Welcome Robert Kourik author of Roots Demystified

Photo Source: Permanent Publications

This week Robert Kourik will be joining us to talk about all sorts of different kinds of roots!.

There are four copies of his book, Roots Demystified up for grabs.

Robert will be stopping by on the forum over the next few days answering questions and joining in discussions.

From now through this Friday, any posts in this forum, ie the plants forum, could be selected to win.

To win, you must use a name that follows our naming policy and you must have your email set up in Paul's Daily-ish email.

The winner will be notified by email and must respond within 24 hours.

Posts in this thread won't count, but please feel free to say hi to Robert and make him feel welcome!

Hi Robert,

I greatly enjoyed your book. In fact, I wrote a review of it early this year:

http://theprepperproject.com/book-review-roots-demystified/

Glad to have you here on Permies, helping us go deeper with our knowledge of plants.

Hey Robert!! Welcome to Permies!

I've eyed your book each time I've visited the Seed Bank over in Petaluma, CA.

I also heard about your other book you are working on that furthers and clarifies some areas needing more scientific research.

Could you talk about that book at all? I'd love to hear about it. I'm working on a Permaculture 6-12 textbook series, and as I go through Bill's big black book line by line, I'm consulting with as many scientists on the ground as possible (Elaine Ingham for instance) for each of their respective sections and having Geoff Lawton go over it for approval.

I think I need to absorb your book and synthesize some roots info that preludes to your research to dovetail with Elaine's soil and microscopy.

Thank you for doing what you do!

MP

Hi Matt, I am working on a book of roots that has so much new info and SO MANY more root drawings that I'm going to treat it like a new book, or at least a sequel compared to as revised addition. It won't be out for 1-2 years at the most. I have collected over 60 drawings of roots dug out, not imagined. Many are of native & ornamental trees, but some are very revealing illustrations from a rare Hungarian book. I will be spending a lot of time dismantling the myth that deep roots gather more and/or different nutrition than the upper roots. Of course, I will continue to show how most of a tree's roots are shallow and wide as opposed to deep & taprooted. I will have a detailed research paper that covers how an apple tree's roots are affected by dust, straw and paper/cardboard mulch. With surprising results. (I've also been working on a book for three years on what a truly sustainable food garden should be. It's a detailed look at import/export ecology. Takes on a lot of gardening guidelines that have no basis in fact. I can't get a publisher so far as it's fairly controversial and permaculture books are flooding the market. I need a publisher as it requires lots of color. Especially for the working examples. It's on hiatus while I finish the new roots book.)

Thanks David for the great review. I appreciate your feedback.

"I am working on a book of roots that has so much new info and SO MANY more root drawings that I'm going to treat it like a new book, or at least a sequel compared to as revised addition. It won't be out for 1-2 years at the most. I have collected over 60 drawings of roots dug out, not imagined."

I'm totally buying that when it comes out. Keep up the good work.

And hey - if you want to use my cover design for the follow-up, feel free.

I do like it David.

Hello Robert,

Thanks for taking the time to join us and share your knowledge. Your book was mentioned during my Permaculture gardening class. We discussed the movement of roots, their expansion and contraction. Several of us had seen the Nature documentary What Plants Talk About and how roots act like animals as they seek out the nutrients they crave. I look forward to reading your posts and seeing the answered questions.

i started 2 hugelkultur beds this year and am letting them get i guess you could say established to plant in next year. im sure root systems play a fairly big part of its success. ill find out. also im going to plant a vast array of medicinal herbs and forage plants all over my property. knowing that roots are a huge part of herb gardens/permaculture im sure this book would be quite helpful. thank you for your input on this forum. not a subject that i really thought much about until this year. would love to get your book, as im sure it would be a big help. thanks again.

Just a heads up to anyone ordering from amazon.co.uk - I was dumb enough to order from this link as they had a copy really, really cheap. It turns out that the image is correct, and the title is *not*. I still got a great book at a knockdown price, but it wasn't the one I was hoping for. I tried to report the issue to amazon but they have just ignored me and the problem is still there.

Robert - maybe they'd listen to you? It wasn't so bad for the 3 quid book I bought, but now the prices are so much higher it would be a shame for people to get the wrong one.

Wow Robert, I love your stuff. I read your edible landscaping book at least 20 years ago, and at that time it was the most permaculturish thing I'd encountered; I found it fascinating and informative. I especially appreciated the wonderful bibliography and subsequently checked out many of those references. I got the roots book just a few months ago, and found it profitable too; now I'm excited to hear about the upcoming publication on your additional research. Awesome work!

Hi Robert;
I just want to thank you!

I still have your book -Your Edible Landscape, Naturally, it changed my life!

20 years later, I have a fully naturescaped, edible landscape with 100 berry bushes, 25 fruit and nut trees and myriad medicinal and edible plants, all on 1/2 an acre right in town. The wild critters that feast here also thank you!

I look forward to reading your latest.

Burra, Sorry for the problem. We have tried to change this for years and Amazon won't talk with us. Some of the review are for my Edible Landscape Book and the books listed under the hardback list are my Edible Book. At least here in America the price of $19.31 (or thereabouts) is for the Roots Book. Robert

Thanks Victor and Bill, I really appreciate your feedback. I'm so honored the Permanent Publications of England has kept the Edible Book in print - since 1986!

Welcome, Robert, and thanks for joining us! The two books you're working on both sound very interesting, especially the new roots one. I will be eagerly awaiting its publishing!

Jonathan

I also live right next to a creek, which floods with spring thaws and heavy rainfall. Ive planted roots of hairy vetch and some clovers, and peas. I found a site that sells willow BUSHES, not trees. I dont think willow trees would be feasable as home is too close. Last year brought some very heavy erosion i believe due to vortex, as we actually had ice jams. Couls lay in bed and hear crackle of ice.
Very daunting i must say.... Anyway, would willow bushes be a decent feasable enough? I have 150 feet of creekbank to protect from erosion. I am thinking about 40 bushes. Do you have any thoughts on this as i am not sure about thr root systems with these. I dont want to over/underplant. Desperation may lead me to unnecessary planting.