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Delaware, Ohio

I have some from our club, but really never knew what to do with it. I mixed it with my starters and then in the mound, but then never used it again. Today I went out and trenched it on every node. I DON'T EVEN HAVE A PUMPKIN YET!!
I have two great plants, but no pumpkins. Squash bugs have been bad, I have used grubx with merit and bayer tree and shrub control on them. That's the only way I can get merit around here. Tried to spray in the evening. But when I see one, I just want to kill it......
Any help with the Mycorrhizae info would be so helpful!
Thanks
~CityGirl

7/15/2009 12:54:42 AM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

It is a beneficial fungus that attaches to the plants roots. It sends out hundreds of miles of hyphae through out the soil and help the plant take up nutrients. I'm not sure you need to go as heavy on it as some growers do, but it has definitely been proven to help. There are 2 types of mycorrhizae. Endo which is good for pumpkins and other annual plants, and ecto, which is more for woody plants.

I have been using Espoma Starter plus which combines organic fertilizers with beneficial bacteria and micorrhizat. The problem is that it is heavy on the ecto and light on the endo. My only other fertilizer has been composted cow manure this spring and a little potash last fall. But my plants are growing better than they ever have, even with a very cool May and June.

If you aren't getting any flowers, you may want to use a "bloom booster" fertilizer that is high in phosphorus.

7/15/2009 8:13:57 AM