It sounds like a diagnosis in a venereologist’s office, but in fact trichoderma is absolutely harmless to humans and animals. And it brings great benefits to plants. This is a soil fungus. In nature, it lives in forests, and not only in the ground, but also on a woody substrate – dead trunks. In addition, its spores are found in large numbers on tinder fungi.
What is useful trichoderma
This mushroom has three useful properties at once.
Destroys pathogens and pests. Reproducing, trichoderma secretes special antibiotics: gliotoxin, satsukkalin, trichodermin, viridin, which kill pathogens of many diseases. It easily deals with late blight, powdery mildew, downy mildew, gray rot, brown spot. Destroys mildew and oidium on grapes. Copes with potato rhizoctoniosis. Experiments have shown that, for example, the use of Trichoderma on cucumbers reduces their infection with white rot by 3 times and increases yield by 34,5% (1).
In addition, studies have been conducted that have shown that Trichoderma metabolites reduce the vital activity of insects (2), including pests.
Enriches the soil with nutrients. Reproducing in the soil, this fungus actively decomposes organic matter, releasing nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. And in a form accessible to plants. You can save on fertilizer.
Stimulates the growth of plants and increases their immunity. All due to the fact that Trichoderma activates the production of cell sap in plants. As a result, they acquire additional resistance to diseases and give higher yields.
How to get
Garden centers now sell many biological products that contain Trichoderma spores – this is indicated on the packaging. As a rule, there is only one species – Trichoderma green (often its name is written in Latin: Trichoderma viride).
But there is a problem here. Numerous experiments by both amateur gardeners and professionals have shown that there are no spores in many preparations – these are pacifiers. In others, trichoderma is found, but in addition to it, spores of mold fungi – mucor and aspergillus – are found in huge numbers there. Mukor will provide you with mold in the garden, but in general it is harmless. But aspergillus releases toxins that are dangerous to humans! Moreover, these toxins accumulate in vegetables, and then in the body. So you will never guess what you will get from a biological product: benefit or harm. In addition, they are not cheap.
But there is a very easy way to get and breed trichoderma for free!
How to propagate
You can at any time of the year, even in winter, go to the nearest forest and collect tinder fungus. All types are suitable, but practice shows that most trichoderms live on the real tinder fungus. In fact, it is more common than others. Moreover, the spores of these trichoderms are many times more active than those that are added to biological products. And not one species lives there, but several trichoderms at once. And this is more profitable, since some kill pathogens more actively, others decompose cellulose better, enriching the soil with nutrients, others are able to digest chitin, that is, extract fertilizers from dead insects.
At home, tinder fungi should be put in some kind of bowl or pan, moistened well with a spray bottle and placed in plastic bags. Tie the packages tightly and send them somewhere in a secluded place – in the basement, pantry, under the bed. After about 3 weeks, the tinder fungi will be covered with a green coating – this is trichoderma.
In closed bags, where there will be constantly high humidity, beneficial mushrooms can live on the tinder fungus indefinitely. At the same time, they actively multiply, and there are more and more of them. So if necessary, you can get another package.
How to use
The easiest way is to grind the tinder fungus, overgrown with trichoderma, through a meat grinder without a knife and a mesh. Then stir the mass in water. One tinder fungus the size of a pack of butter per bucket. One bucket is enough to process 2 square meters. m plot.
But there is a problem – such a talker can only be used in the garden. It is safe to use it in the garden, because along with trichoderma there will be tinder spores. Do you need it to grow on your apple trees?
The second method is a little more troublesome, but completely safe. In this case, the green plaque of Trichoderma from the tinder fungus is cleaned off with a teaspoon. Also bred in a bucket of water. The resulting solution can be watered plants and sprayed on the leaf, both in the garden and in the garden. In fruit trees and berry bushes, it is also useful to treat trunks and branches with a healing solution.
In a solution of trichoderma, it is possible and necessary to soak the seeds before sowing – the fungus will protect the seedlings from diseases.
Trichoderma, introduced into the soil or along the leaves, gives an effect of about 30 days. Then watering and spraying the plants must be repeated. However, you can do this more often: there is no overdose of Trichoderma, it does not have a negative effect on plants.
Popular questions and answers
We talked about trichoderma with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.
Can Trichoderma be used on houseplants?
Is it possible to soak treated seeds in a Trichoderma solution?
Is it possible to use trichoderma to protect the garden and garden in conjunction with other means of protection?
But chemicals cannot be used in conjunction with Trichodmerma – they will kill the beneficial fungus.
Sources of
- Smirnova I.P., Karimova E.V., Shneider Yu.A. Some prospects for the use of metabolites of the genus Trichoderma // Bulletin of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Our Country. Series: Agronomy and animal husbandry, 2016
https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/nekotorye-perspektivy-ispolzovaniya-metabolitov-roda-trichoderma
- Alimova F.K. Modern system Trichoderma / Hypocrea // Uchenye zapiski Kazanskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Series: Natural Sciences, Vol. 147, No. 2, 2005