Veggie roots seeking nutrients - puzzled of Peterborough

[supersprout]

Have been wondering for a while ???

In one of my Bookes there is a pic of toms with upper roots wanting water and lower roots seeking food.

Does this apply to other veggies too?

On my plot, some peeps feed the soil (manure, compost) around now, and some wait til Spring. Those who wait say 'the goodness leaches out into the soil'. The Spring party will dig manure and compost into the soil, so effectively they're putting the 'goodness' lower down.

If  'goodness' leaches into the soil from compost and manure, and lower veggie roots are seeking 'goodness' lower down, it would seem to be a good thing if nutrients were to percolate as far down into the soil as possible, helped by winter rain and worms?

Unrotted material applied to the surface in the form of mulch will temporarily deprive upper roots of nitrogen, but if the shallow roots don't mind, this temporary hitch in nitrogen supply could do no harm, especially if it increases the moisture level at the soil surface?

I guess I'm trying to figure out why mulching seems to work well. So the question is, do veggies have different types of root at different levels that take advantage of low nitrogen + moisture above, and nurrishment below? ::)

Or am I talking through my Hat :P ;D

[supersprout]

[Trixiebelle]

Ooooh my brain's hurting!  Why couldn't you ask a nice simple question like "Do tomato plants like water?"  ;D

P.S. I have no idea ...

[Robert_Brenchley]

unrotted material may deprive the soil of nitrogen, depending on what it is. autumn leaves or leafmould have very little, and will certainly deprive the soil. I've never noticed that this affects the plants though. Grass cuttings have ample nitrogen of their own. Either will be gone in a few months if you have a good worm population, and any mulch will always keep the soil moist, which made quite a difference last summer.

[OliveOil]

Ooooh my brain's hurting!  Why couldn't you ask a nice simple question like "Do tomato plants like water?"  ;D

P.S. I have no idea ...

Yes TB tomatos do like water! ;D

[Busby]

Nature doesn't actually bother about such things and has lasted for millions of years without the help of mankind. In fact we are now only succeeding in destroying that which nature has formed.

Basically most plants gain their nutrients from a cycle - that's why plants lose their leaves in winter in our temperate regions. What really destroys humus/earth are manmade fertilisers. Natural fertilisers are dead or dying plants, and new plants need that which is called 'Nature's Fertilisers' namely water and time.

Nature therefore doesn't willingly turn the earth over but accumulates a layer of 'compost' from the air and decayed/ing material.  Many years ago, before there were factories churning out fertilisers all farmers let one field from four lie bracken for a year.

This guaranteed the best use of farmland. If, in addition they had cows or horses they were on a winning streak.

So, mulch your beds, use natural compost which has had time to rot, don't use compost accelerators and use no flame throwers on your ground.

[saddad]

As Busby says most plants feed off upper roots in the topmost layer of soil where all the dead leaves etc have fallen... deeper roots seek out water and/or support a tall upper growth... that's partly why roots like parsnips go woody, to support a large flower stem next season...
8)

[Busby]

I'd just like to add something else.

Weeds: we all have trouble with them. Basically of course everything which grows was once a 'weed'. We call these unwanted plants 'weeds' because we have learned to look upon them as being a danger to our requirements. But, and this is a big but, weeds actually show you what is missing as a trace element in your soil.

This means simply that weeds first of all form a cover from the sun, they try to conserve the goodness of the soil by throwing shadows, and secondly when they die they replenish the soil with those elements which were missing.

That's why herbs are full of specific traces which our bodies need BECAUSE WE ALSO ALL COME FROM THE SOIL as does everything else.


One more thing. If you want a healthy soil never use weedkillers or any other form of poison. These are long-term destroyers.

[supersprout]

Thank you everyone for brilliant replies :o I got it the wrong way around then :-[ ::) top roots look for nurrishment, lower roots seek water :)
That makes a LOT more sense
So agree with Busby, you never see naked soil in nature except in a desert, there's always something rotting down on the surface ::)

[Curryandchips]

Makes sense to me too, deeper roots will reach for a receding water table ...

[kt.]

Too deep for me ;D      You ought to get a job with NASA...

[Hyacinth]

top roots look for nurrishment, lower roots seek water :)

isn't that the principle of ring culture ???

[tim]

Or any of the fancy add-ons to grow bags?

[djbrenton]

Nutrients are only part of the story for succesful growth, soil structure being maybe as important. Mulching has the significant benefit of encouraging worm activity which improves soil structure.