Georgetown Peabody Library

Understanding roots, discover how to make your garden flourish, Robert Kourik

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Understanding roots

bibliography

916716818

Robert Kourik

discover how to make your garden flourish

Understanding Roots contains over 115 enchanting and revealing root drawings that most people have never seen, from prairies, grasslands, and deserts, as well as drawings based on excavations of vegetable, fruit, nut, and ornamental tree roots. Every root system presented in this book was drawn by people literally working in the trenches, sketching the roots where they grew. The text provides a very detailed review of all aspects of transplanting; describes how roots work their magic to improve soil nutrients; investigates the hidden life of soil microbes and their mysterious relationship to roots; explores the question of whether deep roots really gather more unique nutrients than shallow roots; shares the latest research about the mysteries of mycorrhizal (good fungal) association; shows you exactly where to put your fertilizer, compost, water, and mulch to help plants flourish; tells you why gray water increases crop yields more than fresh water; and, most importantly, reveals the science behind all the above (with citations for each scientific paper)

Grassland, prairie, and desert roots -- Vegetable roots -- Fruit and nut tree roots -- Ornamental and native tree roots -- Humus -- Beneficial root biota -- Dynamic accumulators -- Deep roots and nutrients -- Nitrogen-fixing roots -- Other roots that improve soils -- A favorable fungus -- Transplanting roots -- Mulching tree roots -- Roots and grey water -- Citations -- Appendix 1: Root depth & width -- Appendix 2: Allelopathy -- Appendix 3: Phytoremediation