Take a walk through a garden and it’s easy to think the interesting stuff is happening above ground. Leaves reaching for light. Flowers showing off. The occasional weed behaving as though it owns the place.
But beneath your feet, fungi are busy building relationships with plant roots.
These fungi grow fine threads through the soil, reaching into spaces that roots cannot easily access. In many plant and fungal partnerships, the fungi help the plant obtain nutrients such as phosphorus. The plant, in turn, supplies the fungi with energy from the food it makes through photosynthesis. Both have something to gain.
Some fungal threads can connect more than one plant. That’s where the story gets fascinating: what looks like a collection of separate plants above ground can have connections beneath the soil.
There’s still much to learn about how those networks work in nature. What we do know is interesting enough. A plant standing alone in the sunshine may also be part of a relationship we can’t see.
It makes me think about how often we judge something by the part that’s visible. The healthy looking plant. The person who seems to have it all together. We rarely see the connections, resources and quiet exchanges supporting what’s above the surface.
Next time you’re in the garden, pause before you pull up a handful of soil. There may be a much busier world down there than you imagined.
Curious about the science?
Read this research review on underground fungal networks and plant interactions.
2 comments
Let food be thy medicine, and let thy medicine grow from living, untainted soil. 🫶🏻
Love this – The garden reminds me to look beyond what I can see. A thriving plant has roots and relationships beneath the soil. When we care for ourselves, it’s worth being curious about our foundations too: the routines, nourishment, rest and connections that support us through life. What’s happening beneath the surface deserves our attention.