Mycorrhiza

For more than 120 years, it has been known that trees living in mycorrhizal symbiosis profit greatly from this combination, and are able to establish themselves even in extreme locations simply through this partnership. Urban trees and trees lining roads, suffer the greatest deficits in mycorrhiza fungi.

Through targeted application of mycorrhiza, it is possible to support the healthy growth of trees, in particular those in stressful situations.

GEFA Mycorrhiza Fungus vaccine

The choice of the right mycorrhiza is crucial. Because in nature it is simply the case that certain types of fungus occur on certain types of trees and only then does a fully functional symbiosis arise. The same applies to other soil organisms that are also used as soil additives. Trichoderma, a soil fungus that is mainly used against harmful fungal diseases, and various types of bacteria and strains of Bacillus, which also have protective functions and ensure a better supply of nutrients to the plants, are particularly well-known.

In extensive laboratory and greenhouse tests, the appropriate Bacillus cultures were tested for our various mycorrhizal vaccines so that the efficiency of the respective symbiotic fungi is reliably maintained. The advantages of the symbiosis double pack were evident in the Growth of the plants, with the degree of mycorrhization and the fine root branching.

In our manufacturing process, the mycorrhiza vaccines are always attracted to the plants for which they can be used in the last production step, so at GEFA you only get tree-species-specific, highly infectious mycorrhiza like them (e.g.) in the FLL- Regulations "Recommendations for Tree Planting, Part 2" are provided.

And our vaccines are real vaccines! Not substrates or fertilizers with mycorrhizal admixtures, which are often cheaper compared to liter prices, but are much more expensive as a vaccine in relation to the required concentration or can even lead to over-fertilization.

Purchase Mycorrhiza

Ectomycorrhiza

ektos = outside

Ectomycorrhiza include the tasty fungi (truffles), uneatable fungi (bitter russule) and the poisonous varieties (fly agaric). Almost all of these form fruiting bodies and are visible to the naked eye on fine roots. Typical symbiosis partners: Oak, beech, hornbeam, fir, spruce, pine and some other tree varieties lime, poplar and willow can form or possess both ectomycorrhiza and endomycorrhiza. However, ectomycorrhiza tend to be found on older trees and in drier soils.

Mycorrhiza against drought stress

The fact that plants are only supplied with water via the root hairs and the outer cell layer of the not yet lignified fine roots (rhizodermis cells) is not even true for 10% of land plants. Over 90% live in fungus-root symbioses (mycorrhiza), in which the fungus partners take over this service for the most part. With ectomycorrhizal fungi, the formation of root hairs is even actively prevented by hormonal suppression. B. on beech or oak in forest locations hardly ever find root hairs.

Very fine roots (up to 0.5 mm Ø) can only penetrate into larger soil cavities - if they are present - and absorb water there with root hairs (approx. 0.01 mm) from coarse pores (0.05 - 0.01 mm) . Fungal hyphae, which are the thread-like cells of fungi however, mostly only 0.002 to 0.003 mm thick. Therefore, they can also open up part of the central pores (0.01 - 0.0002). This enables fungi, and thus the tree, to take around 30% more water from the vicinity of the roots - this additional supply alone can decide whether it is damaged or even ultimately wilting.

The positive effect is even greater through the "extra radical mycelium", these are fungal hyphae outside the root that spread from the mycorrhizae into the surrounding soil.

This fungal network considerably enlarges the outer, receptive surface of the roots and multiplies the receptivity for water and nutrients. For endomycorrhizal fungi, this fungal network has been shown to be 12 cm and even up to 25 cm from the root.

For ectomycorrhiza-forming types of fungi, a distinction is made between spreading types that span distances of different distances - up to 10 cm. If the fine, thread-like hyphae bundle to form hyphae associations (rhizomorphs), these can often reach several decimeters or even meters into the ground. In such transport rhizomorphs, the flow rate for water and nutrients is significantly increased. This is achieved by the fact that hyphae from the central area increase their diameter considerably and the transverse walls completely or partially dissolve, so that the form and function of the rhizomorphs resemble plant roots.

The symbiotic fungi also stimulate the root to develop more root tips, which then leads to further colonization by mycorrhizal fungi of other species.

In young plants, under the influence of mycorrhiza, it was also observed that the formation of new roots was increased and the roots penetrated into significantly deeper soil layers.

In the case of forest plantings, which are very often delivered and stored with bare roots, mycorrhization of the fine roots can provide protection against evaporation, so that drying out is effectively reduced and damage caused by drying out does not occur significantly longer.

* Text by: Dr. Jürgen Kutscheidt

Mycorrhiza

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GEFA Mycorrhiza Fungus vaccine

Endo Mycorrhiza

Ectomycorrhiza

Mycorrhiza against drought stress

Mycorrhizal species