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Ontario

I have not used either product at all before. Im looking at getting the X-treme gardening products for the 2026 season, my question is how much is actually needed?
I assume the planting spot gets a bunch in the immediate area (like 5×5 or 8×8 planting area), but how much should I actually mix into that area?
Then for vine burying, I mound surrounding soil onto the leave nodes, so how much do I need to sprinkle for vine burying? (By leaf nodes or by square feet)
Will I need just as much every year, or more first year, then not as much after soil is innoculated?
I am planning 3 plants at 600 feet, and 1 plant at 800 feet, how much should I plan on buying?
Thanks

1/24/2026 2:20:11 PM

New England

I'm using the same product, I bought 4 lbs and I have about 1000 sq ft. This is my first year tho so I know nada. I too hope to hear what others say. It seems to me anyway that once you inoculate you shouldn't have to reapply unless you till your soil each year. Honestly, I still can't understand why they keep tilling and keep applying the mycos, seems like a waste of money and counter active but my ignorance is bliss!

1/24/2026 6:28:24 PM

Too tired to elaborate my unfounded opinions on it presently, butt you could Google the below**\/** for at least THAT founded opinion and go from there, if you'd like, which I will also do, soon, lol. Evvvvvvvvrybody wants to use as little Myco as they can, myself included, but for me, due to cost alone. F'rinstance, I have 2-24-pound boxes of it that I've had for like 4 years, lol. I use it (sadly, mostly) for putting my 24 plants out, within the Seed Starting Mix. 1/2 cup per plant in 12 dry-then-wetted quarts Jiffy SS Mix. I used at LEAST the other two boxes and MANY before even that year as a soil amendment - fully-inoculating over 10,000 SF probably every year until like 2015...when the waste of money thoughts kicked in. The weigh I see it is that if I were to only use it where the plant 'touches' the soil, (planting hole and rooting nodes) I would be relying on its coming into contact WITH the roots and spreading out from there, in hopes of it contacting other nodes and points that are also doing this - propagating, sporulating, whatever, looking to connect with its 'kind'. It is like a nightlight or NO nightlight; Do you really wanna fumble in the dark or have a nightlight there? If it's everywhere in the soil to begin with, however lightly, (though I feel that my 7-foot-tall WEEDS have kept it active, lol!) then, that will be more of a springboard to full inoculation of the entire growing area. Do hit up the main sellers of Myco and read in detail the pros (probably NO cons) and let them brighten your Pumpkin Day! Ahem, not a paid spokesperson, not a HH, but somehow in favor of others' success. Ummm, as much as can be afforded as a first thought, if to be tilled in the first time around the second and plenty of extra for vine-burying, potting, fun all winter, etc., the third... Phew. Movie time. eg
**\/**
for how long is mycorrhizae viable in unused tilled or planted soil

1/25/2026 2:56:17 AM

Ontario

I suppose thats another question: how long do they last. Manufacturer specs says 2-3 years, so I guess if I go on the higher end of what I think I need ill just bring extra into next year.
I suppose "as much as you can afford" is amazing if I had a budget, I'm more in the boat of "how much do I need to be able to afford" lol
I know i'll buy it in bulk, im just wondering if ill see more benefit from it by applying a 50 pound bag of mycos vs a 20 pound bag of mycos? And a 20 pound bag of Azos vs and 8 pound bag of Azos. Or i suppose with the 2 year shelf life, maybe its 25 pounds instead of 10, or 10 instead of 4. I really dont know. Their website says "1-2 Tbs per planting hole, double for Xtreme results" for mycos, but is 'Xtreme results' the same as 'pumpkinhead results'?

Just trying to learn more about things I don't know so im prepared when spring comes

1/25/2026 1:23:27 PM

Damariscotta, Maine

Excessive azos will burn some plants. Every plant reacts differently to it. Vine burying our state record holder used 12ozs.Thats just on every leaf node.

