069 Understanding Roots with Robert Kourik

...ed in Kourik’s new book Understanding Roots. From there we touch on how to plant fruit trees and the intricacies of how to water trees, vegetables and native plants. Then we delve deep into drip irrigation, dynamic accumulators and phytoremediation. If you’d like to pick up a copy of one of Robert’s books visit robertkourik.com. If you want to leave a question for the Root Simple Podcast please call (213) 537-2591 or send an email to rootsimple@gm...

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A Day of the Dead Altar

...frendas. I also have a smudge stick of white sage which I made from my own plant. The skull is not a sugar skull, sadly. Actually, it’s not even a human skull. It’s a cast of a Neanderthal skull. But as people of European decent, Erik and I likely have Neanderthal ancestors, so it’s good to have them at the table. I have a small silver pitcher holding rain water. It is traditional to have refreshment for visiting spirits. It also represents the el...

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Saturday Tweets: West Coast Weather, Sweetgrass and Tule Canoes

...n Dwellers Textbook http://t.co/9mwSPhWRIv pic.twitter.com/9fWCqSswP5 — Root Simple (@rootsimple) September 10, 2015 Satisfying West Coast Weather Geekery: https://t.co/KEVv3GXAzK — Root Simple (@rootsimple) September 11, 2015 Turns out the sacred plant, sweetgrass, is as good as DEET at repelling mosquitoes, Less toxic repellents ahoy!: http://t.co/dm3VKHVwcg — Root Simple (@rootsimple) September 10, 2015 Off-Grid Bathroom http://t.co/hnVA2ZIpBd...

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Are Rubber Mulches or Tires in the Garden a Good Idea?

...f the environmental risks attributed to rubber mulch. One of the principle plant toxins leached by rubber mulch is zinc. We have personal experience with zinc phytotoxicity in our own yard due to air pollution in Los Angeles (many years worth of brake linings blowing around and settling on the soil). I suspect that many of our gardening frustrations are related to our zinc problem. What about the use of whole tires in the garden, such as for plant...

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Bee Idle

...ore I started growing vegetables and herbs. It would have saved me a lot of pain . . . We’re also organising an event with Alys for the Chelsea Fringe Festival. Her idea is that we create a Plant Cemetery at the Idler Academy, a resting place for neglected houseplants. There will be a wake with gin, and you can read more about the idea here....

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