Unearthing the World of Fungi with Merlin Sheldrake

BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Podcast

Immediate Media

Nature, Home & Garden, Leisure, Science

4.6 • 607 Ratings

🗓️ 26 November 2024

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Fungi are some of the most important organisms in our gardens, partnering with plant roots to help them access nutrients, processing dead material and nurturing countless vital processes – but most of the time they are completely invisible to the naked eye. In this episode we meet fungi expert and author of the bestselling book Entangled Life, Merlin Sheldrake, to find out more about these extraordinary organisms. Do you have a gardening question you'd like Alan Titchmarsh's help with? Submit your question in the comments below or go to www.gardenersworld.com/podcast/questions/ Alan will answer a selection in the Ask Alan podcast series from BBC Gardeners' World Magazine in February and March. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello everyone. Before we kick off this week's BBC Gardner's World magazine podcast, I want to tell you a bit about our sponsor, Not on the High Street. If you've got a special occasion coming up and you're struggling to find a good present, not on the high street is here to save the day. No matter who or what you're celebrating, whether it's an engagement,
0:22.8	a wedding or a summer birthday, it's the place to shop for a thoughtful, unique gift from a
0:29.0	small UK brand. Use code Garden 10 to get 10% off at not on the high street.com or the app now.
0:39.4	Hello and welcome to the BBC Gardener's World magazine podcast, brought to you by the team here at the magazine.
0:46.8	Join us as we chat all things gardening with the nation's favourite experts.
0:54.7	Imagine a world beneath your garden, a hidden network that silently supports every plant,
0:59.6	exchanging nutrients, communicating between roots, and even defending against pests.
1:04.6	But this isn't science fiction, it's the incredible reality of fungi, the unseen powerhouses
1:09.7	that play a pivotal role in the health and
1:11.9	vitality of our gardens. Today, we're peeling back the layers of soil to uncover these
1:17.1	mysterious organisms. And who better to guide us to do this fascinating underworld than Merlin
1:22.0	Sheldrake, biologist and author who's captivated readers with his exploration of fungi in
1:26.8	his best-selling book, Entangled Life.
1:29.3	I'm Oliver Parsons, and in this episode of the Garden's World magazine podcast, we're about to change the way you think about your garden from the ground up.
1:37.5	So, Merlin, hello and welcome to the podcast. It's wonderful to have you here today.
1:42.0	Thanks so much for having me.
1:43.3	Absolute pleasure.
1:44.8	So I think the first thing that our listeners are going to be wondering is, can you tell us a bit about your background?
1:50.5	And what initially sparked your interest in fungi?
1:54.2	I trained as a biologist and I'm a researcher investigating the relationships between plants and their fungal partners. And my interest in
2:02.4	fungi began when I was a child and my father's a biologist and would encourage me and my brother
2:08.6	to take an interest in the many lives unfolding around us and spend time outdoors and help him
	...

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