Snafu1236
Well-Known Member
A couple weeks ago I posted a neat little trick on breeding mychorrizal hyphae here on RIU. I taught myself this neat little trick a few years back now; I don't claim to be the 'inventor" of this technique(like some RIU members do here), but I did teach it to myself, and it works.
Since the post, I have received numerous questions, messages and responses about this technique. I figured it may be beneficial to the community to see this information on it's own thread. I hope you enjoy it.
Though I do not have any personal pictures readily available, I do plan on snapping a few from my next batch as this thread picks up. I just never figured of taking pictures of fungal masses, but my, how things do change
Snafu's Mychorrizae Propagation Technique
-Transplanting, Top-Dressing, AACTs-
1. Invest in a well-reviewed Mychorrizae product. I am currently using Great White, although I used other Mycorrhizae before Great White came out. Just make sure its endomycorrhizl, and not ecto. Ectomychorrizae is for trees.
2. Buy powdered baby oatmeal.
3. Buy a germination heat mat with temperature gauge.
3. Take some organic soil, about a teaspoon, mix it with a tablespoon of alaskan humus(more woody branches/chips the better) and put it in a light-proof coffee can.. Then, dump about 5 TBSP of powdered baby oatmeal into that mix. If you have some azomite, or GO Rare Earth, throw a tsp of that in too. Then, dump in less than a pinch of Mycorrhizae...the less the better. Just make sure you get something. Honestly, I just take the cap of the Great White and tap the DUST over the can and that is more than sufficient.
4. Get some de-chlorinated water and pour some in the can, making the solution damp but not soaking wet.
5. Put a dark or light-proof top on the can, and poke one pen-tip sized hole in the center of the top of the can(to release gases and condensation).
6. Place on top of germination heat mat at 75-80. I keep mine at 76.
7. Leave on heated mat in a decently-ventilated darker room (you do not want a stale-air room) for 2-5 days. The breeding time can vary, depending on the amount of Mychorrizae used.
8. Make sure the solution in the can never gets soaking wet, or completely dry. Think of it like your germinating seeds. You want a happy medium of moisture and air.
9. Open the can. Not the best picture, but you will see something like this:
10. Now, what you see here are tens of thousands of microscopic mychorrizal fungi hyphal(small fungus strands) that are actively consuming the energy sources you provided in the can. This white mass is a bunch of interwoven/interlocking and dissecting strands that create a massive symbiotic network with a host plant's root system.
11. Innoculate. Then water top soil if top-dressing.
Place this at the base of the hole when transplanting clones, seedlings, up-potting, whatever. Or, place this mass as a top-dressing to your current soil container.
If top dressing, YOU MUST COVER THE HYPHAL LAYER WITH MROE ORGANIC SOIL ON TOP. Mycorrihae breeds in dark environments, and direct exposure to the elements will kill the delicate hyphal network.
You can also place this into an AACT prior to bacterial innoculation of your AACT. Since bacteria multiplies much faster than fungus, throw this mass in the AACT a day prior to the other components (aside from molasses and more baby oatmeal) to give the fungus a head start.
12. Rinse, wash, repeat. Never buy mychorrizae again. Just keep breeding Myko Cakes to continue the process.
Underneath the soil layer, it should look something like this, with multiple mycorrhizal pockets already developing from natural formation. We just speed up the process.
Since the post, I have received numerous questions, messages and responses about this technique. I figured it may be beneficial to the community to see this information on it's own thread. I hope you enjoy it.
Though I do not have any personal pictures readily available, I do plan on snapping a few from my next batch as this thread picks up. I just never figured of taking pictures of fungal masses, but my, how things do change
Snafu's Mychorrizae Propagation Technique
-Transplanting, Top-Dressing, AACTs-
1. Invest in a well-reviewed Mychorrizae product. I am currently using Great White, although I used other Mycorrhizae before Great White came out. Just make sure its endomycorrhizl, and not ecto. Ectomychorrizae is for trees.
2. Buy powdered baby oatmeal.
3. Buy a germination heat mat with temperature gauge.
3. Take some organic soil, about a teaspoon, mix it with a tablespoon of alaskan humus(more woody branches/chips the better) and put it in a light-proof coffee can.. Then, dump about 5 TBSP of powdered baby oatmeal into that mix. If you have some azomite, or GO Rare Earth, throw a tsp of that in too. Then, dump in less than a pinch of Mycorrhizae...the less the better. Just make sure you get something. Honestly, I just take the cap of the Great White and tap the DUST over the can and that is more than sufficient.
4. Get some de-chlorinated water and pour some in the can, making the solution damp but not soaking wet.
5. Put a dark or light-proof top on the can, and poke one pen-tip sized hole in the center of the top of the can(to release gases and condensation).
6. Place on top of germination heat mat at 75-80. I keep mine at 76.
7. Leave on heated mat in a decently-ventilated darker room (you do not want a stale-air room) for 2-5 days. The breeding time can vary, depending on the amount of Mychorrizae used.
8. Make sure the solution in the can never gets soaking wet, or completely dry. Think of it like your germinating seeds. You want a happy medium of moisture and air.
9. Open the can. Not the best picture, but you will see something like this:
10. Now, what you see here are tens of thousands of microscopic mychorrizal fungi hyphal(small fungus strands) that are actively consuming the energy sources you provided in the can. This white mass is a bunch of interwoven/interlocking and dissecting strands that create a massive symbiotic network with a host plant's root system.
11. Innoculate. Then water top soil if top-dressing.
Place this at the base of the hole when transplanting clones, seedlings, up-potting, whatever. Or, place this mass as a top-dressing to your current soil container.
If top dressing, YOU MUST COVER THE HYPHAL LAYER WITH MROE ORGANIC SOIL ON TOP. Mycorrihae breeds in dark environments, and direct exposure to the elements will kill the delicate hyphal network.
You can also place this into an AACT prior to bacterial innoculation of your AACT. Since bacteria multiplies much faster than fungus, throw this mass in the AACT a day prior to the other components (aside from molasses and more baby oatmeal) to give the fungus a head start.
12. Rinse, wash, repeat. Never buy mychorrizae again. Just keep breeding Myko Cakes to continue the process.
Underneath the soil layer, it should look something like this, with multiple mycorrhizal pockets already developing from natural formation. We just speed up the process.
) which is the most compatible and widespread mycorhizal fungi on the planet. And only contains one breed of fungi, with no predators or random bacteria.
