Quote:
Originally Posted by Cach26
Hello
Is it a good investment to inoculate our orchid crops with Thricoderma?
Does it make any difference?
Does it strengthen the plant? Does it make it more robust?
Does it root better?
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I use microbial inoculants. They are not miraculous but they are great helpers given it is difficult to provide our plants with perfect conditions. An untimely watering, system failure, storm, excess humidity, heat wave, etc. can destroy several valued plants. I see them as "helpers" in stretching the window of tolerance for plants. Some swear by them, especially among the terrestrial orchid community, since these plants have limited root systems. They can be especially handy if you have a plant with a damaged root system, as they can improve nutrient absorption and offer some protection.
I went through a rabbit hole on this not long ago, and this is what I can share from my research:
- I believe the most important inoculant is Bacillus subtilis. Its mechanism of action is disputed, but they antagonize many plant pathogens through their secretions. This has been studied for Erwinia (a bacteria), as well as Pythium (an oomycete), and Fusarium (a fungi). So it offers pretty wide protection.
- It's suggested that they perform better when using bark as your potting medium. A study showed that B. subtilis can barely be found on root tissue, nevertheless, it colonizes the bark around the roots and liberates Nitrogen as it decomposes the bark. I believe I read an additional study comparing microbial populations in organic vs. inorganic media, and bark came out first in the comparison. Especially fermented or prepped bark, I drench mine several times before using.
- The quality of the water is important. Most microbial mixes will lose a lot of their potency in chlorinated water. However, they seem to be more effective in fertilized water as opposed to flat RO or rain water.
- Those that swear by mycorrhizae like Great White suggest using mycorrhizal inoculations first, at least two weeks, before using B. subtilis or Trichoderma inoculants, as the bacteria outcompete the mycorrhizae if these are not established. (But Great White contains some B. subtilis, so take this with a grain of salt).
- In my experience, plants really respond to the amount and frequency used. I stopped the spread of black rot by using inoculants at every watering last summer.
- Trichoderma's studies as a biofungicide aren't the strongest. There's better evidence for it being a good growth stimulant, though, with evidence of it improving nitrogen absorption and photosynthetic carbon fixation in stressed plants.
- Once established, most of these microbial populations can survive the use of some systemic fungicides, like copper. So you can use beneficial microbes in combination with fungicides as long as you have done a thorough inoculation first, and maintain the population by increasing inoculation in between fungicide applications. The principle is to ensure the inoculation happens in a rich environment, so inoculate when you fertilize and ensure you have some bark in your pot.
A regimen you can look into (what I do). Mixing rates, by the way, don't really matter. What matters is the amount of product that reaches the plants.
- Great White once a month (contains Trichoderma) 0.5 tsp/gal
- Quantum Total every two weeks. 1 oz/gal
- Serenade ASO once a season. Up to once a month during times of stress (hot humid summer in July and August, or if there is any other stressor). Between 1.25 oz/gal and 3.8 oz/gal.
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