What Are Mycos? Down To Earth Fertilizers

Summary

Mycorrhizal fungi, also known as mykos, form a symbiotic relationship with plants, benefiting gardeners by improving nutrient and water absorption. These fungi, belonging to the same group as mushrooms, grow root-like structures called hyphae that extend beyond the plant’s roots, accessing nutrients in small spaces. This partnership, which dates back 450 million years, allows plants to thrive by exchanging sugars for essential resources. However, some plants, like those in the Brassica family, do not benefit from this relationship. Modern soils, especially near new developments, often lack these fungi due to human activity.

Takeaways

• 🍄 The term 'mycorrhizal fungi' comes from 'myko' (Latin for fungus) and 'rhiza' (Greek for root).
• 🌱 Mycorrhizal fungi form beneficial relationships with plants, helping them access nutrients and water.
• 🍎 A mushroom is the fruiting body of a larger fungus organism, similar to an apple growing from a tree.
• 🔬 Hyphae, the root-like tubes of fungi, are tiny, often invisible to the human eye, and can be as thin as a tenth to a fiftieth of a human hair.
• 🤝 Mycorrhizal fungi and plants have had a symbiotic relationship for over 450 million years, exchanging sugars and nutrients.
• 🌍 Around 80-95% of land plants benefit from mycorrhizal relationships, improving their nutrient intake and growth.
• 🚰 Mycorrhizal fungi help plant roots reach nutrients and water that they otherwise couldn't access, improving plant health.
• 🛑 Some plants, such as those in the Brassica family (broccoli, cabbage, etc.), do not benefit from mycorrhizal fungi.
• 🚜 Human activities like the use of pesticides, fungicides, and heavy machinery have reduced mycorrhizal fungi populations in many soils.
• 🌱 Commercial mycorrhizal fungi products are now available to help reintroduce these organisms into depleted garden soils.

Q & A

What is the origin of the term 'mycorrhizal'?

The term 'mycorrhizal' comes from the combination of two words: 'myko,' derived from the Latin word for fungus, and 'rhiza,' from the Greek word for root.

What role do mycorrhizal fungi play in gardening?

Mycorrhizal fungi form a symbiotic relationship with plants, helping them absorb nutrients and water from the soil in exchange for sugars produced by the plant through photosynthesis.

How do mycorrhizal fungi compare to mushrooms?

Both mycorrhizal fungi and mushrooms belong to the fungus kingdom. A mushroom is the fruiting body of a larger organism, while mycorrhizal fungi consist of a network of root-like tubes called hyphae.

What are hyphae, and how small are they?

Hyphae are root-like structures of fungi that form an interconnected network. They are very small, between one-tenth to one-fiftieth the width of a human hair, making many of them invisible to the naked eye.

When did plants and fungi first form a symbiotic relationship?

Plants and fungi first formed a symbiotic, or mutually beneficial, relationship more than 450 million years ago.

What is the benefit of mycorrhizal fungi to plants?

Mycorrhizal fungi help plants access nutrients and water from the soil, particularly in areas that the plant's roots cannot reach. In return, the plant provides the fungi with sugars produced during photosynthesis.

What happens if a seed is planted in soil without mycorrhizal fungi?

If planted without mycorrhizal fungi, the plant's roots must expend more energy searching for nutrients and water, which limits their access to these resources and reduces growth efficiency.

How do mycorrhizal fungi connect with a plant's roots?

When a plant sends out signals, nearby mycorrhizal fungi respond by growing hyphae toward the plant's roots. Once they reach the roots, they penetrate them and begin exchanging nutrients with the plant.

Which plants do not benefit from mycorrhizal fungi?

Certain plants, such as those in the Brassica family (e.g., broccoli, cabbage, radishes, and kale), as well as beets, chard, blueberries, cranberries, and rhododendrons, do not benefit from mycorrhizal fungi.

Why do some soils lack mycorrhizal fungi, and what can gardeners do to restore them?

Soils can lack mycorrhizal fungi due to factors like the use of fungicides, pesticides, heavy machinery, or leaving soil bare for extended periods. Gardeners can restore mycorrhizal populations by applying commercial mixes that reintroduce these organisms.

