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Pataskala,OH

I was reading a discover magazine the other day. There was an article about a area that had polluted underground aquifer that a group of scientists are cleaning with trees because the trees could pick uo the toxic chemicals and break them down so they were no longer harmful. But the part that interested me the most was that to get the tree roots deeper they planted the trees on top of tubes so the roots would go much deeper than normal. So that the roots could get to the underground aquifer.

So what I was thinking is maybe we should plant are plants on top of like a tube so the roots at the stump go straight down and go deeper so the plant would have axcess to water and nutrients deeper underground.

Any thoughts?

1/24/2009 12:50:42 PM

Pataskala,OH

This is where I read it.

http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/26-worker-trees-clean-contaminated-water

1/24/2009 12:56:32 PM

Rhode Island

i once upon a time many moons ago placed a couple three inch pieces of pvc pipe buried a couple ft on each side of the young plant ( so that later in the season i could supply water soluable nutrients directly into the root section)

still dont know if it would have helped because my growing skills and soil were not up to snuff enough to make a difference.

i would not suggest growing into a tube though. not enough oxygen and/or nutrients that far down in the soil besides a giant pumpkin plant throws roots in and around in every direction anyway.

pap

1/24/2009 1:05:45 PM

Pataskala,OH

I think I could us one of those pipes with holes in it. Or maybe made out of a mesh type material.

1/24/2009 1:26:32 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

Calcium Peroxide...used in the same manor for toxic clean up..increase plants up take of minerals and nutrients.

1/24/2009 2:40:34 PM

Southern Sweden

My first 1000 lbs pumpkin grown 2003 was deep watering in drainage pipes, you can see it here:
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=14893
I think I will do the same this year.

1/24/2009 6:17:46 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

The roots will only go as far as the oxygen permeates.

1/24/2009 10:30:43 PM

Southern Sweden

In Guinnes Book of Records you can see that the deepest roots ever found was at 120 m/ 400 feet. I don’t think there was much of oxygen on it’s way down. The reason why you don’t find many roots deep in the soil is that the soil mostly is to hard.

1/25/2009 2:39:22 PM