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Shallow Root Depth
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Posted by cmorsanchez 6a (My Page) on Fri, Jul 8, 05 at 15:29
| I am searching for a list of plants, edible and landscape, that has ROOT DEPTH information per plant. Please point me in the right direction, I've had no luck searching the web. Specifically looking for plants that have maximum root depth of two feet or less. Thanks.
Sincerely,
cmorsanchez |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Shallow Root Depth
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| I'm not sure that there is such a list. The root depth would depend on many things i.e., the type of soil and its fertility, the amount of moisture the plant gets, the amount of sun, etc. |
RE: Shallow Root Depth
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| I don't know of any such list but most plants have root depths of less than 2 feet. The exceptions would be plants with substantial tap roots such as alfalfa and some trees. Even large trees with massive root systems often have the majority of their roots in the top 12" to 18" of soil. Maybe a search for tap roots would bring up a list of those with LONG roots. Curiosity has bitten. Why are you searching for shallow rooted plants? |
RE: Shallow Root Depth
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| Such a master list would require an entire encyclopedia. I just finished a greenroof project that limited root systems to 4 inches and while I suppose root depth might have been helpful other factors were more important. In general, Gardener Sandy is correct. You can figure if it can be grown in a pot the root system won't be much more than 6 to 8 inches. Plants that are tall and grow in unstable soils may have deeper roots but they may also have a wide root system to give them stability. Some grasses are like that but there are many grasses that can send their roots down as far as 16 feet if necessary. Sandy |
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