SG529 Robert Kourik Understanding Roots
SG529 Understanding Roots with Robert Kourik (audio version available)
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In this week’s special double-length episode of Still Growing (SG529), Robert Kourik, the author of 15 gardening books including Understanding Roots: Discover How to Make Your Garden Flourish. Imagine if you could go out into your garden and see what is going on below ground. There is a hidden world of roots many of us don’t every really think about – but Robert Kourik has been thoughtfully researching roots for well over a decade.
In today’s show, Robert gives us an in-depth look at how his books on roots not only change our understanding of how roots grow and function below ground, but also lead to better gardening practices above ground – which makes for healthier and more productive plants. You’re about to realize that when you look at your garden, what you’re actually seeing is just the tip of the iceberg.
It was a total thrill for me to chat with Robert Kourik; a pioneer in the areas of Permiculture, Drip Irrigation, Edible Landscaping, Pruning, and Understanding Roots. You’ll find plenty of information, inspiration, and specific steps you can take to better care for your trees and plants by Understanding Roots – in today’s show!
Show Highlights:
- Meet Robert Kourik (9:30)
- Dr. John Ernest Weaver’s Root Maps (16:30)
The Root Map of a Carrot – with roots extending downward as far as 7 feet.
“I was completely blown away because the roots were so much wider than the plant.
When you have a single lettuce plant and the roots are four feet wide and up to three feet deep, you have to rethink what you’re doing – especially with raised beds.”
– Robert Kourik, Understanding Roots
- Raised Beds (17:35)
“I recommend two-foot tall raised beds now.”
– Robert Kourik, Understanding Roots
- Robert Kourik’s Inspration: Dr. John Weaver (19:20)
“Nature is an open book for those who care to read. Each grass-covered hillside is a page on which is written the history of the past, conditions of the present, and the predictions of the future.”
– Dr. John Ernest Weaver
- Excavating Roots for Root Mapping (24:50)
- The Secret Life of Roots at the US Botanic Garden (37:10)
- Understanding Roots (40:20)
“The student of plant production should have a vivid, mental picture of the plant as a whole. It is just as much of a biological unit as is an animal. The animal is visible as an entity and behaves as one. If any part is injured, reactions and disturbance of the whole organism are expected. But in the plant, our mental conception is blurred by the fact that one of the most important structures is underground.”
– Dr. John Ernest Weaver
- Common Root Myths Debunked by Robert Kourik (46:20)
- Aerobic Layers of Soil (58:30)
Kristy and Erin with Senator Amy Klobuchar & WCCO’s Don Shelby
- The Robert Kourik Model for Tree Planting (1:00:00)
- Listener Questions (1:04:00)
- Robert Kourik on Lavender (1:12:10)
- Grey Water Overview (1:15:20)
- Robert’s Video on Selecting Bare Root Trees (1:19:00)
Connect with Robert Kourik:
- Website
- Buy Robert’s Books
- Email: RKourik@sonic.net
Mentioned on the Show:
- Robert Kourik’s Inspiration: Dr. John Weaver ‘s Book: Root Development of Vegetable Crops
- WurzelAtlas by Lore Kutschera and Erwin Lichtenegger
- Check out the show on Stitcher and get the free app
Extras: Tall Tales with my Little Giants
Still growing...
Jennifer Ebeling
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