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What could be more satisfying? - you drench liquid fertilizer on a pale plant and within a few days it turns a lovely dark green; or you see a bug chewing on a leaf, spray it and get to watch the little #%& drop stone dead. We live in an era of quick fixes - see problem, spray problem, end problem! All due to dedicated chemists at MegaCorp Plant Food and Bug Killers. You gotta hand it to them, though. Since the end of World War II, when the major chemical companies needed to find a new market for their...

The most basic goal of mycorrhizal inoculation is to introduce any type of the beneficial fungi spores to plant roots. The nature of these fungi is to deliver nutrients and moisture to their host plants, and they can be an extremely useful tool for growers. A much more sophisticated goal would be to introduce specific types of mycorrhizal spores that represent the best possible match with a grower's specific plants in specific fields. But which of the more than 150 (so far) named types of the fungi will be the best for a given situation? Which of those types will...

An excellent article in the July/August issue of The American Gardener (the magazine of the American Horticultural Society - www.ahs.org ) has information about mycorrhizal fungi that should be of interest to both commercial growers and home gardeners. The article was authored by Doreen Howard, who was among our first customers nearly 10 years ago.She had been frustrated trying to garden in a hot, humid,Texas climate when she noticed a comment about mycorrhizae on an internet discussion site and decided to try our inoculant. In Doreen's own words, "That purchase proved to be a turning point in my gardening life....

One of the most logical candidates for biological methods is a lawn. By simply creating favorable conditions for beneficial microbial organisms and providing a broad range of minor/trace minerals, grass can thrive with no added fertilization beyond clippings and will be far more drought resistant than chemically dependent turf grown in lifeless soils. There will also be no thatch build-up, as the clippings are happily eaten by the large populations of soil organisms (and then, of course, their excretions become free fodder for the grass). A mulching mower is advised - don't routinely remove clippings. For new lawns, we recommend...

I recently noticed an interesting article in an agricultural trade paper that described the results of a Michigan State University tomato trial.The researchers designed a program to test plant response to various water inputs, and found that withholding water for three to five weeks after transplanting resulted in a yield increases of up to 15% while using 40% less irrigation water. These results were duplicated in two consecutive growing seasons, working in partnership with southwestern Michigan farmers. The article did note that it is critical that the soil be moist at planting time - see www.greeen.msu.edu As an explanation for...