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Gays Mills, Wisconsin

into the soil by having the cover crop (or grass on a rotated patch) inoculated with the species we want? If our cover grasses roots are growing fast and deep they'll host the mycorrhizae and create a soil chocked full of it. If we use an annual grass that'll freeze or die out then we have a surface mulch to help feed the soil's food web, and act as a mulch to keep down weeds. The grass's dead roots will decay for added organic matter, the soil would be less compacted thus having soil that does not need rototilling. Imagine the added benefits if the soil is also high in earthworm numbers........just some of my winter's thoughts : ) -------- John

1/20/2010 8:44:56 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

Good idea, John. I don't see why it wouldn't work. After all in natural systems micorrhizae has to over winter in the soil. Tillage and chemicals kill it. For a cover drop to loosen the soil I have been looking at ground hog radish. It is supposed to be good to seed after a fall manure application. It ties up a lot of the nitrogen quickly so it doesn't leach out. It winterkills and the deep tap root decays quickly to release the nitrogen for the crop next spring. Low lignin content in the root. The holes the roots leave loosen the soil. It grows quickly to crowd out weeds. I think that if you mixed it with another brassica like dwarf Essex rape that has a fibroous root system it would help get the soil full of micorrhizae. I do know that I grew my best pumpkin after a fall cover crop of rape.

1/20/2010 11:24:10 PM

Denver, CO

Cornhusk, I tried this to some extent last year in a smaller patch I had. I really like the results I got from it.

However, to be honest, I do not know if it the correctly. I just applied the mycor to the soil and then added the cover crop on and tilled it in a few weeks before plant growth reached the covered area.

I would like to know if there are already inoculated cover crops avaiable with the mycor that we would want as pumpkin growers. Where could one get them. Or is what I did the only method that needs to be done?

1/20/2010 11:25:27 PM

Iowa

Growing host plants is nothing new, in fact there are certain types that work better than others and you should try to use a few different types. I had a site on this that shows pictures and info on how, why and what, I can't find it?? Some even grow in a spot and harvest the roots of the host plants, chop them up and use them around new plantings. Any time you can increase your myco in the soil it is a good thing, even if you have to let your spot sit for a year or two. Has anyone checked into how long it takes the myco to grow and colonize the roots of a plant or certain plants? If your putting it on mid summer does it have time to do it’s job??

1/21/2010 5:54:27 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Grasses and trees host ectomycorrhizal fungi rather than the VAM that we're after. A lot of bright people make this assumption so don't feel bad. Some cover crops will host VAM but do check first.

1/23/2010 7:47:49 PM

Gays Mills, Wisconsin

Valuable information shared here. My search for VAM hosting cover crops has been somewhat disappointing. I read that some grasses can be hosts but the information did not clarify what types of grasses.
If anyone knows where to find some definitive information I'd greatly appreciate you sharing it with us.
TY, John

1/25/2010 8:52:57 AM

Denver, CO

Here are a few liks that I found. In very general terms it looks like winter wheat, millet,clover, and Hariy Vetch are a few possibilites along with leguems.

I think its really important to note the warning seen many times in most of these articles. IF P levels are too high, Mycor will die. My guess is that a very large precentage of us pumpkin growers fall into that situtation. (Just a guess.)

Hairy Vetch
http://www.faqs.org/abstracts/Business/An-overwintering-cover-crop-increases-inoculum-of-VAM-fungi-in-agricultural-soil.html

Oat & Rye combination cover crops: (I think this is VAM)
http://www.springerlink.com/content/2g5f0yxwceq15b1y/
Yellow Clover
http://www.sare.org/publications/covercrops/sweet_clovers.shtml

Millet as a cover crop
http://www.grdc.com.au/director/events/groundcover?item_id=E69EAC49ABD53B3A589E129A2C7303F5&article_id=E6F2D2DC01FBD04E442E3499B99BBC5A


Autum sown winter wheat crop:
http://www.cababstractsplus.org/abstracts/Abstract.aspx?AcNo=19981003173

This next article is refered to constantly, but I cannot locate it on the web. Hopefully someone else with more skill will be able to.

Galvez, L., D.D. Douds, Jr., P. Wagoner, L.R. Longnecker, L.E. Drinkwater, and R.R. Janke, 1995. "An Overwintering Cover Crop Increases Inoculum of VAM Fungi in Agricultural Soil." American Journal of Alternative Agriculture, 10(4):152-156.


Hope this is a start at least.

1/26/2010 12:39:07 AM

Gays Mills, Wisconsin

Thanks Greg
John

1/26/2010 4:17:33 PM

Germany

http://www.biomyc.com/implementation.html
Dont find it in the moment but I read somewhere that brassicaceae ( mustard, rape...) are no host plants for VAM

1/30/2010 6:44:31 AM