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Ohio

Is it really necessary to inoculate your cover crop roots with Mycorhizea in the fall (or spring)? In my unprofessional opinion,
To me, I wouldn't think it would be necessary to do this if your going to be inoculating the roots at each leaf node as your pumpkin plant grows, whats the point? Its like washing a car when its already clean.
I have been reading more growers that are inoculating the roots of their cover crop? I could see doing this if your not planning to inoculate each node as your plant grows...but even then, why would you do that when you could do that at each node, knowing 100% that each root will be inoculated?
A little Mycorhizea goes a long way, plus, this stuff isn't cheap!! Lol

I see it as something that doesn't need to be applied to a cover crop especially if you plan on using it on each node of your pumpkin plant, to me, its overkill, throwing money into the wind and a step that doesnt need to be taken, am I missing something here?

10/11/2013 7:46:13 AM

Muddy Waters

With all the diseases in the soil.The constant delivering of Micros,beneficials to insure a healthy plant is my goal.Im not breaking any records yet.But I have 2 years in a row disease free.Well there is the mater!lol

10/11/2013 10:03:31 AM

Central Minnesota

I innoculate my cover crop. My thought is the last thing to get tilled into my soil is the cover crop ahead of the plant and those roots are the first thing my pumpkin roots will come in contact with. While I do innoculate the roots at the leaf node, I prefer to know that my soil is full of Mycorhizae and that as the roots branch or the vine grows they are constantly being innoculated. Thats my thoughts...which could be totally wrong.

10/11/2013 10:25:41 AM

Johnston, Iowa

Is it necessary? Probably not. Will it help the overall success of growing the cover crop thereby creating additional organic material to the soil? Yes!

10/11/2013 10:56:36 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

I load my cover crop up in the spring with Mycos... and also spike the Rye grass with AZO's... Just wet it a bit and toss in the AZo's...coat the seedZ well, then toss out.... 20 pounds per patch in the Spring BrookZster...

10/11/2013 11:35:35 AM

Lodi, California

giving the nodes mycorr isnt enough in my opinion. Mycorr at the nodes will just give the tap roots mycorr, but most of the roots are base roots. Also growing mycorr on a cover crop will boost the ammount of mycorr you get per pound that you add, as the mycorr will produce more spores than there origenally where to begin with.

10/11/2013 6:24:51 PM

Ohio

So what your saying is that if you inoculate the roots at each leaf node , then the further the Roots branch out into the patch and away from the
node that you inoculated then its less likely the roots that grow further out will not be inoculated?

10/11/2013 11:05:12 PM