Questions and answers on the use of local soil fungi

A living soil with abundant supply of humus promotes a functioning local ecosystem with all its benefits. Soil fungi ensure the rapid decomposition of plant residues, making nutrients available to plants. The fungal mycelium, consisting of countless filaments, loosens the soil in its search for food and at the same time cross-links it. In this way, fungi also increase the water-holding capacity of the soil and reduce erosion.

A special property of fungi is also that they interact with a variety of bacteria, plants and animals and both sides can benefit from this. Soil fungi are thus at the beginning of the food chain of beneficial insects in the field or in the garden.

In short, soil fungi are an indispensable component of healthy soil and contribute to a robust and productive plant life.

There are many different soil types and climatic regions in which we grow plants. Whether there is sufficient rain or long dry periods on sandy soil, the great advantage of locally occurring fungi is that they are already well adapted to these conditions.

They are already part of the natural ecosystem. By promoting local beneficial fungi, we can also make use of their abilities in dealing with regional pests.

In addition, when using local soil fungi, there is no risk to the local ecosystem from newly introduced or invasive species.

● The fungus is adapted to the soil conditions

● It is adapted to the climate

● It can withstand and is resilient

● It is not a known pathogen for humans, animals or plants

● It is related to known species with positive properties for cultivated plants

"Finde Deinen Nützling" provides finding, characterising and propagating locally occurring fungi from your soil for use on your property. After ordering, we will send you a sampling kit. You collect soil samples from your field or garden and send them back to us.

In our laboratory we isolate several fungi from your samples. The subsequent screening process to determine the ideal beneficial fungus comprises two steps:

● In the first step, the fungi are characterised on basis of their biological properties. A special testing procedure indicates their ability to prevail against other microorganisms as well as their growth rate.

● In the second step, marker sequences (DNA analysis) are compared with internal and public databases as well as scientific publications. In this way, we make a prediction about the function of the found fungi in the ecosystem. Furthermore, this method guarantees the exclusion of already studied fungi that have negative effects on the health of humans, animals or plants.

Our screening process therefore predicts a wide range of positive characteristics and excludes fungi with negative characteristics. Once we have found your ideal beneficial fungus, it is propagated and returned to you for redeployment.
The entire process, from the sent-in soil to the ready-to-use fungus, takes about 8 weeks. We will keep you updated on the progress.

There is no regulation known to us for the use of local soil fungi from your own soil. As "Finde Deinen Nützling" is an individual service, a listing in the input catalogue is not possible.

No accompanying substances other than isotonic water (water + table salt) are added to the fungal spores for the application of the fungi. Therefore, no new substances or organisms are spread on the field.

We will of course support and advise you on the use of your beneficial fungus. If your bio consultant ("Bioberater") has any questions, we will be happy to provide all the necessary information.

With more advanced testing methods, it is also possible for us to find fungi for specific tasks.

For example:

● Against regionally occurring harmful fungi

● For improved composting

● For soil renaturation and detoxification

We will be happy to help you find the ideal beneficial fungus for your needs. We look forward to hear from you!