Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is  Dynomyco Premium Mycorrhizal Inoculant.  Mycorrhizal inoculant is a type of soil amendment that contains beneficial fungi that form symbiotic relationships with plant roots.

Adding mycorrhizal inoculant to your garden soil can offer several benefits for plant growth and health. Here are some of the main advantages:

1. Improved nutrient uptake: Mycorrhizal fungi help plants absorb nutrients from the soil more efficiently, including essential elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. This can result in healthier plants that produce higher yields.
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2. Increased resistance to stress: Mycorrhizal fungi can help plants withstand environmental stressors such as drought, heat, and cold. This is because the fungi provide a protective layer around the roots, improving their ability to absorb water and nutrients.
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3. Enhanced root growth: Mycorrhizal fungi can help stimulate root growth and development, leading to stronger and more extensive root systems. This can improve plant stability and overall health.
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4. Reduced need for fertilizers and pesticides: By improving nutrient uptake and plant resistance, mycorrhizal inoculant can reduce the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides in your garden. This can be beneficial for both the environment and your wallet.
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5. Improved soil health: Mycorrhizal fungi can help build healthy soil by improving its structure and increasing its ability to retain water and nutrients. This can create a more hospitable environment for plants to grow and thrive.

Overall, using mycorrhizal inoculant in your garden can lead to healthier, more productive plants and a more sustainable growing system.  I have made it part of my core fertility program for a long time now.  Unfortunately the product I originally found is no longer available.  It was Endo Mycorrhizae Fungal Inoculation.

I spent the last two years looking for a replacement and honestly while you’d think this would be easy many mycorrhizal products are simply crap.  I trialed quite a few options and the one with the greatest effect on aggressive rooting in started plants was Dynomyco Premium Mycorrhizal Inoculant.

There is something I want to point out.  If you are starting things like tomato, pepper, egg plants, etc. for garden set outs, you do not need to use the recommended amount you can use a lot less.

For instance the 12 oz package says it will treat 68 plants and for 38 bucks that may seem expensive.  However products like this are heavily marketed to the cannabis market.  This is a very high dollar crop and most grown with a product like this are intensive grow operations.

Translation, they want maximum production and a dollar plant extra isn’t even a consideration during propagation.

In reality though mycorrhizal fungi are living things and they propagate once inoculated in soil.  My results this year with treated vs. untreated root systems have been outstanding.  I use about 1/4 tsp per plant.  This is about 1/4th of the recommended amount.  It should make about 280 plants based on my application rate.  That is pretty much my entire garden this year.

A few things about how to use this stuff.  It really needs to contact roots to take off, if you sprinkle it on the surface you may as well just throw it away.  The way I use it is one of two ways.

1.  When making starts I plant my seeds and then cover with some soil.  As soon as the seeds start breaking the surface I gently poke a hole right next to the sprouts and add the inoculation.  This way there are already live roots for the fungi to associate with.  Mycorrhizal fungi can only live about 48 hours once brought out of stasis without a root system to work with.  Yet the first association the plant seeks is fungi.  So this method is the best I have come up with to address the needs of both organisms.
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2. When setting out plants or seeds that were not started indoors or in a green house, I dig a hole, remove some some of the soil if it is a transplant and sprinkle about 1/4 tsp right on the root ball before I cover it.  If direct seed I add inoculation as the seeds begin to emerge.

One other thing I have been adding to starts since last year to also encourage more beneficial soil organisms I have been adding a tsp of Happy Frog Cavern Culture Organic Plant Fertilizer to the indoor starts as well.  That product will be reviewed soon but it has a huge variety of additional mycorrhizal fungi species.  Further two years ago I started doing about 10% by volume of biochar in my seed start mix.

I have never had plants with such aggressive roots as such a small size.  I am talking I have peppers with only two sets of true leaves that have already fully filled out a 12oz solo cup with their roots.  A review of the Happy Frog product will come soon.

Lastly the form that Dynomyco Premium Mycorrhizal Inoculant comes in is really great for shelf life and effectiveness.  It is in small encapsulated beads.  This protects the spores from light, which is their literal moral enemy.  All in I am extremely happy with the product and it is now my number one recommendation for a mycorrhizal inoculant.  So give this a shot this year and you may just have the best year ever.

Update – Once you have done most of your planting you may think the window is closed on using this stuff, it isn’t.  If you didn’t inoculate your plants when starting or at set out you still can.  Just poke a hole into the root zone of those tomatoes, peppers, etc., add a bit, cover over and water in.  Adding a bit of a good organic fertilizer like Dr. Earth at the same time isn’t a bad idea either.

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