Mycorrhizal Planet Is A Must Read Book On Both Sides Of The Atlantic. It Is Full Of Well Researched Soil and Fungi Wisdom That Is Needed To Garden Successfully.
Table of Contents
Mycorrhizal Planet
I rarely review or even read many gardening books written for the American market. they are rarely relevant as the climate on the other side of the Atlantic is so different as are the plants grown, varieties, pests and diseases. But I made an exception in the case of Mycorrhizal Planet by Michael Phillips.
Why?
Simple. The topic is universal with few important conceptual differences on either sides of the Atlantic AND because the book is very well written.
I like the detail that comes from in depth university and commercial research, with several pages of bibliography at the end. Though I find the style a bit American folksy, I really enjoyed this book. But style is about personal preferences and that doesn’t stop me thoroughly recommending this book. There’s a link to the book at the bottom of the page.
And of course I am an advocate of soil fungi as anyone that reads my stuff will know from the amount I’ve written about them
Mycorrhizal Planet: The Content
The 230+ pages cover a wide range of topics about how symbiotic fungi work withy roots to support plant health and build soil fertility.
The seven major chapters cover …..
Mycorrhizal Ascendancy
This chapter covers the topics below but in a sentence or two it covers the evolution of fungi, the types of fungi, how they both near the plant roots and within them and how nutrients flow between fungi and plants.
Healthy Plant Metabolism
Next comes a look at plant photosynthesis and how this impacts the symbiotic relationship, natural plant defences and lastly how plant metabiloties affect human health.
The Underground Economy
Underground there is an abundance of life, much of it fungal with miles of hyphae permeating the soil space. I’ve written elsewhere about the wood wide web and how plants and fungi benefit one another and this chapter delves deeper into the soil mystery that is fungi. And in doing so it explores how fungi communicate and display and “innate intelligence” that astounds me. And all this prospers much better if we follow the non-disturbance principle and let them do their own thing! We disturb it at our own risk.
Provisioning The Mycorrhizosphere
Fungi produce glomalin which is best described as a mysterious glue like substance that holds the soil particles together. It helps build stable soils with stable soil porosity. glomalin is invested at the start of this chapter after which Phillips moves on to fungal foods. mineral investment and the provision of moisture for plants.
Fungal Accrual
I’ve previously written a post about Biochar and in this chapter Phillips takes my discussion to greater depths and adds in information about phosphorus, carbon pathways and hugelkultur (another topic I’ve previously explored).
Practical Nondistubance Techniques
Having mention the non disturbance concept previously the book now moves on to the practical aspects in the garden, on the farm, in orchards & forests and finally throughout the natural landscape.
Edible Mycorrizhal Mushrooms
The last chapter is about edible mushrooms and I’ll leave you to explore that one yourself.
Bit wary of fungi after watching The Last of us😂