North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>]

> There have been discussions of foliar feeds on this group with many 
> folks saying they do nothing.  Well, nothing compared to what?  
> Nothing compared to a garden in Iowa soil I can understand.  But with 
> worthless soil, anything a plant can get is noticeably helpful.


That's a very good point, Donna. Our situations are all different. But 
one big problem with this kind of discussion, from my point of view, is 
simply that anecdotes aren't evidence. Without peer-reviewed, duplicable 
scientific research - with careful controls and, if possible, 
double-blind precautions - it's really hard to know for sure what's real 
and what's just an artifact of our expectations, beliefs, and hopes. And 
I must add that much of what I hear about mycorrhizal fungi and foliar 
sprays is from people who are selling the stuff (not that I think that 
they're lying, only that it's even easier in such a case to fool ourselves).

Let me be clear that I know NOTHING about mycorrhizal fungi (the 
original topic here) myself. I did use it when I planted my fruit trees, 
vines, and bushes in my backyard, because I figured that it couldn't 
hurt. But I have no idea if it was a waste of money or not. So I am not 
criticizing the practice. I just don't know.

But I do know that I like the scientific approach at this Horticultural 
Myths website:

http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda%20Chalker-Scott/Horticultural%20Myths_files/index.html

or

http://tinyurl.com/6d8ye6

At a quick glance, I don't see any articles about mycorrhiza, but here's 
a good example of an article about compost tea which clearly explains 
about scientific research:

http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda%20Chalker-Scott/Horticultural%20Myths_files/Myths/magazine%20pdfs/CompostTea.pdf

or

http://tinyurl.com/ct8lmq

I'm just trying to say - in my own long-winded way - that I'd prefer 
scientific evidence, one way or another, about mycorrhizal fungi, 
compost tea, and pretty much everything else that I might use in my 
life. It's not always available, in which case we must do the best we 
can. But there are always so many other factors that can affect personal 
anecdotes - including our own individual situations, as you note, but 
also our different levels of expertise, attention, expectations, and 
even chance.

Hmm,... maybe I'll send an email to Dr. Chalker-Scott requesting an 
article about mycorrhizal fungi. I really would like to know what 
scientific research there's been on adding it to new plantings. (As you 
suggest, I suspect that it depends on WHERE you're doing the planting.)

Bill
Lincoln, NE (zone 5)

--
Last September I gave my Jack Russell terrier, Daisy, all of my money to 
invest. She promptly dug a hole in my backyard and buried my entire nest 
egg. Since then, I've beaten the S & P 500 by more than 50 percent. Now, 
you're probably wondering, what if your dog isn't as smart as Daisy? No 
worries. He's probably still smarter than you. - Andy Borowitz