1/25/2026 1:46:39 PM

Ontario

Is that per plant? 600 sq feet? 1200 sq feet? Thanks Leon

1/25/2026 2:06:48 PM

Damariscotta, Maine

That's per plant. I used it last year and a little goes a long ways. His pumpkin was 2365.5 pounds and the other was 2070 so I think it works pretty good. He doesn't use micorizie just azos. I noticed on the main vine if you over did it the leaves would show it. Better to go light than heavy.

1/25/2026 3:23:00 PM

Ontario

So azos go light rather than heavy maybe alot 8 or 10 ounces for my 600 foot plants and 10-12 for the 800 foot plant. I'll maybe go the 8 pound bag to use over 2 years. Is mycos something that more is better?

1/25/2026 4:08:02 PM

Damariscotta, Maine

That should last you a few years. I definitely noticed Alot more roots. Azos is good stuff.

1/25/2026 4:43:59 PM

Upa Creek, MO

NDV, here's what Connolly does with both Mycos and Azos... he grows over 2300 pounds. Just a bit at each root when vine burying.

I personally need to look into Azos for next year as well.

https://bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=351874

1/25/2026 5:42:32 PM

Grittyville, WA

I think it can last in the soil. Your soil probably has a lot of natural myco etc in it which will colonize roots. It may or may not be as good as the commercial strains. Some commercially available products don't really deliver any bang for your buck. They tested dozens of commercially available products and many were not worth the money. Not every top pumpkin grower uses them (who grew #2 pumpkin in 2026? I think at one point he said he does not use them. Perhaps his soil naturally has the right strains.) Personally I think they may be helpful but also you might be able to promote the right microbiology without buying a product.

https://eeb.ku.edu/news/article/soil-health-is-big-business-but-ku-researchers-say-many-fungal-products-dont-work-as-promised

[Last edit: 01/26/26 5:17:32 PM]

1/26/2026 5:14:34 PM

It is great, LK, to get the details in there as well.
DO check out the highlighted links amongst the text of the article.
I've yet to read it all, myself, and see the Usual Suspects get mentioned, butt, that's yet to be seen.
NOT disparaging ANything. I love eye-openers, lol.
PS---Y'all,
My Corrhiza, lol, a fungal relationship;
MyKos (still Mycorrhizae, butt a brand name) and
Azos (which appears to me to be more for transplanting,
(COol Video at EG - Ha, Ha, my initials, too)
therefore helpful for rooting at the root nodes, I'm pretty sure;
I have seen a pretty good deal at one/both, actually, of the front-page-listed
sources for Mycorrhizae (plural of mycorrhiza) and the other is quite
palatable, I think the term is, butt I'm not out to say whose is a
better deal, nor diminish the appeal of ANY of the available brands(!).
Personally, I LIKE the idea of several species of a helpful
product rather than a singular one, although I've heard and read OF that
other, singular, dedicated-to-AGs and US little organism! 'Go, Little Myco!'
Ahem; I will continue to use Mycorrhizae, it will be viable with a cover crop, even if it's of weeds
and even a dusting of it along WITH a cover crop being applied, such as grass or
my beloved Dutch White Clover, is an option for incorporation, although I would prefer a
6" to 9" tilling-in of it in case the fungal attachment is not created at the soil surface.
Luck of the draw. **Keep using it and if you don't already, start.** You will/might not see the benefits
'right away' by using it in that it is a bigger benefit to the plant long-term,
with higher tolerance for illnesses such as nutrient deficiencies, real diseases, insect infestations and insufficient watering.
Oh, yeah, 'everybody' should see about a soil test in-season to evaluate the level of colonization in their patch.
Further reading:
https://untamedscience.com/biology/ecology/mycorrhizae/
eg out
I think, lol.

[Last edit: 01/27/26 2:30:32 AM]

1/27/2026 1:57:14 AM

Grittyville, WA

Yeah its probably variable based on the batch so you can't really say this company is bad and that company is good necessarily. But there might be products out there that are just never going to be worth the money.

I don't really like that some are mixed with kelp because I may not want or need the extra potassium. And this makes it hard to do a side by side comparison of untreated vs treated plants. When adding a fertilizer at the same time you can't isolate the myco as the only variable affecting the outcome.

[Last edit: 01/27/26 1:40:49 PM]

1/27/2026 1:40:37 PM