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DIEHARD™
mycorrhizal inoculants are formulated as transplant soil
amendments, injectables, and bare root preparations to
inoculate landscape trees and shrubs, flowerbeds, established
trees and shrubs and bare root seedlings with live beneficial
mycorrhizal fungi. The inoculant contains highly selected
strains of low host specificity endo- and ectomycorrhizal
fungi that will quickly colonize the roots of new transplants
to provide the best possible conditions for the roots to
become mycorrhizal during the establishment period and beyond. The mycorrhizal inoculants are combined with other beneficial
fungi (Trichoderma), humic acids, biostimulants,
beneficial bacteria, soluble sea kelp, yucca plant extracts
and organic soil conditioners to promote rapid root
development. To many formulations Horta-Sorb® water management gels
are added to these inoculants to reduce transplant stress and
watering maintenance, and to slow the release of all soluble
components. The results are better survival and growth rates
and less watering.
For convenience, consistency, and to reduce waste, many
products are available in pre-measured, labeled bags.
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| What
Does Mycorrhizae Do? |
The full story of what effect mycorrhizal roots have on
plants is still evolving. We know that some plants cannot
live without mycorrhizal roots. We also know there are some
plants that do not need mycorrhizae. Most brassicas, for
example, which include broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage,
and cauliflower, do not associate with mycorrhizal fungi.
But the fact is that nearly all plant life is dependent on
the association with mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi
grow through the soil by extending its hyphae, which are the
"roots" of the fungus, into the soil. These "roots" are
extremely fibrous and engulf every tiny crack and cranny in
the soil that absorb water and nutrients in solution for a
more efficient uptake by the roots of the plant.
The only food source for mycorrhizal fungi comes from the
plant. Thus, if anything begins to slow the food source,
the mycorrhizal fungi becomes more active, and aggressive,
to feed its host - the roots of the plant. This is why
plants in stressed conditions benefit from mycorrhizal
roots. Regardless of the cause, i.e., drought, heat, high
salt, windburn, freeze, parasites, negative organisms, etc.,
mycorrhizae has evolved for millions of years to bring
relief to the plant. Mycorrhizae are a natural phenomenon.
In 1996, the USDA Agricultural Research Service reported a
study where young trees were planted in a thinned forest
next to mature trees. The scientist studied where the foods
feeding the young trees was coming from . What they
discovered was unexpected, yet very natural. A great deal
of the food supplied to the young trees actually came from
the mature trees through the transfer of foods at the hyphae
level between the hyphae of the mature trees and that of the
mycorrhizae associated with the young trees. Although no
one has yet given good scientific fact for this to occur,
isn't the parent feeding the child a natural, predictable
phenomenon?
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Why Inoculate?
Why Inoculate?
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The reason we need to inoculate is because standard
nursery and greenhouse practices do not provide many of
the natural systems that indeed plants have evolved
with. In nature nothing happens without a reason.
Nursery and greenhouse performance is measured by
production and providing their customers with plants
that they specify. Users of nursery products specify according
to size, shape, spread, and other physical
characteristics. Have you ever read, or heard of, a
specification that required a complete plant both
physically, and botanically? The industry ignores plant and soil systems below/beyond the
physical appearance required by customer requirements.
Horticultural buyers, both commercial and home owners,
buy/specify based upon what the plant looks like and
disregard any measure of "what is a complete, health
plant".
As a result of this viewpoint the nursery industry has
been producing, and selling, plants that are not
naturally complete. Because nearly all plants are not
complete without the mycorrhizal association they are
relatively fragile and can quickly die if not maintained
intensively. We have this perfect system available to
us but we have ignored it and instead employed billions
of dollars in chemicals to control growth and predators.
Imagine for a moment that an experiment was done to see
if cows, chickens, and hogs could be cloned to produce
"super strains" for food stocks. The experiment
was conducted in sterile production facilities and then
the animals were released into managed farmlands to
further grow before harvest. How do you think they
would do, on there own, with no developed immune system.
