I dont think that I inoculated these, although I could be wrong. Fairly sure I did not. So, I'm guessing the beneficial rhizobium were in the container soil already, either from airborne spores, plants in the compost, or prior clover or beans.
Containers are sheltered compared to garden soil, so less likely to have rhizobia without inoculation. I wonder if inoculation is really necessary.
It would not hurt to mix these roots into garden soil for my next crop of beans.
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| Fava bean roots with nitrogen fixing nodules. 7.18.16 |
You don't have to put anything in the soil for the nodules to appear. They are there every time I plant fava beans and all the plant parts should be chopped up bury under the soil or use as mulch to incorporate the nitrogen back into the soil. Everytime you plant fava, your soil gets better.
ReplyDeleteThe soil-improving aspect of Favas is what got me started with them. They are also delicious.
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