Mycorrhizal Fungi: How it benefits your Soil & Hydroponic system

Mycorrhizal fungi indoors and out

When you’re growing hydroponically, you are in control of all the nutrients available to your plants. But when you’re growing in a soil-based media, nature takes over. While you can still add fertilizers to supplement plant nutrient needs, it’s the microfauna and microflora in the soil that does a lot of the work for you.

Soil, in contrast to a contained hydroponics system, is itself a living organism. Beneficial bacteria, insects, arthropods and beneficial fungi are the engines that drive soil productivity. In soil, it’s the living inhabitants that break down organic matter, making nutrients available to your plants.

One of the most powerful residents in your soil is mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi is a network of interconnected fungal root-like tissues in the soil that help boost nutrient availability and uptake by plants.

Mycorrhizal fungi live beneath the soil, attaching with root-like threads to soil, plant roots and even to mulch that is decomposing. These white colored “threads” are actually the mycelial filaments of fungi – or the “body” of the fungus. The mushroom caps you see above ground are actually the fruiting bodies of the fungi that produce spores; sort of like a flower.

Mycorrhizal fungi not only helps to break down organic matter in the soil, it also acts as an extension of your plant’s root system. The thin filaments actually join with the cells in plant roots, growing into them and create a bridge over which nutrients can be transferred. The plants provide sugars to the fungi, while the fungi provide nutrients like phosphorus to the plant. Essentially, it’s a symbiotic relationship that significantly expands the reach of a plant’s own root system.

Mycorrhizal fungi helps plants absorb nutrients more efficiently and take up nutrients that are often bound up in the soil. They even release enzymes that break down compounds to make nutrients more available to your plants.

If you grow an outdoor garden, grow edibles in raised beds, or use patio containers to grow your plants, there are liquid and powder products you can apply to introduce and encourage mycorrhizal fungi to proliferate in your soil.

But wait, did you know you can also introduce mycorrhizal fungi to your plants grown in hydroponic systems?

Certain mycorrhizal fungi products can be introduced into your growing system just as you would any other powder based additive. If you’re looking to boost flowering and fruiting, get the most from your nutrient solution, improve water and nutrient storage and expand root systems, you should consider using mycorrhizal fungi.

Just make sure you select a product that is labeled for use in hydroponic systems.

Boosting levels of mycorrhizal fungi in your soil and hydroponic system is a great way to help your plants help themselves in an eco-friendly and sustainable way.