With no developed natural systems to fight off disease,
infection, or the hardships of reality like lack of
water, food, and shelter. The animals would surely
parish and the experimenters would conclude that this
production practice was unsuccessful. But isn't
this the way we grow plants?
In the
plant world we clone plants. We control every
aspect of growth for the plant and WE manage all of the
inputs, like water fertilizer, etc., and spend billions
of dollars annually keeping the predators away.
Plants grow in sterile mixes, sterile greenhouses, and
we manipulate plant growth to the highest degree
possible to produce the plant in the fastest possible
time at the lowest possible cost. Then we send
them to a retail garden center or the wholesale
landscape yard. Next stop is the landscape and
that's when many of the systems that Mother Nature has
perfected over millions of years are needed for the
plant to flourish.
Horticultural classes in our universities and technical
schools give little attention to the topic of
mycorrhizae - but this is changing rapidly. Because of
the pressure the typical nurserymen has to turn
inventory, little, if any attention, has been given to
the natural health of the plant. Thus the nursery
industry produces plants that are not naturally
complete. Because nearly all plants are not complete
without the mycorrhizal association they are relatively
fragile and can quickly die if not maintained
intensively. Newly installed plants today are an
immediate target for predators because they lack natural
immune systems and defense mechanisms that plants have
evolved with and are found in health plants both in
managed and natural settings. These systems, which have
evolved over hundreds of millions of years, are in the
truest sense State-Of-Art systems that are as perfect as
nature can provide. Today our culture wants to use less
harmful systems to manage plants. We are interested to
know how to stop polluting our water tables and our air
with chemicals. All of us are awakening with the
knowledge of what our past abuses have done to our
environment and subsequently to our heath and the health
and future of our children. With respect to plants and
plant establishment, and all life for that matter,
“natural” is better. “Natural” for plants lies beneath
our feet, in the ground, a much more complex environment
than we have ever imagined. Fortunately the world
beneath our feet operates in a most logical, and
predictable way. Mycorrhiza is but one of the systems
beneath our feet but it has to be ranked as a major
component of natural plant health.
LANDSCAPE CONDITIONS ARE NOT IDEAL.
Most
will agree that we could use some
help for better results with newly planted landscapes.
Often newly planted landscape goes into sever shock.
Generally the reason is poor water management, but heat,
time of the year, soil conditions, along with untold
other factors also play important roles here. One of
the biggest problems that no one seems to talk about is
the fact that most nursery grown plants have little, if
any, natural systems working with the plant.
Mycorrhizal roots take hold faster - there is little
doubt on this fact. Plus, what attention is given to
the microbial activity in the soil. Without good bugs
in the ground we lose the opportunity of using numerous
"natural" systems that plant have used for millions of
years to establish themselves.
If the landscaper was planting a complete plant system
in less than ideal conditions there would still be
stress, etc., but the degree of damage to the plant
would not be as great with these natural systems working
for the plant. If all conditions were ideal there
wouldn't be a gamble when transplanting and one wouldn't
need to worry about inoculating. But generally
conditions are not ideal and you could use some help in
"stacking the deck" on your side. Inoculation can
significantly aid transplanted trees, shrubs and
flowerbed results, especially under adverse conditions.
Feeding the ground with biostimulants to energize the
soil, and even adding beneficial bacteria, can make a
world of difference for the transplant. Finally,
including a water management gel to hold water and
manage all the solubles can have dramatic results.
Think
about this situation. You're a landscaper that
uses good management practices when planting trees.
Your crews are properly supervised and employ good
management practices. You go to a nursery and
purchase 100 - 3 inch caliper trees - all identical.
Your crews then install 10 trees each on ten jobs over
the next week. All trees are planted the same with
identical handling, irrigation and maintenance. On
one of the sites all of the trees take off without
missing a beat. At the other extreme one of the
sites require 6 resets. Performance of the trees
at the other eight sites vary back and forth between the
"best" and "worse" sites. How can this be?
