[.uk] Roots Demystified: Change Your Gardening Habits to Help ... (ISBN 0961584831)

good introduction to plant root growth:
Roots Demystified: Change Your Gardening Habits to Help Roots Thrive, by Robert Kourik. A good introductory book to the growth of tree, shrub, and plant roots. Has some material on other things that grow in the soil that interact with roots, and some basic soil science, including a brief chapter on fungus and symbiotic relationships. There are sections on vegetables, shrubs, and trees, how their roots grow and differ, with good planting and care advice. If you have other books with sections on roots, there is little new here. If not, it is a good book to start with. It has a good reference section of current books that we can actually purchase or borrow. I have read the book, and thumbed through it several times more, and I am still not sure what the author's recommendation for changing my gardening habits to is, there does not seem to be a conclusion or summary. I think, I may be wrong, that he recommends double digging if the soil is poor or compacted, then move on to compost, mulch, and shallow tilling only. The book is recommended by John Jevons, the "Grow Biointensive" double digging proponent, and it often mentions Ruth Stout, the no dig no work gardening advocate of thick mulching. He draws on the work of John Weaver in the 1920's and 30's, which is good, as Weaver's books are not readily available. All in all a good book, easy to read presented with a dry sense of humor, solid information, a book I may go back to read again for inspiration, and a bit of reference.

A compendium of practical, comprehensive, and exceptionally well organized information, advice, tips, and observations:
Gardening expert Robert Kourik is the author of ten books addressing topics that have ranged from drip irrigation, environmentally-sound homes, edible landscaping, and lavender. Now he turns his attention to the necessity of health roots (and thereby healthy plants) for successful gardening and agriculture. Superbly written and thoroughly 'user friendly', "Roots Demystified" is profusely enhanced with twenty-five illustrative graphics showcasing extraordinary illustrations of excavated root systems in their entirety. A compendium of practical, comprehensive, and exceptionally well organized information, advice, tips, and observations that will benefit novice gardeners and seasoned professionals alike, "Roots Demystified" is an excellent and strongly recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Gardening/Agriculture/Horticulture reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Great source book, excellent writing:
"Roots Demystified" is a great read, which you wouldn't expect from a gardening/horticultural book about roots. Kourik gives amazing information that I'd never heard before, lining up his drawings with the facts about how roots feed the tree. I've already changed my method of watering and feeding a tree further from the root to make these roots spread out wider. There are many personal touches that make the book fun to read. I highly recommend. Barbara Baer, Forestville CA

Great book!:
I found Robert Kourik's "Roots Demystified" to be a great gardening book! The information was very useful, the humor kept a potentially drab topic interesting and fun, and the additional tidbits and side discussions were all relevant to my gardening life. The book was also terrifically useful in conjunction with one of his earlier books, "Drip Irrigation For Every Landscape and Climate", reinforcing and expanding on many of the concepts of the earlier book.

Experience and devotion:
Familiar with Kourik and with his work, I can honestly say this is my favorite of his books because it shows, better than any, the results of his many years working in the soil as a gardener and working at the typewriter and computer as a writer. Unlike many, if not most, writers about such topics, Kourik knows, from personal experience, what is best for both soil and soul, what to do and what not to do, with shovel and heart.