Improving Soil Tilth and Productivity with Mycorrhizal and Saprophytic Fungi

As stated we will test the abilities of mycelia to improve tilth of clay soil, improve plants' roots growth, and access to nutrients. 

Initially we will test our soil for clay, sand, and organic matter content, and for available NPK. 

We will then sow mycelium in a medium of cardboard, straw, and wood chips. We will water the substrate once or more a week, according to the demands of each vegetable or fruit crop receiving the mycelium culture. 

We will sow almond agaricus mycelium in March with our blackberries. Note blackberry roots will not be examined, due to their perennial nature, only harvest comparisons will be examined.

We will sow paddy straw mycelium during May with our tomatoes, and watermelon. 

We will sow parasol mycelium in late summer with our peas, and winter squash.

We will sow shaggy mane mycelium with our fall strawberry expansion beds.

We will sow blewit mycelium in early fall with our onion and garlic plantings. 

We will test soil after 12 months and 24 months of mycelium exposure to test for improved soil tilth, and NPK balance. 

We will measure 10 plants' roots that were paired with mycelium, and 10 plants' roots from control beds after each crops' harvest. 

We will flag each plant to be measured, and weigh those plants gross productivity by weight, as the season's harvest happens. 

For each unit of mycelium culture two bales of straw will be used, and a 25' x 2.5' x 1" (62 sq feet by 1 inch) layer of wood chips will be included. 

For each fifty foot bed of each variable crop being tested two units (5 lb -6 lb spawn blocks) of mycelium culture will be included with 125 square feet x 1 inch layer of wood chips, four straw bales, and 125 square feet of cardboard.

The cardboard and wood chips will be obtained for free from our private sources.

Revised Methods – Obtaining Soil Samples; Measuring, Calculating and Recording Soil bulk densities 

Prior to inoculation a standard soil probe was used to sample the treatment and control sites. Two samples were extracted for each of the 9 total beds that are the test subjects. Each of the three mycelia cultures has three 50 feet by two and a half feet beds designated for it. Three beds for parasol and its controls, three beds for blewit and its controls, and three beds for shaggy mane and its controls. The samples for blewit were designated as Blewit Treatment 1 (BT1), Blewit Control 1 (BC1), Blewit Treatment 2, and Blewit Control 2, and so on. The samples for parasol were designated Parasol Treatment 1 (PT1), Parasol Control 1 (PC1), and so on. The samples for shaggy mane were designated shaggy mane treatment 1 (ST1), and shaggy mane control 1 (SC1), and so on. In order to calculate the soil bulk density, it was necessary to obtain the same volume of soil core each time the soil was sampled. The method for determining the area of each soil core was to determine the height and diameter of the cylindrical soil probe and solve for the volume of the cylinder. After measuring the height and diameter of the soil probe, the math is as follows:

^{Convert height from inches to cm = 6 in = 15.24 cm = h}

^{2 cm = diameter of probe}

^{Volume of cylinder = π*r2*h = π*1cm2*15.24 cm = 47.88 cm3}

Samples were measured with a standard soil probe with a cubic area of 47.88 cm³

    In order to calculate the soil bulk density, the samples were dried, weighed in grams and then each weight was divided by 47.88 cm3. The weights and bulk densities are reported on the chart titled Soil Bulk Densities in the results section.

   The method for drying the soil samples in order to calculate the empirical soil bulk density was to place each soil sample in a microwave and heat for four minutes, weighing the sample, and then heating the sample at least once more for four minutes. The sample is dry once the same weight measurement was obtained two consecutive times. Upon the sample being dry, the weight in grams was recorded.

Methods - Mycelium Treatment Inoculation

   The method for inoculation is detailed in the following passages. Three 50 feet by two and a half feet beds were used to test blewit, and three 50 feet by two and a half feet beds were used to test parasol cultures. They were inoculated, sans fruit or vegetable culture, in a hugelkultur style. Three of those beds received four fifths treatment of blewit culture, and one fifth of each was left as the control. Three other beds received four fifths treatment of parasol culture, and one fifth of each was left as the control samples. Three 50 feet beds of strawberries were used to test shaggy mane culture. Four fifths of each bed received the treatment of shaggy mane inoculation while one fifth of each bed was left uninoculated as the control samples.

