BostonBull
Addicted to ArboristSite
Do roots only extend to the dripline or do they go out farther? I was told roots are 3 times a s long as the tree is tall?
How big/Long are roots?
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Shespen
ArboristSite Member
That would be possibly true in a native forest environment and roots have definately been traced that far in oaks that I know of. However, There are a lot of factors that have to be considered such as type of soil, compaction, tree species, tree health, ect. In an urban residential area I doubt that this would be the case. Generally, the "feeder roots" start at the dripline and extend outward another 1/3 to 2/3 the distance from the dripline to the trunk. This is the area that I would fertilize if I thought that the tree needed it.
They have the uncanny ability to plug every drain tile within sling shot distance of the tree.
John Paul Sanborn
Above average climber
I've seen woody roots out several score feet from the trunk, and I've read that some xeric trees have had roots traced 40 feet down to water.
Roots will follow the path of least resistance in growing and allocate resourses to the most productive members.
in dryer regions the will send out less roots, but farther out, and we will find larger roots going down slope (there have allso been isotope studies that indicate that there is fluid transfer between non clonal members of the smae species).
If you are familliar with computer science, then look at the tree as a nodal network. Each node will send out links to form new nodes, which if sucsessfull will do the same (and the computer people call them dendritic, branching like a tree)
As infererd above H2O is a limiting factor, bit so is free O2, so compacted soils will be colonized less, and depth without aerated water (no cracked sewer lines) is usually limited to the first 12-18 inches.
So the real answer is it depends on species, location and the hydrological profile of the location, oh, and soil type......
Roots will follow the path of least resistance in growing and allocate resourses to the most productive members.
in dryer regions the will send out less roots, but farther out, and we will find larger roots going down slope (there have allso been isotope studies that indicate that there is fluid transfer between non clonal members of the smae species).
If you are familliar with computer science, then look at the tree as a nodal network. Each node will send out links to form new nodes, which if sucsessfull will do the same (and the computer people call them dendritic, branching like a tree)
As infererd above H2O is a limiting factor, bit so is free O2, so compacted soils will be colonized less, and depth without aerated water (no cracked sewer lines) is usually limited to the first 12-18 inches.
So the real answer is it depends on species, location and the hydrological profile of the location, oh, and soil type......
BostonBull
Addicted to ArboristSite
I think I get that. Is that the same as the nodes we build for fiber optic networks out on the poles and manholes?
An instructor in a arboriculture class I took told us to picture a wine glass on a dinner plate. Glass being the tree, plate beeing roots. Where as some caracitures of trees show to root system as a mirror image of the tree(not true).
Bos. I know you are just getting new to the biz, me too (2 Years) I suggest Pirones Tree Maintenance and if you go on Amazon it will tell you what other books were purchased with this, they were right on as far as essentials. Johnson and Lyon Insects that feed on trees, and Sinclair Johnson and Lyon's Diseases of trees and shrubs, An Illustrated guide to pruning by Guillman, Arboriculture Illustrated guide to landscape trees, shrubs, and vinesHarris Clark and Matheny And the Petride's guide to Eastern Trees(wich you probably already have). Amazon was right, I've come to find out these are all essentials (or highly suggested). Books are expensive but they are well worth it!
Bos. I know you are just getting new to the biz, me too (2 Years) I suggest Pirones Tree Maintenance and if you go on Amazon it will tell you what other books were purchased with this, they were right on as far as essentials. Johnson and Lyon Insects that feed on trees, and Sinclair Johnson and Lyon's Diseases of trees and shrubs, An Illustrated guide to pruning by Guillman, Arboriculture Illustrated guide to landscape trees, shrubs, and vinesHarris Clark and Matheny And the Petride's guide to Eastern Trees(wich you probably already have). Amazon was right, I've come to find out these are all essentials (or highly suggested). Books are expensive but they are well worth it!
