Fungi can benefit gardens, forest

Amanita mushroom photo
Amanita mushroom. Photo courtesy of WSU Extension.

EVERETT, Wash. – From garden to farm to forest, learn how to put fungi to work growing healthier plants.

Did you know that almost 90 percent of all plants form a beneficial or symbiotic relationship with a fungus? These mycorrhizal fungi colonize plant roots and extend their root systems into the surrounding soil, improving the ability of plants to take up available nutrients as well as other benefits.

Learn the many benefits of fungi a WSU Extension class titled ‘My O’ Mycorrhiza: The Relationship of Fungi in Agriculture and Forestry Applications, 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at WSU Extension’s Cougar Auditorium, McCollum Park, 600 128th St SE in Everett

During this fungal-filled evening, participants will:

  • Learn about the benefits of mycorrhizal fungi in agriculture and natural resource management
  • Explore basic fungal biology, including why these types of fungi are important in the maintenance of healthy soils.
  • Learn how to incorporate these organisms into your farms, gardens and family forests.
  • Look at some of the great mycorrhizal edibles you might encounter in the forest.

Instructor Jim Gouin is a staff mycologist and consultant with Fungi Perfecti, an Olympia-based company that specializes in supplying home and commercial mushroom growers with everything needed for success. Gouin has a forestry background and teaches forest fungi cultivation workshops throughout North America.
Cost for the workshop is $35 per person. Register online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/441471 or download the form from snohomish.wsu.edu/Fungi2013/ and mail with your check.

For more information on the course, contact Andrew Corbin, corbina@wsu.edu, 425- 357-6012. For registration information, contact Karie Christensen at 425-357-6039 or e-mail christensen4@wsu.edu.