Michael Phillips was a farmer, writer, carpenter, orchard consultant, and speaker. He lived with his wife, Nancy, and daughter, Grace, on Heartsong Farm in northern New Hampshire, growing apples and a variety of medicinal herbs. Michael is the author of The Apple Grower (Chelsea Green, 2005) and The Holistic Orchard (2011), and teamed up with Nancy to write The Herbalist’s Way (2005). His Lost Nation Orchard is part of the Holistic Orchard Network, and Michael also led the community orchard movement at www.GrowOrganicApples.com.
Publishers Weekly- "Phillips, the inimitable author of The Apple
Grower (2005) and The Holistic Orchard (2011), once again charms
and instructs with an in-depth philosophical and practical
exploration of fungi. Branching off from Paul Stamets’s Mycelium
Running, Phillips focuses on fungi’s intimate relations with the
plant community, revealing their essential roles in botanical and
soil health and how we can nurture them for our benefit and that of
the entire biosphere. The book includes extensive and specific
information about the science of fungi and their symbiosis with
plants; nurturing and propagating fungal networks and functions;
minimizing soil disturbance in gardens, forests, farms, and
orchards to build soil, capture carbon, and assist mycelial
integrity and relationships; and gathering and growing edible
mushrooms. In refreshing contrast to the pared-down utilitarianism
of many books in the genre, Phillips’s poetic, conversational,
rambling, humorous writing encourages readers to settle in for a
thoughtful read. Organic, biodynamic, and permaculture
practitioners will value this book, but Phillips writes for a
general readership too.”
“Mycorrhizal Planet isn’t just a book about wild-running fungi. It
covers in great detail all the benefits, scientific research, and
technical information known about mycorrhizae. It also outlines
methods of how to manage soils with the use of organic fertilizers,
crops grown, and proper tillage to get the biology to
flourish—including mycorrhizae. Because if a grower knows why, he
or she will teach themselves how.”--Gary Zimmer, founder,
Midwestern BioAg; author of The Biological Farmer
“The world desperately needs the information in Mycorrhizal Planet!
I am so glad Michael Phillips wrote this book. His approach is
creative, inspired, and down-to-earth. A worthy effort with many
useful practices laid out for all.”--Dave Jacke, coauthor of Edible
Forest Gardens
“I firmly believe that the next big advancement in organic farming
is learning how to harness the power of soil ecology by replacing
mechanical tillage with biological tillage. Mycorrhizal Planet is
an awesome book because it not only describes the importance
of respecting living soil dynamics, it teaches how to act upon it.
The chapter on practical nondisturbance techniques is especially
enlightening to any serious market gardener.”--Jean-Martin Fortier,
author of The Market Gardener
“How lucky are we to be alive and growing plants right now? The
humbling interconnectedness and relationships realized through
Mycorrhizal Planet will fill you with wonder and have you
questioning your role in the garden, orchard, or farm. This is the
manual for upping your growing game!”--Eliza Greenman, restoration
orchardist and fruit explorer
“Michael Phillips is an emissary from the fungal realm, and he’s
here to tell us, through both study and practice, how our
partnership with fungi is not only crucial but how it can be
carried out practically on our homesteads and farms.”--Ben
Falk, author of The Resilient Farm and Homestead
“Mycorrhizal Planet offers fascinating science and practical ideas
for gardeners, farmers, foresters—for everyone, in fact. Learning
how we can work with beneficial soil fungi is deeply relevant, not
only to support optimal plant health and nutrition but as part of a
lasting climate change solution.”--Eric Toensmeier, author of The
Carbon Farming Solution
“In Mycorrhizal Planet, Michael Phillips takes us on
a journey into the realm of cutting-edge soil science, while always
maintaining a playful sense of passion, excitement, and levity. As
deep as Phillips goes into sharing his immense knowledge of the
mechanics of vibrant living soils and their role in plant health,
he never loses sight of the bigger picture—that of regenerating the
planetary ecosystem. To that end, he offers robust practical
