Inoculants and Rhizobia

[oxbowfarm]

Two questions.

Where's the best place to buy legume inoculants online? I normally buy the standard "garden combo" inoculant with my seed orders but this year I am expanding my legume species dramatically and will be goofing with cowpeas, soybeans, and a little trial of crotalaria. So I need some specialized inoculants.

Second question request is for some leads on rhizobia in general. I'd like to read some reference material on them. Which species for which legumes, length of time they can survive free in the soil etc. Anyone know of any good papers or other references on this?

[Deleted]

To the best of my knowledge, rhizobia can stay viable in the ground for a couple years without a symbiotic host plant, although nodulation rates tend to decrease the longer the span between legume plantings (as least, that's my experience). Here's an article that explains inoculants well:

www.mo.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/agronomy/out/Agronomy%20Tech%20Note%2036_8_22_08.pdf

I usually buy mine from groworganic.com:

www.groworganic.com/catalogsearch/result/?order=relevance&dir=desc&q=bean+inoculant

Hope that helps.

[MikeH]

Make your own? It would seem that Douds is one of the USDA's experts on the subject. He might even answer emails.....

Regards,
Mike

[raymondo]

I wonder whether it's as easy to grow your own bacteria as it is to grow fungi.

[12540dumont]

I like Myco Apply. I use the soluble one. I add it to the seeds when I'm planting. With corn, I put it directly in the rows. For peas and beans, I roll them in it after soaking. Works great, put it in a watering can.

Mycorrhizae.com

I met Dr. Mike and co. at a conference and it was very eye opening and informative. I did a side by side trial, and the side without the myco was struggling.

I hate that folks at Peaceful Valley are always telling people to put it on blueberries. In my opinion PV is all hat and no cattle.

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[oxbowfarm]

I'm pretty excited about the "grow your own mycorhizal inoculant" and from Cornell no less. I'm always more interested in things you can DIY vs things you have to buy. There is a ton of snake oil in the organic "products" industry.

[MikeH]

More here.