A must-have product for growers: ‘Mycorrhiza’ is a fungus that many are unfamiliar with. Capable of doubling the volume of the plant’s roots and thus significantly increasing the final amount of crop. After years of using it in traditional agriculture, the mushroom is now reaching the cannabis industry as well.
Mycorrhiza wonder fungus
One of the most magical phenomena in nature is when creatures have a symbiotic relationship beneficial to both. For example, the way bees pollinate flowers – when they feed on the flower and at the same time perform pollination that will ensure the next generation of the plant.
Such is also the connection between cannabis and a fungus that not many people know as ‘ Mycorrhizae ‘. The combination of the two ensures an abundance of sugars that are extremely essential for the fungus. The plant in turn receives a number of unique benefits that only mycorrhiza can provide.
The origin of the term “mycorrhiza” is in the Greek language (Miko – mushroom, Riza – root), and indeed mycorrhiza fungi develop mainly in the upper layers of the soil and live in perfect symbiosis with the plants, with each side receiving appropriate “consideration” for the cooperation.
The fungus ‘mycelium’, the professional name of their webs, binds to the roots of the host plant underground and helps it in 3 distinct ways:
1. Mycorrhiza takes care of the transfer of minerals from the soil to the plant through the roots. The fungus binds with the roots so that it actually increases (effectively) the surface area of the roots. By doing this it allows them to reach nutritional sources that were not within their reach before. Because mycorrhiza develops at a much faster rate than the rate of development of a plant’s root system, it actually doubles the plant’s root mass in a short time.
2. Mycorrhiza has a much faster ability to transport minerals compared to normal roots, so the plant manages to absorb the nutrients more quickly.
3. Mycorrhiza helps the plant improve resistance to various stress conditions (soil salinity, drought, extreme climatic conditions, etc.), as well as provides protection against pathogens and soil diseases.
In return for the service that the fungus provides to the surrogate plant, it receives back from it sugars that it produces in the process of photosynthesis, as well as other products such as proteins, starch and more.
Two types of mycorrhiza:
Endo-mycorrhiza – These fungi penetrate the roots of the plant, deviate from the root system and spread to the interior of the earth in an extensive network. They are beneficial to most plants, especially in the early stages of growth.
Acto-mycorrhiza – fungi that wrap the roots in an outer shell and develop an extensive network of mycelium in the soil. These fungi are mainly suitable for trees and shrubs in older stages of growth.
Growers report impressive crop addition, fertilizer savings and drought resistance. Mycorrhiza is not only a nice addition to growing cannabis but a much-needed and essential must-have product. It is now considered an integral part of the cannabis growing process.
“Mycorrhizal fungi actually have two conditions: spores, and mycelium. The spores are a kind of seed of the fungus, which contains preservatives. When the spores identify the root of a plant, thin ‘hairs’ begin to develop from it. They spread quickly in the soil and form a kind of underground network. This is the mycelium, which is actually the body of the fungus itself. The fungus breaks down nutrients that are not available to the plant, makes them available, and moves them into the roots.
Another important advantage of using mycorrhizal fungus is protection against other soil fungi that attack the root. Mycorrhiza works in several ways against other fungi. In most cases, the mycorrhizal fungus catches the fungi that damage the roots. Thus preventing them from coming into direct contact with the roots.