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- From: lee reich <lreich@hvc.rr.com>
- To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives
- Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 10:59:40 -0400
Lon, mycorrhizae are wonderful plant-fungi symbiosises benefitting plants in many ways, but let's not start ascribing benefits to them that don't exist. You might "personally feel" that mycorrhizae allow your blueberries to tolerate higher pH's but that remains to be proven scientifically. Could you cite any studies that show mycorrhizae causing permanent pH changes. (I don't recall any.) Also, while "regular supplies of organic matter" might create nice conditions for mycorrhiza (such as moister soil), contrary to what you wrote, mycorrhizae do not feed on dead organic matter -- your leaves, for instance. It's totally possible for this association to thrive in soils lacking any organic matter. When I was researching mycorrhizae as part of my studies with Cornell, I grew innoculum on the roots of leeks planted in pure montmorillonite clay chips. There are a number of reasons your blueberries may not be suffering in your pH 6 ("at least") soil. First of all, pH 6 is high for blueberries, but not super high. Secondly, adding abundant organic matter to any soil ameliorates to some degree the effects of pH. Thirdly, adding organic matter itself acidifies the soil. The effect is temporary, but you evidently keep adding organic matter. And finally, there's always the possibility of inaccurate pH measurement or soil sampling. So I seriously doubt whether mycorrhizae are responsible for your blueberries apparent tolerance to high pH. Furthermore, it's doubtful whether your innoculating them had any benefit. I also did some studies when I worked for the USDA on blueberries and mycorrhizae. In my experiments, the mycorrhizal innoculum was so ubiquitous that even uninnoculated plants became mycorrhizal. This may not be true everywhere, but probably is so in North America and many other places. In summary, appreciate mycorrhizae, but don't waste money buying them; add plenty of organic matter to your soil to keep your plants happy; if the soil is not in the preferred pH 4-5 range for blueberries, add sulfur. Lee Reich, PhD Books by Lee Reich: Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden A Northeast Gardener's Year The Pruning Book Weedless Gardening On Oct 14, 2005, at 8:01 PM, Lon J. Rombough wrote:
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[NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives,
Richard Moyer, 10/14/2005
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Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives,
Lon J. Rombough, 10/14/2005
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Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives,
lee reich, 10/17/2005
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Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives,
Doreen Howard, 10/17/2005
- Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives, Thomas Olenio, 10/17/2005
- Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives, Lee Reich, 10/18/2005
- Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives, Lon J. Rombough, 10/17/2005
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Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives,
Stephen Sadler, 10/18/2005
- Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives, Ken Heronheart, 10/18/2005
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Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives,
Doreen Howard, 10/17/2005
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Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives,
lee reich, 10/17/2005
- <Possible follow-up(s)>
- Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives, , 10/15/2005
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Re: [NAFEX] Blueberry planting alternatives,
Lon J. Rombough, 10/14/2005
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