I have not tried what you are doing, because I get mine for free. Unless your plants are in sterile mix, I would be surprised if many mycorrhizal associations aren't already in your soil, being successful ones selected for performance there by repeated good gardening practices. But you probably want to justify the expense of the particular super-bugs you were sold:

I'd do double duty on this: (1) Take a dowel and bore into the sensitive root zone (tip-toeing), pour load some dry in (like loading a musket barrel), and also (2) wait till just before the wilt point to have dry soil and dress and massage into the soil surface, then water. Drier is better because the the water will be a 'vector' for transmission through capillary action.

You could pre-dissolve it and inject it with a syringe to minimize damage, but I'd rather have a more gradual release to increase time for the infection, or do it this way several irrigations in succession.

In the end just be careful not to do more damage to the roots than good, the real concern IMO.

Good luck

PC.

Agreed. You probably have them in your soil anyway. The innoculants are handy for really mistreated soil. Like for the area around coal and strip mines, areas that were burned in forest fires (heat kills them), and highway revegetation sites. Or maybe sterile potting soil. That's where the soil is pretty much dead, and needs all the help it can get. If you've been reasonably careful with your soil, you have plenty of them. More to the point, if you want innoculated fungi to thrive in your soil they're probably already thriving there.

Not at all clear that the ones you buy are a species that are even well suited to your particular soil.

HI FL9a Sorry, I'm confused about "wait till just before the wilt point to have dry soil and dress and massage into the soil surface, then water". To me it sounds like you want me to go into the root system load with granules keep the hole open don't water till it begins to wilt, then back fill and water. You don't want me to water because the capillary action will begin to wash some of the granules away? How many holes should I bore.

I agree with Dan's additional comments.

To me it sounds like you want me to go into the root system load with granules keep the hole open

(1) is to make a few bores with a dowel and then load it deep and throughout using the same dowel as a ramrod. Probably 1/4" diameter dowel is what I have in mind, the thinner the better depending on the characteristics of your soil. Don't cover these bores as they are so slim they will probably already collapse or fill partially with soil/granules as you ram the granules making a column. Not filling further helps since when irrigated they insure lots of water gets to the granules and carries whatever it can into the zone so keep that in mind as you pack them in.

don't water till it begins to wilt, then back fill and water.

Wait... Before the wilt point, so just look for a slight flaccidity in the most tender leaves like they want to be watered to regain full turgidity. Whatever is customary for you as I don't want you to hurt fruit set from too much wilt and drought stress, but yes, the drier the soil the more the water will make a beeline towards the roots and get sucked into them, and in the process, carrying whatever inoculant they solubilize.

(2) is a second simultaneous dressing - that is a second method independent of the bores- scattering them on the soil surface and massaging the granules into the soil surface (or covering them with a minimum of soil to avoid the sun killing them quickly).

Call it the One-Two Punch. The objective is to make infection of the roots most risky (or in this case, most desired since infection is good). My thoughts are general only on how to infect something. God knows how many times I've gotten unwanted infections. Infection is not a boiler plate instruction, as it varies with the individual (plant) and environment (soil pH, composition, and competing soil dwelling microflora). Sometimes you get infected and sometimes you don't. Same applies here. We are just doing our best to maximize the introduction of the microbes and hope they can not only survive, but thrive. If you have other microbes colonizing the roots, it is survival of the fittest in action. Competition might preclude infection, or the ones you bought might not like or be as successful in your particular soil and conditions. Possibly it will work like magic if you are lucky. Read up on the bugs and see their preferred conditions. Every little bit swings the possibility of infection more likely.

How many holes should I bore

For the reasons above (infection is a finicky and individual thing) there is no set number, but I'm thinking maybe 8 or so. Square shape at a relatively close distance (~2.5-3 inches from stem), and further out (~4 inches from stem). Just one square (4 bores) midway if you are more cautious or using a thicker dowel. That is just my thoughts as you may decide the actual characteristic of your soil make more or less appropriate, but it is a starting point. Just keep in mind that the dowel will damage a few roots and the soil has other things that can infect your roots, so be cautious and reasonable or use the syringe method, or if you get cold feet, just the (2) top dressing method which does not risk anything but also might result in the heat and sun drying out and killing them before they can get moving. But they were not put into the soil at transplant, so it is what it is and you want to do it now.

Cheers

PC

FL9a, one last question how deep are the bores. I'll leave you alone after this. lol In regard to Dan's question, last year when the growing season was over I inspected every plant (total 4) roots they were no larger than my fist and I saw nothing that looked unusual to me. Please remember this is my second year and I'm not quite sure I was even looking at the roots.lol By the way I have 8 this year! I agree with Dan too, but am no where's close to you guys.

how deep are the bores. I'll leave you alone after this. lol

LOL

I was just going to stick them in "yea deep" but to get technical ...

They don't have to be very deep, they probably live mostly in the dense root zone that has good continuous moisture averaging around 3" deep from the solid surface of the soil. Most of the surface area of tomato roots is not deep on the tap root, too.

I'd throw out there 6 inches just to include whatever different organic/moisture conditions you have. Do it in a way that the granules stick on the sides as well as deep to cover the whole probed zone except the top inch which you got covered by (2).

Hope that helps

Cheers

PC

thanks again.

I think this is an interesting experiment, and I'd look forward to hearing how it goes.

If the root ball was no larger than your fist, maybe your soil is too dense? Some fluffy amendment like compost might be wise. Of course, when you pull out a plant, it leaves most of its roots behind, so what you pull out is a lot smaller than what's really there.

I am very interested myself . You may be right . When I water from the top which is very seldom, I notice that some of my plants drain quicker than others.I use the pot and saucer method so I don't over water and depend on capillary action. Since I live on an island I have nothing but sand.I've been successful with the air pruning method.To me it was a win win situation .If I get a better root system it works. If I don't I have a potted plant.Its very cheap. I buy laundry baskets and oil collecting containers from the dollar store.Get window screening from amazon. I don't have compost yet.Just built a composter. Have been using organic soil that has a lot non ground stuff in it looks like small pieces of branches and nothing else like fertilizer.Ive been negligent with my peat moss. I will add some more.

I 'm writing another question about determinent plants I think you will be interested.

Very interesting thread. If the tomato plants are well established, why disturb them now? If theyr'e in the ground and the soil is healthy, there is already mycorrhiza there.

Mycorrhizae innoculants

Soil innoculants

It should be noted that the OP has posted an identical question in the Soil forum, and there is good discussion on it there.

Please read 6 comment down. I dug up all of last years plants.I saw nothing that resembled mycorrhiza. My root systems were no larger than my fist. I enjoy challenging my self by experimenting to see if I can grow better tomatoes. Thank you for your comment.

Thanks Dan, I wrote that one too.As suggested by someone on this forum.

The links posted by lgteacher(SCal zone 9b/10a) seem to be spot on, easy to read and contain accurate material.

Albert-135 SCAL zone9B/10A please read 2 posts up

William, you need to learn how to insert web links in your posts. You have several posts with non-functional links. You highlight the text you want to provide the link, press the Link button below the post, and then type the Web address (URL) in the space provided. If you don't do the latter, but just hit Insert, you'll end up with a non-functional web address. I think that's what you've been doing.