Your satisfaction is guaranteed for yourself the miracle of mycorrhizae. It is estimated that mycorrhizal fungal filaments explore hundreds to thousands more soil volume compared to roots alone. In today's man-made environments plants can be greatly stressed and the relationship between fungus and root is critical. Unnatural conditions such as concrete, asphalt, roadsides, sidewalk cut outs, trenching, drain fields, air pollution, shopping malls, business districts, and suburban developments adversely effect the presence and abundance of mycorrhizal fungi. Man-made environments often suffer from disturbance, compaction, top soil loss, and the absence of quality organic matter, conditions which reduce the habitat necessary for the mycorrhizal fungus to survive and thrive.
Artificial landscapes effect the mycorrhizal relationship in two fundamental ways.
Many nursery and agricultural soils lack mycorrhizae due to excessive and long-term uses of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. When water and soluble nutrients are amply provided, non-mycorrhizal seedlings can grow well in artificial growing media. However, until they form mycorrhizae, they do not adequately take up water and nutrients upon outplanting.