Outlines

00:00

🍄 What Are Mycorrhizal Fungi?

This paragraph introduces the concept of mycorrhizal fungi, often referred to as 'mykos,' explaining that the term comes from Latin and Greek words for 'fungus' and 'root.' These fungi, which belong to the same kingdom as mushrooms, form symbiotic relationships with plants. The fungi help plants by providing nutrients and water in exchange for sugars produced through photosynthesis. Most plants benefit from this relationship, dating back over 450 million years.

🌱 The Role of Mycorrhizal Fungi in Plant Growth

The paragraph explains how mycorrhizal fungi support plant growth by forming a network of hyphae that extend far beyond plant roots. Without fungi, plants expend energy growing roots to find nutrients and water. However, when mycorrhizal fungi are present, they grow hyphae towards plant roots, creating structures that allow the exchange of nutrients and water. This network greatly enhances a plant’s access to essential resources, even those outside the reach of its roots.

🚫 Plants That Don’t Benefit from Mycorrhizal Fungi

Although most plants benefit from mycorrhizal fungi, this paragraph highlights exceptions. Plants in the Brassica family (such as broccoli, cabbage, and kale), as well as beets, chard, blueberries, cranberries, and rhododendrons, are mentioned as those that typically do not benefit from these fungi.

🛠️ Human Impact on Mycorrhizal Populations

This paragraph discusses how human activities like the application of fungicides, pesticides, heavy machinery use, and leaving soil barren for extended periods have reduced or eliminated mycorrhizal fungi in some soils. New residential and commercial areas are particularly affected by this depletion. Only recently have commercial products been developed to reintroduce these essential fungi into garden soils.

Keywords

💡Mycorrhizal fungi

Mycorrhizal fungi are fungi that form symbiotic relationships with plants by connecting to their roots, allowing the exchange of nutrients. In the video, they are described as beneficial to gardeners because they help plants absorb nutrients and water from the soil, improving plant growth.

💡Hyphy

Hyphy are the thread-like structures formed by fungi. They are tiny, sometimes a tenth to a fiftieth of the width of a human hair, and extend through the soil. In the video, they are mentioned as forming a network that helps plants access nutrients beyond the reach of their roots.

💡Symbiotic relationship

A symbiotic relationship is a mutually beneficial interaction between two organisms. The video explains how plants and mycorrhizal fungi share a symbiotic relationship: plants provide the fungi with sugars, while fungi supply plants with nutrients and water.

💡Nutrients

Nutrients refer to essential elements that plants need to grow, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The video highlights how mycorrhizal fungi help plants access nutrients in the soil, making them more readily available for plant roots.

💡Spores

Spores are reproductive cells that can grow into a new organism, in this case, fungi. In the video, mycorrhizal spores are mentioned as responding to plant signals and growing hyphy that connect to plant roots, establishing the symbiotic relationship.

💡Fungicides and pesticides

Fungicides and pesticides are chemicals used to kill fungi and pests. The video explains that their use can harm naturally occurring mycorrhizal fungi populations in the soil, reducing the soil's fertility and making it harder for plants to access nutrients.

💡Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert sunlight into chemical energy, producing sugars. The video mentions that plants provide these sugars to mycorrhizal fungi in exchange for nutrients and water, emphasizing the symbiotic exchange between them.

💡Brassica family

The Brassica family includes plants like broccoli, cabbage, radishes, and kale. The video explains that plants in this family do not benefit from mycorrhizal fungi, highlighting an exception to the general rule that most plants benefit from this symbiotic relationship.

💡Soil degradation

Soil degradation refers to the decline in soil quality, often caused by human activities. In the video, soil degradation is linked to practices such as the use of heavy machinery and leaving soils barren, which can reduce mycorrhizal fungi populations, negatively affecting plant health.

💡Commercial mycorrhizal mixes

Commercial mycorrhizal mixes are products available to reintroduce mycorrhizal fungi into garden soils. The video mentions these mixes as a solution for restoring fungal populations in areas where natural mycorrhizal fungi have been depleted, such as around newly built residential and commercial properties.

