Well, it seems that more and more soil products at garden stores now "contain mycorrhizae." Guess we've arrived, eh? Actually, to be accurate, the labels should say "contains mycorrhizal fungi propagules" as mycorrhizae is the term that describes the actual linking of a plant with the fungi, but why quibble over semantics?
Of course, a close reading of the labels always reveals propagule content nearly as microscopic as the fungi themselves, so it's more of a marketing pitch than a serious ingredient. Still, any recognition of biological organisms is probably a good thing, and we appreciate our commercial customers who are adding our products to their potting soils and soil additives. One told me that by blending in MycoMinerals, they have completely eliminated transplant shock in their nursery operation - their seedlings are now much sturdier and tougher. Another is getting near 100% germination from tree seeds in as little as nine days, where before the rate was only about 50% in 28-40 days. It does make a difference.
On another topic, I wonder how many of you are receiving spam emails supposedly from BioOrganics? It seems that some vermin are using our name to send out sales pitches for the usual phony stuff. It's SO nice to receive spam that's supposedly coming from myself. My server says that its usually a waste of time trying to stop them, as they are probably in a foreign country and use clever methods to avoid detection. It's one of the hazards of publishing a business's email address, I'm afraid. (Sigh.)
You might want to look at our web site. All the old newsletters from previous years have been arranged in a more orderly form so they are easier to sort through for topics that might interest you.
For the gardeners among you, remember that beans and onions are among the most responsive of plants to mycorrhizal fungi - it's not just for tomatoes, peppers, melons, and squash. Scatter a little inoculant under one section of a row of beans and do your own grow-test comparison this season.
Cheers, and good growing,
Don Chapman
BioOrganics