Almost all land plants are hooked into an underground network of fungi through which water, nutrients, and other signals travel. The network facilitates germination, sapling growth rates and plant survival, as well as the very composition of most terrestrial ecosystems. This is a fascinating new area of research, which we’ll explore below, but I’ve also been struggling to pull out the implication for gardening. Much of modern gardening lore advises spacing out plants. We’re advised to put plants far enough apart so that when they are fully mature their leaves would just brush neighbors. I learned in my RHS horticulture course that this ample spacing of plants is important so the plant can get sufficient water, nutrients, sunshine, and even air flow. Yet the fungal connectivity of plants underground suggests that having close neighbors can help a plant survive times of scarcity or other threats.
Wow! You really did your homework on that one,Pru! Great information.