Paul Stamets, 2005, 352 pp

Permaculture and Trees,

This book is a gold mine for any gardener or forester, an embarrassment of riches in its 350 plus pages. Do you know that trees and other green plants could not grow and reach maturity without symbiotic associations with mushrooms and/or mycelium? Paul Stamets is an incredible individual. He has pioneered mycorestoration - using fungi to improve the health of the environment by filtering water, breaking down toxic wastes into harmless substances, helping trees to grow in forests and plants to grow in gardens, and by controlling insect pests. Fungi, most particularly from old growth forests, have shown impressive potential against many of our most troubling diseases. Mycelium is an often overlooked key ingredient in any form of permaculture. Two examples of Stamets’ practicality: when he mulched broccoli and brussels sprouts with sawdust inoculated with elm oyster mushroom spawn, the yields were 4 to 6 times that of beds without the mushrooms. And there were also choice edible mushrooms! He also found that inoculation of seeds with mycorrhizal fungi helps plants gather nutrients and prevent parasitization. Also explore his website: www.fungi.com.

APPROX WEIGHT: 2.26 lbs.