     The blewit beds were inoculated on May 12-13, 2022. The method for blewit inoculation was clearing three beds of weeds, laying layers of corrugated cardboard, wetting the cardboard, spreading out a two thirds bag of a five-pound sawdust spawn bag or three and thirty three hundredths of a pound, and encasing with six inches by two and half feet by 40 feet of composted hardwood leaves and pine needles. The ratio of leaves to pine needles was seven eighths composted hardwood leaves and one eighth pine needles. First, the cardboard was laid on the bare soil, then wetted. Next, a layer of blewit culture was spread, and then a layer of composted leaves and pine needles. Another layer of cardboard was laid, but this time it was shredded into smaller pieces ranging from 16 square inches to one square foot. After the smaller cardboard pieces were laid out, another layer of blewit culture was spread, and finally encased with more composted leaves and pine needles.

   The shaggy mane beds were inoculated on May 25, 2022. The method for shaggy mane inoculation included clearing the beds of weeds, laying down aged horse manure, adding the shaggy mane culture, and adding straw. First, the beds of strawberries were rid of all their weeds. Each bed has two rows of strawberries. The first row of strawberries is six inches from the adjacent pathway and the second row of strawberries is six inches from its nearest pathway, this leaves one and a half feet between the two rows of strawberries in each bed. The treatment and control sections of each bed are hosted in these middle areas. A one inch layer of aged horse manure was spread between each row of strawberries for forty feet. Next, a dressing of shaggy mane culture was spread on top of the manure then a layer of straw on top. A second layer of shaggy mane culture was placed on the straw, and a final casing of straw placed on top. The total amount of shaggy mane culture placed on each forty feet section equaled two thirds of a five-pound bag of sawdust spawn or three and thirty three hundredths of a pound. The total amount of straw equaled three inches high by 40 feet long by 18 inches wide.

   The parasol beds were inoculated on May 23, 2022. The method for parasol inoculation included spreading the culture, dead grass clippings, aged hardwood and pine wood chip mulch (at a three quarters hardwood to pine ratio), and cardboard across 40 feet of each of three 50 feet beds. First, dead grass clippings were laid down to a depth of one inch. Next, corrugated cardboard pieces ranging for 16 square inches to one square foot were laid on the bed, and then parasol sawdust spawn was spread over the cardboard. Lastly, aged composted wood mulch was spread across the bed to a depth of six inches, across the width and length of the bed.

   After inoculation the beds required regular watering totaling approximately one inch of well water and or rainfall per week. The beds were watered Monday through Friday from late May until September. Each bed was watered when rainfall was not sufficient. When rainfall was not present each bed received 10 minutes per day from the hose, an hour of drip irrigation from three different drip lines on each bed.  

   The chart labeled Dates and Times of Inoculation Events in the Results section tells the time spent sampling soil, inoculating beds and watering the beds. The time spent soil sampling on March 29 from 8 am - 10 am totaled two hours, which also included marking the beds treatment and control sites with sticks and flagging tape, and naming the sites BT1, BC1, and so on. The time spent weighing each sample on March 29 from 2 pm - 4 pm totaled four hours. Time spent hand watering was done approximately 3 - 6 days a week from late May through September. During hand watering, each of the nine beds would receive ten minutes of watering for a total of one and a half hours for the day. Time spent watering with drip tape was used more consistently and used in tandem with hand watering when the days were particularly hot. During drip tape watering, each of the nine beds had three drip lines and received an hour of drip irrigation approximately 3 - 7 days a week.

Summary of Time Spent on Project 

   The total documented time spent on the research including the soil sampling (two hours), weighing of samples (four hours), recording of sample weights, bed preparation (eight hours), inoculation, conservatively estimating my watering time per week to be two hours per week over 18 weeks (36 hours), and writing this report (6 hours) equals 56 hours. 

Blewit bed cleared of weeds.

Cardboard laid on blewit bed. 

Soaking cardboard before inoculation.

Five pound bag of blewit spawn.

Blewit spawn added to bed.

Covering blewit inoculated cardboard with composted leaves.

Additional layer of shredded cardboard and blewit spawn.

Final casing layer of composted leaves. Blewit bed inoculation completed. 

Parasol beds with dead grass clippings, shredded cardboard, parasol culture, and composted hardwood and pinewood chips. Completed parasol beds in the right of picture. 

 Strawberry beds cleared of weeds, applied aged horse manure.

Shaggy mane culture applied on top of manure. Casing of straw on top of manure and shaggy mane culture.

Additional layer of manure and shaggy mane culture on top of straw.

Final layer of straw casing. Shaggy mane bed inoculation completed.