applications for agricultural enterprises of all sizes. The beauty
of this timely and important book is that we now know not
only how but why we must embrace and cooperate with the innate
intelligence of the biological world as we develop the
agroecosystems that will sustain us in the future.”--Scott Vlaun,
executive director, Center for an Ecology-Based Economy
“Mostland plants depend on symbiotic fungi in their
roots—mycorrhizas—to help them to grow. Some, like orchids and many
pines, depend on them absolutely. In fact, with no mycorrhizas: no
land plants to speak of, and hence no land animals, including human
beings. Like dung beetles and flies and microbes in general, root
fungi are the largely unsung heroes of nature, cryptic creatures
that make the world work. Michael Phillips’s Mycorrhizal Planet
brings them centre-stage—where, despite their modest demeanour,
they deserve to be.”--Colin Tudge, founder, The College for Real
Farming and Food Culture
“Mycorrhizal Planet is a thoroughly researched treatise on the
impact of root fungi on the functioning of our biosphere. It is
written in Michael Phillips’s usual unique, enjoyable, and easily
readable style. It is a must-read for all individuals
seriously interested in the quality of human life and future of our
planet.”--George W. Bird, professor, Michigan State University
“Mycorrhizal Planet awakens the reader to the interconnected,
interdependent network of souls working on behalf of the earth
right under our feet. The mycorrhizal fungi are our allies in
promoting health for forests, orchards, and fields. Michael
Phillips’s comprehensive scientific knowledge, along with an
abundance of practical information for the grower, and a good dose
of positive vibes for the future of our planet, make this new
book one to add to your collection.”--Linda Hoffman,
orchardist, Old Frog Pond Farm
“Our knowledge of how habitat restoration and regenerative
agriculture work—how they proceed or falter—is being renovated as
we speak. A new sense of how symbiotic mycorrhizae shape plant
establishment and succession has been slowly emerging over the last
quarter century. In his new book, Mycorrhizal Planet, Michael
Phillips weaves his own web of astounding connections regarding
what holds this earth together. Not since Paul Stamets's pioneering
inquiry, Mycelium Running, have we been blessed by such a synthesis
that tells how symbiotic fungi are the true and most trustworthy
stewards of this planet. With his usual genius of explaining
complex science in ways farmers and restorationists can grasp,
Phillips reminds us that those in Washington, DC, have never really
‘run this country,’ our fungal allies have.”--Gary Paul Nabhan,
author of Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier Land
“Let’s make soil great again. Michael Phillips and Mycorrhizal
Planet have a plan. This book focuses on the tangible things
you can do on the land you love to make it healthier and more
productive. In forty years doing USDA research and producing
mycorrhizal fungi, I have read and reviewed thousands of
mycorrhizal articles. Michael Phillips gets it. Finally
we have a mycorrhizal book that is entertaining, practical, and
vibrant. We truly live on a mycorrhizal planet, and people who
read this book will emerge with a profound understanding of how
these little creatures shape our earth and our future."--Dr. Mike
Amaranthus, founder, Mycorrhizal Applications
“Fungi are not just decomposers, they are composers of soil and
orchestrators of soil biodiversity. Mycorrhizal Planet pays tribute
to the small and unseen, the uncredited collaborations beneath our
feet, and Michael Phillips leads the tour underground for everyone
with a warm and crafted writing style that anyone can understand
and put to use. Mycorrhizal Planet offers readers a whole new
dimension in propagating mycorrhizae, with cover crop
considerations and noninvasive soil preparation techniques, and
encourages readers to complete the loop by creating more balanced
and efficient cultivation systems with the mental tools to
harmonize almost any soil and plant condition. Distilled from other
complex texts and real world experience, Michael Phillips delivers
a gem when the planet needs it the most."--Tradd Cotter, Mushroom
Mountain, author of Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation
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