Highlights

The term mycorrhizal fungi, sometimes called mykos, comes from the Latin word for fungus (Maiko) and the Greek word for root (Raisa).

Mycorrhizal fungi belong to the same group as mushrooms and are part of the fungus kingdom.

Mushrooms are the fruiting body of a larger organism that forms an interconnected network of root-like tubes called hyphae.

Most hyphae are extremely small, between a tenth to a fiftieth of the width of a human hair, making many invisible to the human eye.

Over 450 million years ago, certain types of plants and fungi formed a symbiotic, mutually beneficial relationship.

In this symbiotic relationship, plants provide fungi with sugars produced through photosynthesis, while fungi provide plants with nutrients and water.

80 to 95 percent of land plants benefit from some type of mycorrhizal relationship.

Without mycorrhizal fungi, plant roots must extend further and expend more energy to find nutrients and water.

When mycorrhizal spores are present, they grow hyphae that respond to plant signals and form structures to exchange resources with the plant.

Mycorrhizal fungi create an extensive network that allows plants to access nutrients and water beyond the reach of their roots.

Hyphae are so small they can access nutrients in the tiny spaces between plant roots, enhancing nutrient availability.

Most commonly grown plants benefit from mycorrhizal applications, but exceptions include the Brassica family (broccoli, cabbage, radishes, kale), beets, chard, blueberries, cranberries, and rhododendron.

Fungicides, pesticides, heavy machinery, and leaving soils bare for long periods can reduce mycorrhizal fungi populations.

Newly built residential and commercial areas often have soils lacking in mycorrhizal fungi.

Commercial mycorrhizal mixes have only recently become available to reintroduce these important organisms into garden soils.

Transcripts

you may have heard the term mycorrhizal

fungi sometimes called mykos in recent

years but what exactly are they the

origins of the word offered the simplest

explanation Maiko comes from the Latin

word for fungus and Raisa is Greek for

root these fungus roots can be greatly

beneficial to gardeners

mycorrhizae fungi belonged to the same

group as mushrooms

the fungus kingdom a mushroom is similar

to an apple it is the fruiting body of a

larger organism

but rather than growing from a tree the

mushroom is formed from an

interconnected network of root like

tubes called hyphy most hyphy are very

small between a tenth to a fiftieth of

the width of a human hair making many of

them invisible to the human eye

more than 450 million years ago certain

types of plants and fungi formed a

symbiotic or mutually beneficial

relationship with each other the plants

give the fungi sugars that they produce

through photosynthesis in exchange the

fungi give the plants nutrients and

water that they extract from the soil 80

to 95 percent of land plants benefit

from some type of micro Raizel

relationship

what does this mean for gardeners let's

say you plant a seed in soil without any

mycorrhizal fungi the plant's roots will

go out in search of nutrients and water

to feed its growth as the available

resources are used up in one area the

roots grow further and further out

expending more and more of the plants

energy now let's introduce some

mycorrhizal spores the plant sends

signals out to any mycorrhizal fungi in

the area and the spores respond by

growing hyphy in the direction of the

signal

if a spore is able to find the roots of

the plant the hyphy will penetrate the

roots and begin to grow structures that

allow for the plant and the fungi to

exchange resources

the mycorrhizal fungi will now begin to

grow an extensive cotton ball like mass

that will give the plant access not only

to the nutrients and water outside the

reach of its roots but since the hyphy

are so small they can access nutrients

in the small spaces between the roots as

well though most commonly grown plants

will benefit from mycorrhizal

applications there are a few exceptions

the Brassica family which includes

plants such as broccoli cabbage radishes

and kale is one beets chard blueberries

cranberries and rhododendron are some

others

though mycorrhizal fungi are naturally

occurring in most soils the application

of fungicides and pesticides the use of

heavy machinery and leaving soils

without any plant growth for weeks at a

time have created soils with little or

no mycorrhizal fungi populations the

ground surrounding newly built

residential neighborhoods and commercial

properties is particularly lacking only

in recent years have commercial mixes

become available to reintroduce these

important organisms back into garden

soils

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