I can't recommend any of these products even though they seem to be all the rage these days.

I kind of feel about them the way I do the polymer crystals. There are fine, smart, experienced folks who will disagree with me, but this is my opinion and experience:

They don't work:)

I have used various fungal inoculations from sources considered reputable such as Fungi Perfecti, T22 (sold as root shield) and others. The joke is that I never got any of them to take in a container or raised bed, but one bed I never inoculated sported some serious mychorrizal growth that I assume was introduced on the wood chips I got from the city.

In looking at the Espoma product I kind of chuckle. They include Bacillus thuringiensis and others, but why? This is something added to the potting mix, not applied to the plant. Bt is a well regarded control for certain pests, but it is applied to the plant where the pests are, not in the soil. I suppose it might be OK for an indoor plant where fungas knats are a problem, but only if the right strain is used (don't really know if there is a strain of Bt for their larvae)

If you research the fungi most of these products include you will find they almost all occur in nature, but only in forests. They simply do not readily form symbiotic relationships with what you and I grow.

If you continue your research you will also learn that few to none of these will survive in a container setting. They thrive only in environments that are very stable in terms of pH, temps, moisture etc. That is why most of the fungal species you find available are taken from forest floors.

So, that is my 2 cents :)

In open field conditions where weeds abound it is often an indication of their strong mychorrizal symbiosis.
Millet is the first choice of cultivated plant to grow in dry farming conditions for homestead mychorrizal propagation.
Commercial operations are always undertaken in greenhouses to promote strain purity and product collection.
Bacillus subtilis encompasses many varieties. School science projects sometimes grow a strain of it. (There are some B. subtilis that are edible & of theraputic value for humans.)
Not all the mentioned ingredients on the stated list have been worked with by me.
I accept JAG's experience that the formulation is of negligible use in container growing because the micro-environment is explicitly distinct from a farm field's macro-environment.

Thank you, I value your input very much. There are some fanatics out there that swear by this or similar stuff!
~tom

I know this is a very old thread. But gardengal48 is the only one that replied that really knows her soil biology. I have not used this brand. I use a lot of Promix BX and the Mycorrhizal fungi are Amazing! All you have to do is transplant one seedling into plain potting soil, the other into Promix BX, wait a few weeks, and when you transplant them you will see which has the most roots, biggest leaves, biggest plant.

PAPAPIG- agree 100%.. i also use this espoma starter when i reuse promix to put the mycorrhizal back into the medium for planter gardening..i have a friend that uses his promix many many times he just keeps adding his amendments, almost to the point where its dust and always has great veggies..

As previously mentioned microbe activity in containers, is dependent on cultural practices. Water, Fertility levels( excessive fertilizers) have an effect. If their was no activity the Mix Organic Materials would not decompose and Organic Fertilizers would not release nutrients. You can see the Ectomycorrhizal
Fungi activity on the roots of Pines and Oaks in containers.