The Home Growns
6. Inoculate Roots with Mycorrhizal Fungi
The Underground Turf War
A few years ago, I packed a corner of my yard so full of Benary’s Giant zinnias that I was absolutely sure they were going to battle to the death over every drop of water. And honestly, they kind of did.
The biggest, fastest-growing plants totally bullied the smaller ones, leaving me with a patchy, uneven mess that looked nothing like the lush dream garden I had pictured. I realized that when you crowd plants together, their roots naturally turn into selfish competitors.
They literally hoard the macro-nutrients in the soil and refuse to share. It was a brutal underground turf war, and I was losing my mind trying to keep the smaller guys alive with extra fertilizer.
Adding the Magic Mushroom Dust
That is when a local master gardener told me about a totally weird, almost magical secret weapon. I started dusting my zinnia seeds and seedling roots with a powdered mycorrhizal fungi inoculant right before planting.
This beneficial fungus attaches to the roots and creates this massive, microscopic underground web that connects all the plants together in your flower patch. It completely changes the game for growing zinnias in tight spaces because the fungi actually transport water and food to the plants that need it most.
Instead of fighting, my densely packed zinnias started sharing resources like one giant, happy family. Just mix a little bit into your organic compost at planting time, and it basically puts your garden on autopilot.
But even if your plants are sharing food perfectly underground, you still need to force them to grow wide instead of tall to fill those visual gaps, so hit the next button below and I’ll show you exactly where to chop off their main stems to make them explode with thick, bushy lateral growth!
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