Farm Horizons Farm Horizons 10/16 | Page 28

Farm Horizons • Oct. 10, 2016 • Page 28 Soil fungi important in growing Soil is a medium that cannot grow withportant to not add things that can harm the out sufficient nutrients. Fungi plays an imsoil. Christine portant role in soil. Here are things you can to do to encourSchlueter Fungi are microscopic cells that usually age fungi in your soil: McLeod County Master Gardener grow as long threads or strands call hyKeep as much organic material in your phae. Hyphae interacts with soil particles, garden as possible. Water and try not to roots, and rocks forming fine threads that disturb the soil more than necessary. promotes foraging for food. Tilling is not the best for your soil; it These networks release enzymes into the soil and break breaks up the hyphae and breaks up the mycelium in the down complex molecules that the filaments then reabsorb. soil. Once a year may be enough. Fungus act like natural recycling bins, reabsorbing nutriReduce the number of broad-spectrum fungicides you ents in the soil. Fungi of all kinds are important for many use which can be toxic to fungi. The more you use them reasons. Not only in growing plants but also in recycling, the more there will be decline in the number of beneficials food, medicines, bio control, crop diseases, and food spoil- in the soil. ing. Herbicides are not generally thought to affect fungi diFungi can survive in the soil for long periods even through rectly, though the removal of some plant types may affect periods of water deficit by living in dead plant roots and/or the distribution of different fungi types. as spores or fragments of hyphae. Have a gardening or houseplant question? Send it to Fungi perform important services related to water dy- [email protected] n namics, nutrient cycling, and disease suppression. There are various types of fungi. Decomposers This group converts dead organic matter into fungal biomass, carbon dioxide, and organic acids. They are essential for decomposing hard woody organic matter. By consuming nutrients in the organic matter they help retain nutrients in the soil. Mutualists These fungi help develop relationships with plants. They help roots which help the plant to obtain nutrients from the soil. With their mass it hides roots from pathogens and pests, and provides a large root are so the plant can reach out for more nutrients. Mycorrhizal This is probably the most well-known type. Mychorrhiza means fungus root, and this fungi grow inside plant roots. About 90 percent of plants have some sort of association with these fungi except for the a few types of vegetable families, one of which would include spinach and beets. Pathogens This group includes a lot of common types such as Verticillium, Phytophthora, Rhizoctonia and Pythium. These organisms penetrate the plant and decompose the living tissue, creating a weakened, nutrient deficient plant or death. Soils with high diversity can suppress soil-borne fungal diseases. If some plants do succumb to a disease, even with good growing conditions, then perhaps they are not the right plants for your garden. Or perhaps your soil needs rebuilding. One of the keys to healthy soils is good microbial activity. Fungal soils have a symbiotic relationship with woody plants which creates a system of better health for both organisms. We all need to encourage soil health and it is just as im-