# Mycorrhizal Activity and Your Plants' Health

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/beyond-the-garden-basics-5638242/mycorrhizal-activity-and-your-plants-health
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/beyond-the-garden-basics-5638242/mycorrhizal-activity-and-your-plants-health.md
Podcast: [Beyond the Garden Basics](https://stenobird.com/podcast/beyond-the-garden-basics-5638242)
Published: 2026-04-17T13:25:00+00:00
Episode link: https://gardenbasics.substack.com/p/mycorrhizal-activity-and-your-plants
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/194352745/1e5a97759ac92bd46ea6a5dfadf76732.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/beyond-the-garden-basics-5638242/episodes/mycorrhizal-activity-and-your-plants-health
Duration seconds: 5006

## Resource

Soil mycorrhizae. What is it? If you’ve seen any of the “Avatar” movies, you would know that James Cameron probably has a good grasp of the subject…and you would have a basic understanding of what we are going to talk about today. Without mycorrhizal activity, there would be very little gardening. To return to the “Avatar” comparison, you know how in those movies, if anyone fell ill or was near death or they needed to call in the National Guard, they could stick a tree root in their ear and they’d get healthy or victorious, and then the movie could have a happy ending? To quote the “Avatar” Wiki: In Avatar , tree roots are critical, bioluminescent conduits for Eywa, Pandora's neural network, allowing Na'vi to connect to their deity and ancestors . Key structures include the Tree of Souls and Tree of Voices , featuring complex, willow-like root systems that facilitate tsaheylu (the bond) for communication and data transfer. Can you see mycorrhizae activity? Yes! If you have a microscope: (p.s. “Arbuscular”: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are soil fungi (subphylum Glomeromycotina) that form symbiotic relationships with roughly 80% of terrestrial plant species. They colonize plant roots, forming tree-like structures called "arbuscules" inside root cells that act as exchange sites. AMF improve plant uptake of phosphorus, nitrogen, and water, in exchange for plant carbon, increasing plant biomass and stress tolerance .) Aren’t you glad you asked? What about if you turn over the mulch that’s beneath your persimmon tree. Is that white stuff on the bottom of the mulch that’s in contact with the soil…is that mycorrhizae? Short answer: No. Long answer: That white stuff on the bottom of mulch is a decomposing fungi, saprophytic fungi. Saprophytes act as decomposers breaking d…

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