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Growth Activators

Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-610 -- More Projects »
Add bacteria and fungi to your soil and you will restore nutrients that have been missing for years. These so-called growth activators--available in plant-specific products--are easy to apply to all your landscape plants.
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This beneficial fungus helps to decompose tree stumps.
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Although this fungus is related to the shiitake mushroom, you don't want it in your yard. It's capable of destroying an entire forest of trees.
Wait a minute. Fungi are nutrients? Yes some of them are. True, fungal diseases cause millions of dollars worth of damage to landscape plants each year, and gardeners waste at least that much money dousing plants with fungicides in an attempt to control damaging fungal diseases. But there are other fungi that are quite beneficial.

Introducing beneficial fungi--as well as bacteria, amino acids, vitamins and sugars--may soon be a common practice. After years of relying on synthetic chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides, soils get depleted of naturally occurring fungi and bacteria. When soils are out of balance, plants suffer, and when plants suffer, they become far more susceptible to attack by pests and diseases.

Now you can actually buy and apply the very fungi and bacteria that once thrived naturally in our soils. Believe it or not, a one-pound bag of powder can restore to your landscape the very ingredients your soil needs.

  • Vegetables and ornamentals prefer soils dominated by bacteria. Woody plants (trees and shrubs) prefer soils dominated by fungi.
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    Figure A
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    Figure B
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    Figure C
  • On bare soil just prior to planting, mix the powder with water at the recommended rate, drench the soil (figure A) and cultivate lightly. In established gardens, simply pull back the mulch and either drench the soil or punch small holes in the soil; sprinkle the powder evenly and reapply the mulch (figure B). If you're potting plants or starting seeds, you can blend the powder with whatever potting medium you prefer (figure C). On lawns, mix the product with water and spray.

  • Growth activators are sensitive to ultraviolet light, so it's best to apply them early in the morning, during the evening hours or on an overcast day. They're also sensitive to temperatures below 40 and above 105 degrees F, so apply them during the spring or fall when temperatures are mild. James says that a single application will often last for years.
  • Water the treated area well and maintain even soil moisture. It's also important to routinely add compost because the microbes in the products need organic matter to thrive. In the case of trees and shrubs, it's sometimes best to apply the growth activator directly to the root zone, which requires a bit more effort:
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    Figure D
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    Figure E
    You'll want to mark sites with plastic straws or landscape flags--space them two feet apart in a grid pattern extending from the base of the tree to roughly five feet beyond the edge of the canopy. Next, pour the prescribed amount of activator onto the marked sites (figure D). Using a bulb auger, drill three-inch diameter holes through each site to a depth of eight to 10 inches (figure E). Mix the activator with soil as you go. Finally, pack any remaining soil and activator into the hole, and water well.

    Depending on the manufacturer, growth activators may contain various beneficial bacteria, including strains of bacillus, pseudomonas and streptomycetes. They may also contain beneficial fungi including one or more strains of trichoderma, gleocladium and numerous mycorrihizae as well as amino acids, vitamins, folic acid and natural sugars.

    Growth activators return the soil to its most natural state--that is, the state nature intended it to be in. You'll find that your plants don't need as much fertilizer; they may not need any. You'll also find that your plants are far better equipped to deal with attacks by pests and diseases, including nasty fungal diseases such as pythium and fusarium blight.

    Also in this Episode
    Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-610
    •Lawn Games for the Family
    •Growth Activators
    •Landscape Problems
    •The Little Things
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