Plant Life Basics
Roots

A large portion of most plants, the roots, are hidden from our view below ground. But they should not be ignored as they play a vital role in a plants growth, development and survival.

Most root systems are more extensive than you might imagine.......

Dittmer, a 1930's research scientist measured a rye plants root system. With just four months growth the total root system was measured at over 300 miles. The roots surface area was more than 200 square meters. Dittmer also found that the root system's length increased by about three miles a day, this excluded the root hairs.

(So it's worth remembering that most root systems grow extensively and quickly. And if a plant is allowed to become pot-bound it is going to suffer and will not grow and develop as it should).

The size and shape of a root system will vary greatly from plant to plant. Soil conditions and most of all moisture levels play a very active role in how roots grow.

A properly and well developed root system is vital for plants to grow and flourish as the roots support and anchor a plant in the soil.

Roots also interact with the surrounding soil environment and absorb water.

But roots also take up minerals in solution and allow for the transport of water and nutrients throughout the plant.

In basic terms roots are of two structures, a taproot, (a large main root like carrots and parsnips), or fibrous roots (like lilies and grasses).

In general terms trees, shrubs and most common flowers, apart from lilies have taproots and are known as " dicots ".

Lilies, their relatives and grasses have fibrous root systems and are known as " monocots ".

Even taproots have a series of other finer roots branching off from them.

A truly fibrous root system has no definable tap root, but some of the roots may get moderately large in size.

Located near the tip of a root are thin walled, very fine root hairs . These root hairs are extremely important to the plant for absorption of water and nutrients.

Root hairs enlarge the surface area of roots several times over, giving roots more contact with the surrounding soil. This allows the roots to more easily locate and absorb water and nutrients.

Water has a very strong influence on the development of a root system.

Frequent light watering only moistens the top few centimeters of soil and encourages the development of a shallow root system. This makes the plant more susceptible in drought conditions.

However, watering less frequently and heavily moistens the soil to a greater depth and encourages roots to develop a deeper more extensive root system. And the deeper the roots the less susceptible a plant is to drought conditions and a dry soil surface. A deep root system is more able to locate water deeper down in the soil than a shallow root system.

So, care is needed when you water your plants , as it is very important to get the watering about right.

And now you know how plants absorb water through their roots and how roots function generally you will be able get to the watering about right.

To learn more about plant life - the basics, just click on any of the links below.

| Plant Life Basics - Stems | | Leaves | | Flowers | | Fruits | | Seeds |

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