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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Market-farming Digest, Vol 85, Issue 31

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Johnathan Yelenick <yelenick AT riseup.net>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Market-farming Digest, Vol 85, Issue 31
  • Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:33:06 -0700

Etrenne,
You are right. Mycorrhiza are obligate symbionts, generally not present if their plant associates are not present. It's true that what is breaking down the lignin and cellulose in wood are characteristically saprophitic fungi; their mycelial hyphae being the white the threads people see. Supposition #2 of yours is true as well, generally that mychorrhizae are species specific.
Regards,
Johnathan Yelenick
Blacktail Permaculture Farm


Message: 2
Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2010 07:44:10 -0500
From: Etienne Goyer <etienne.goyer AT outlands.ca>
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] wood chips
To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <4B7A931A.7 AT outlands.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

prmsdlndfrm AT aol.com wrote:
Wood chips being all carbon will use up available nitrogen in order to break
down, but once broke down will release all the nitrogen back to the soil.
Available nitrogen also regulates the speed at which the carbon material
decomposes. Many fungi forming mycorrhiza roots can obtain some nitrogen
from the air, but as with the tree lying in the forest it takes a long time
to decompose. Chipping wood makes many more surfaces for colonization by
fungi (whose roots form the mycorrhiza realationships) and thus breaks down
faster. The best use for wood chips is as an ingredient for compost, one part
nitrogen to two parts carbon. The resulting heat will pasteurize all weed
seeds diseases and to an extent neutralize any chemical contaminants (though
maybe not 100 percent so use caution) The resulting compost will be rich with
the mycorrhiza and other soil organisms. Also with the proper carbon nitrogen
balance, moisture, and churning the chips can break down in a matter of week
s.


Two observations:

1. Mycorrhizal fungi grows in symbiotic association with the roots, not
on decaying matters (such as wood chips). What's growing on your wood
chips are saprophyte specialized in breaking down lignine; it is good
stuff, but I doubt it colonize living plant's root mass.

2. My understanding is that mycorrhiza are species-specific; that is,
one specific strain of fungi colonize the roots of a specific plant
species (or a handful of related species). As such, the mycorrhizal
fungi you would get from forest soil may not be the appropriate type for
garden vegetables.


I could very much be wrong: I am *far* from expert, the above is just
stuff I picked right and left in my readings. Maybe we have someone who
studied mycology on the list that could shed some light on the question.




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