Down Below With The Roots

Have you ever tried to pull a plant out of the ground?
Have you noticed that even small plants are hard to get out of the dirt?

You have just found out one of the most important jobs that roots do for plants. Roots hold or anchor the plant in the ground to prevent it being blown or knocked over.

All roots have other important job to perform though. Roots also gather water from the soil for the plant to use. Along with this water they also gather minerals and other nutrients that the plant uses to grow.

Some plants have one long main root that goes deep into the soil, this root is called a taproot. If you dig up a plant such a dandelion you will find an example of a taproot. You should also find that there are many other small roots growing from the taproot. Some plants use their taproot to store food for the plant. A carrot is one of these type of plants.

Other plants grow with their roots spread out quite close to the surface of the soil. These are called fibrous roots. Plants with fibrous roots usually have lots of small roots that are often tangled or intertwined. Lemon trees are an example of a plant that has its roots close to the soil surface.