Mycorrhizae is a term you’ve likely heard before, but do you know what it actually is? If you do and you know it’s good for plants, do you know why?

Google says, mycorrhiza (singular) is “a fungus that grows in association with the roots of a plant in a symbiotic or mildly pathogenic relationship.”

“A fungus that grows in association with the roots…” This association happens when mycorrhizae growing in the soil attaches itself to the plant’s roots, forming thickened nodules. It is important to note that even though there are thickened nodules in the root system, these sites with the mycorrhizae are not taken into account for the sum of the plant’s root mass.

How Mycorrhizae Helps Plants

Going back to the Google definition, mycorrhizae has “a symbiotic or mildly pathogenic relationship” with plants. In a symbiotic relationship, both organisms benefit and in this case it happen at the thickened nodules the two have formed.

Plants benefit from the mycorrhizae by receiving an enhanced supply of nutrients and a faster uptake of minerals. Mycorrhizae delivers more than nutrients to the plant, though, as the fungi’s filaments reach deep into the soil for water to transfer to the plant. In exchange, plants transfer the glucose they’ve produced through photosynthesis to the mycorrhizae. However, if the plant is not developing new roots the relationship can be limited.

MitoGrow + Mycorrhizae Working Together

This is where indole-3-butyric acid, IBA for short, comes in. IBA, the primary active ingredient in Pellet 3-IA, stimulates root growth and benefits both the plant and mycorrhizae.

Mycorrhizae depends on new root growth to form new thickened nodules to increase the connections with the plant to share nutrients. Adding an IBA product, such as Pellet 3-IA, encourages root tip growth and therefore encourages more nutrient sharing between the mycorrhizae and plant. Pellet 3-IA increases root mass by up to 50 percent in hardwood plants and trees, and 30 percent in most other plant species. This is a lot more surface area for the mycorrhizae to attach itself to and for the plant to increase its own uptake of nutrients and water.