It’s not often that I come across an article that blows my little gardener’s mind. This one made made my head explode:
Plants talk to each other using an internet of fungus
“…fungal networks make communication between plants, including those of different species, faster, and more effective,” says Morris. “We don’t think about it because we can usually only see what is above ground. But most of the plants you can see are connected below ground, not directly through their roots but via their mycelial connections.”
The fungal internet exemplifies one of the great lessons of ecology: seemingly separate organisms are often connected, and may depend on each other. “Ecologists have known for some time that organisms are more interconnected and interdependent,” says Boddy. The wood wide web seems to be a crucial part of how these connections form.
I love this stuff. Just when I think I’ve got this gardening thing down pat, a whole new world opens up literally under my feet.
POLLENATRIX 