plant.
- Large Size Grower: A business that grows their own plugs and starts their own liners via un-rooted cutting or tissue culture plant.
The second breakout is whether the grower needs an Endomycorrhizal-only or an Endo/Ecto product. As a reminder almost 85% of all plants are Endomycorrhizal. This includes almost all greenhouse crops. Ectomycorrhizae account for around 10% of all plants and are commonly defined as select hardwood trees and most conifers. I am aware of a couple Ecto perennials/shrubs. Cistus and Helianthemum, both commonly called Rock Rose, are Ecto plants.
Some commercially important Ectomycorrhizal plants include:
- Alder (Endo/Ecto)
- Birch
- Filbert
- Linden
- Popular
- Arborvitae
- Chestnut
- Fir
- Madrone
- Spruce
- Arctostaphylos
- Chinquapin
- Hazelnut
- Manzanita
- Willow (Endo/Ecto)
- Aspen (Endo/Ecto)
- Cottonwood (Endo/Ecto)
- Hickory Oak
- Basswood
- Douglas fir
- Hemlock
- Pecan
- Beech
- Eucalyptus
- Larch
- Pine
To determine whether you require an Endo-only or Endo/Ecto MycoApply product, you can search for the crops you grow in our list of Mycorrhizal Status of Plant Species and Genera here: https://mycorrhizae.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Mycorrhizal-Status-of-Families-and-Genera-v1.6.pdf
Now that we have the classifications clarified, we can now move to the product suggestions.
MycoApply Product Suggestions for Small Size Growers:
For Small Sized Growers, I would suggest MycoApply® Ultrafine Endo or MycoApply® Ultrafine Endo/Ecto (Both products are OMRI Listed) that can be found in one-pound packages. These one-pound packages will give you 40 gallons of drench that you can use either as a plug dip or as a traditional drench. From my discussions with small grower retailers they prefer to dip their plugs once they arrive and then transplant them either immediately or when time allows. The two-year shelf life allows for even the smallest grower to take advantage of the power of mycorrhizae with a small input investment.
MycoApply Product Suggestions for Medium to Large Size Growers:
Medium to Large Growers that are looking for a non-OMRI Listed Endo-only solution should use MycoApply® Injector Endo. This highly soluble humic carrier-based product was developed for growers wanting to apply a drench to their young plants or a finished crop. Designed to work with mechanical injectors, a twenty-gram scoop will deliver 100 gallons of drench using a 1:100 injection ratio. MycoApply® Injector Endo is available in a 100-gram pouch. There are 10 pouches per case.
Our OMRI Listed option for Medium to Large Organic Growers is our MycoApply® Ultrafine Endo or MycoApply® Ultrafine Endo/Ecto in 20 lb. bags. This product works well with traditional mechanical injectors, but we recommend that it not be applied through a fertilizer injection system. The suggested rate is 2.7 lbs. per 100 gallons of drench.
Last but not least is the soil incorporation option. Our recommended products include MycoApply® Endo and MycoApply® Endo/Ecto. Both products are available in 40 lb. bags, and use a use a large particle clay carrier (SGN #85 granular). Our recommended soil incorporation rate is 0.95 pounds per cubic yard of soil.
All our MycoApply products are sold to greenhouse and nursery growers through an extensive distributor network. To find a distributor near you, please view our Distributor Map: https://mycorrhizae.com/mycoapply-distributor-map/
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. This fall our Sales Account Manager team will also be at select Distributor Booking Shows, the Farwest show, the CanWest show, and the Canadian Greenhouse Conference. Be sure to stop by our booth and we would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have.
