It is estimated that 90% of all plant species form some type of symbiotic relationship with soil fungi called mycorrhizae. There are many species of mycorrhizal fungi. Some plants form associations with only one specific species, while others can form associations with a variety of species. Mycorrhizal fungi associate with and connect to the roots of plants. The plant provides the fungi's sole source of carbon, in the form of simple sugars exuded by the roots. The fungal hyphae become an extension of the plant's roots, increasing the root's absorptive area by 10 to 1,000 times. A plant's relationship with mycorrhizal fungi brings additional benefits. The fungi
help to break down nutrients locked away in the soil, making them available to the plant. Mycorrhizal fungi also help plants to be more drought and disease resistant, and improve the consistency of soils, making them more porous. The mycorrhizae community of soils is sensitive to disturbance. With the heavy use of fertilizers and fumigants, compaction of soils on construction sites, and loss of topsoil through tillage and erosion, the populations of these beneficial fungi have greatly declined or been eliminated in some areas.
At JFNew Nursery, we begin the process of recreating and restoring soil health by inoculating all of our plant plugs with a beneficial broad-spectrum mycorrhizal fungi mix. This attention to detail and dedication to rebuilding soil communities is just one reason why we are the Midwest's premier native plant nursery.