Everything was the same, right? No. The
differences were due to the ground the trees were
planted into. The "best" site had LIVING soil.
The "worse" had DEAD soil. Get the picture?
It's always a crap shoot when planting trees unless you
know the value of the ground you're planting in.
Everyone know this but who's got the time to test every
planting site? How many test sites would one have
to do at a planting site to get good data? Dozens?
Hundreds? Do you know where I'm going with this?
Use DIEHARD Transplant. It has the ingredients to
naturalize BOTH the plant and the ground.
DIEHARD™ inoculants, with all the additional additives,
are an investment that can return its cost several times
over in a number of ways. Just think how you would feel
about your projects if you had all the goodies Mother
Nature has to offer working for you.
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Types
of Commercial Mycorrhizal Inoculants
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There are three types of mycorrhizal fungi inoculants
commercially available endo, ecto and ericoid. Most are
available in dry form. Ecto is in spore form and endo
is available as propagules, i.e., spores, root fragments and hyphae.
Endo in spore form alone is a poor inoculant if you want
results within 6 weeks according to research that has been
published. Research has shown that endo mycorrhizal inoculants with
spores, root fragments and hyphae are superior to those
containing only spores. Research shows that hyphal
fragments are most infective, followed by mycorrhizal root
fragments and then spores.
Root fragments actually contain
many spores and are better at protecting spores
from adverse environmental conditions compared to spores
alone.
Ericoid is presently is in dry form.
Reasons why spores alone are dangerous
for an inoculant:
1. Spores degrade over time, even when dried
2. For some species, spores are the only infective
propagules and when they degrade the inocula are effectively
dead.
3. For many species in Glomus, hyphae from root fragments
can be up to 10X more infective than spores.
4. Root fragments, when dried, are not as susceptible to
degradation as spores, especially in a formulation
containing high organic matter.
5. Ergo (from 4 above), even if part of the inoculum
degrades with storage, infective propagules still can be
present for a longer period in a mixed inoculum formulation.
The reality of inoculum marketers
today is that most are just that "marketers". Some
sell a single strain of mycorrhiza mixed in with a carrier
backed with all the claims thousands of research studies
will support. Some sell liquids. Some sell
powders. Some sell only one kind. Some sell
tablets. Most sell "cocktails" containing a variety of
organisms. Some have formulated for numbers.
Some for results. One company
that has been in the industry for 10 years marketed a
transplant product for trees and shrubs which contained no
beneficial bacteria package. What were they thinking
not to include such an obvious package. Most landscape
materials are planted in disturbed soils. What logic
is there in not including a bacteria package?
Bacillus subtilla, for example, is an effective
"mycorrhiza helper bacteria".
Diversity is THE name of the game.
The ground beneath our feet is a macrocosm of hundreds of
systems and billions of participants. Diversity -
include as many natural organisms and systems as feasible -
that's the signature of a manufacturer that understands
their correct role. Ingredients that support a clear
biological advantage to support plant growth in logical
amounts and and at appropriate times. Here's a
comparative study that shows how over the past 4 years
competitors have changed their products to more mirror the
products that offer the best result :
http://www.horticulturalalliance.com/Competitive_Comparison234.asp
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Why
Include Horta-Sorb® Water Management Gels?
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Formulations
of DIEHARD™ contain Horta-Sorb® water management gels to
protect the roots, reduce transplant stress and watering
maintenance, and to slow release all soluble components
of the formulation. University research has
shown for over a decade that water management gels absorb
fertilizer and slow release it to the roots.
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Mycorrhizal
inoculants for every purpose in the "Green Industry"
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So, how can we treat plants with mycorrhizal fungi? The
rules haven't changed a bit - root dips, transplant
amendments, root injection, drenches and vertimulching.
What do we treat the plants with? And since we are going
through the exercise, is there anything else that we can do?
