Mycorrhizal network - what do you know about them/think about them?

[MiniOrchardDude]

We bought a 2000L bag of woodchip for our garden (approx 1m x 1m x 2m). Plans changed and it ended up sitting on the end of our drive in full sun for 1 year. It didn't appear to break down in the slightest and there's no sign of fungal growth (so no white threads). It's now spread on the beds and looks like it'll be a long time before it breaks down. This was hardwood chips.

I get chips dumped on my lot all the time. One year I got so much dumped it took me over a year to move them all, ran out of cardboard to cover the grass. The only difference I saw was a color change. The center was very hot and in the cooler mornings you can see the steam. It had the white threads but it was more noticable in the center. They break down a lot faster on top of the soil than in a pile of pure chips.

MOD

 

[Susan BBPM]

Do plants in raised bed benefit or contribute to this network or no?

This is kind of what I was getting at with this thread. To be honest, I don't think anyone knows. There's a lot of guesswork about how it all works.

But I would have thought if you have bottomless raised beds (so if there's connection with the soil) then the raised bed will be linked into the wider network.

But I don't think it's 100% certain that it's always beneficial. For example, if you're watering your raised beds regularly but not the rest of the garden it seems highly likely that the plants in the rest of the garden will be 'stealing' some of the water you're providing speciically for your raised bed plants. If resources are scarce you might not want your next door neighbour's plants benefiting from the fertilizer and water you provide to your veg!!

 

[Eeilee]

That’s what I would think too. Plant roots in raised beds ( assuming they’re bottomless) are just higher up. I’m sure plants growing on hills are part of the whole system so why wouldn’t raised beds be?

 

[redback]

Thanks for the info on woodchips. My compost gets to 60 degrees Celsius and yet someone on the tube said I can feed it lactose fermentation preparation.
I have two other options for the fungi breeding. Two mini woodpiles built to provide habitat for lizards and sitting on the soil for two years. Three wire cages in the chook run to prevent them eating all the soil life. These cages have the woody stems and branches placed in them.
That hügelkultur idea of sticks under raised beds - would that encourage fungi?

 

[redback]

I saw Huw's raised beds and they look a lot better in mid-summer than they do in spring. He has planted sunflowers, marigolds and other flowers all over and has them looking more natural than at the start of the season. He has a particular patch to demonstrate pest control using predator habitat. I think this idea of random plants all over the garden is the clue to attracting microbes to the root zone. Fungi is still a mystery to me.
We have a lot of fun-loving parrots here and they fly overhead surveying all our gardens. If they see neat little plantings coming up in a nice little row, they pop down and investigate by walking along and pulling out all the little seedlings and laying them gently down on their side. They particularly love little sweetcorn rows. It has happened to me several times, so now I either plant big seedlings or make the patch look untidy (natural) from the air.

 

[Susan BBPM]

I saw Huw's raised beds and they look a lot better in mid-summer than they do in spring. He has planted sunflowers, marigolds and other flowers all over and has them looking more natural than at the start of the season. He has a particular patch to demonstrate pest control using predator habitat. I think this idea of random plants all over the garden is the clue to attracting microbes to the root zone. Fungi is still a mystery to me.
We have a lot of fun-loving parrots here and they fly overhead surveying all our gardens. If they see neat little plantings coming up in a nice little row, they pop down and investigate by walking along and pulling out all the little seedlings and laying them gently down on their side. They particularly love little sweetcorn rows. It has happened to me several times, so now I either plant big seedlings or make the patch look untidy (natural) from the air.

Whent it comes to veggies, the problem with polyculture planting (plants scattered all over the place) is you forget where they are and therefore forget to harvest them. Or at least, I do!

My compromise is to plant 3 or 4 little clusters of each variety in different parts of the garden. Although to be honest, I've never had disease or infestation hit one patch and not them all. So I'm not sure I've notcied a difference from polyculture planting.

 

[headfullofbees]

Do plants in raised bed benefit or contribute to this network or no?

Yes they do.
I have seen the mycorrhizal "mushrooms" in pots that I used in a paved greenhouse I had prior to moving.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

That hügelkultur idea of sticks under raised beds - would that encourage fungi?

I have had toadstools coming up over them, also had a rat hole appear in one bed, I am guessing there is a certain amount of space that doesn't get filled in, they would love that.