You bet there is. If the concept makes sense lets consider
a “cocktail”. Instead of a simplistic approach (chemicals)
lets use a systems approach (natural systems, that is). In
fact, forget the “cocktail”, lets give the plant a
“banquet”:
Ingredients and summary benefit statement:
Endomycorrhizal fungi
- 7 fungal species - Glomus mosseae, Glomus intraradices,
Glomus fasciculatum, Glomus dussii, Glomus clarum, Glomus
deserticola, Glomus microaggregatum.
Ectomycorrhizal fungi - 3 + fungi - Pisolithus
tinctorius, Scleroderma and multiple species of Rhizopogon.
Trichoderma - 6 fungal species that include
Trichoderma (6 strains), Gliocladium virens (2
strains), Trichoderma harzianum (2 strains),
Trichoderma viride (2 strains),
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A beneficial fungus that is used
to enhance mycorrhizal colonization and protect the roots.
Biostimulants - over a hundred from
Humic Acid, Sea Kelp Extract, Humus,
Yucca Plant Extract.
Amino Acids - known to buffer heavy metals and high salts and
improve microbial activity in the soil.
Vitamins & Enzymes - biotin, folic acid, B, B2, B3,
B6, B7, B12, C and K - essential for chlorophyll production,
cell division, transpiration and respiration.
Beneficial Bacteria - 47 strains - Nitrogen Fixing,
Phosphate solubilizing, Cytokinin-producing and Growth
Promoting Bacteria. - to include Bacillus (32 species)(11
strains of the
"mycorrhiza helper bacteria"
Bacillus subtilla,
Pseudomonas (2 species), Streptomyces (2 species).
Water Management Gels - agricultural grade to manage,
i.e., slow
release, hold, etc., water and nutrients.
All of the above ingredients are well proven and
commercialized - each loaded with benefit to the plant and
its growing environment. There is a school of thought that
may think that one, or more, of the above list is not
necessary, or complementary to plants - if you are from that
school simply ignore the ingredients that you may question
and focus instead on all of the rest.
Including water management gel to hold water and slow
release all the solubles can make a world of difference for
the transplant and provides dramatic results.
We have really tried to put together the best possible
products for your use and look forward to your favorable
business and comments.
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If
You Deal With Plants - We've Got You Covered!!
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DIEHARD™ mycorrhizal inoculants are formulated as transplant
soil amendments, injectables, and bare root preparations to
inoculate landscape trees and shrubs, flowerbeds,
established trees and shrubs and bare root seedlings with
live beneficial mycorrhizal fungi. The inoculant contains
highly selected strains of low host specificity endo- and
ectomycorrhiza fungi that will quickly colonize the roots
of new transplants to provide the best possible conditions
for the roots to become mycorrhizal during the establishment
period and beyond. The mycorrhizal inoculants are combined
with Trichoderma, humic acids, biostimulants,
beneficial bacteria, soluble sea kelp, yucca plant extracts
and organic soil conditioners to promote rapid root
development. The formulation Horta-Sorb® water management
gels are added to these inoculants to reduce transplant
stress and watering maintenance, and to slow the release of
all soluble components.
Species: Nearly all plants and shrub species.
Fungicides: Most fungicides normally have no effect. Foliar
applied fungicides have no effect if applied properly as
they do not enter the ground and come in contact with the
mycorrhiza. Non-detrimental fungicides may be applied 2
weeks before and after use of product.
Research
has shown that mycorrhizae, biostimulants, beneficial bacteria
and super absorbent gels do provide significant benefit to
plants grown in greenhouse, nursery, landscape, forest,
reclamation projects, agriculture, i.e., virtually everywhere
that plant are grown. Research has shown that mycorrhizae
alone:
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(Product
Benefits)
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IMPROVES
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REDUCES
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Survival
Rooting
Flowering
Water Absorption
IBA Effectiveness
Improves Fe-Efficiency
Nutrient Availability
Yields and Production
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Plant
Losses
Fertilizer Use
Need Of Pesticides
Heat Stress Damage
Irrigation Frequency
Losses From Drought Conditions
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Research on mycorrhizal fungi used in DIEHARD™ products
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