The root of the matter

[Ridgerunner]

I've been cleaning out the garden and have been purposely noticing certain things, specifically roots. There are several things that when I plant them, I plant then deep. I often use a set of post hole diggers and sink a pretty deep hole, maybe a foot or more. The roots go into the bottom of that and much of the stem gets buried, just leaving enough of the bud out to grow. Instead of just breaking them off this fall I've been digging them out with my mattock to see what the root system looks like.

I've noticed when I do that with eggplant and tomatoes, the stem sets new roots all along its length, from the bottom to the soil surface. They are going to be pulling nutrients form that entire stem column.

My sweet peppers don't do that though. The stem is clean from the root ball upwards. I did not expect that. I thought they would do like their cousins the tomatoes and set new roots. No roots right below the soil line so they are not getting any nutrients directly from that top soil level. I may plant mine a lot more shallow next year. Maybe that will get them producing a little earlier next year since they need warm soil to produce. I've been getting good production but maybe they'll start that earlier if they are up where the soil is warmer. I may need to stake them though with our strong south wind.

The ones that really surprised me though were the zinnias. I often wait until they are blooming to transplant them so they are often well over a foot tall. I've been burying them real deep, thinking that keeps roots down where it won't dry out and that with roots anchored that deep they are less likely to blow over. Doesn't work that way. The zinnias set out roots right at the ground level but the stem rots below that. They live ling enough to set out those surface roosts but sever connections to those deeper roots somewhere in the process. It works so I'll probably keep doing it the way I have been.

If I can remember I'll check out the cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower next year and see how they do it.

I'm not sure where I'm heading with all this. More than anything else, I just thought it was interesting.

 

[Smart Red]

It is interesting! It may alter the way others do their planting in the future as well.

And a bit strange that peppers -- related to tomatoes, potatoes and egg plant --don't root up the stem. I have found that growing peppers as a perennial gives me a woody stem the second year, while tomato roots continue to be stiff, but green.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hopefully some others will check theirs out and see if they agree with me or not. Maybe some of the peppers depend on the variety? That's why I specifically mentioned sweet peppers. I had Golden Marconi, an orange bell, and some strange but very good red pepper that is not what it was supposed to be.

 

[thistlebloom]

Good observations Ridge. That's really interesting about the zinnias forming new roots and detaching from the "parent" root. I would have thought the same about the pepper plants forming new roots on the stem. I always plant mine deep for that reason. It will be interesting next year to pull up some of mine to see what's going on down there.

 

[digitS']

You do not subscribe to this idea, @Ridgerunner ? Tomato plants do not use the deep roots and only grow and use roots within a few inches of the soil surface. Only those roots will grow to any depth.

I don't know and had stopped burying the plants very deep when I came across that gardener's statement. My garden soil is so cold for so long in the spring - it would probably be best for me to wait and set out tomatoes in June.

Laying them at an angle sometimes results in them growing at an angle for many weeks.

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

I tried laying them in a shallow trench one year instead of burying them deep. it wasn't a problem with them growing at an angle, they soon grew up toward the sun instead of at an angle. My problem was that I kicked a couple while weeding with a hoe. If you mulch them immediately that would not be a problem but I buried them so deep they needed to grow a bit before I could mulch without smothering them. I like to get as much of them out of the wind as I can until they get established so I don't leave much sticking up.

You have a good point about warm weather crops needing warmer soil. That could make a difference in how the roots grow.

The ones I dug up had roots all along the stem. There was a mass at the top and the mass at the bottom was bigger than it was when I planted them so those grew, but there were roots all along the stem, just not as thick as the top and bottom. Eggplant were the same way.

It would be interesting to see what other people observe.

 

[buckabucka]

Interesting. I would think more roots=better growth.

I did not know that eggplant will grow roots along the stem, but I don't plant them deep, either. Tomatoes, I try to lay down the stem at an angle and bury it. I don't like the plant growing at an angle, as digitS' described, so I take a small piece of wood (small stake) and use that to prop the plant up straight before setting the cage over it.

 

[Smart Red]

Tomatoes, I try to lay down the stem at an angle and bury it. I don't like the plant growing at an angle, as digitS' described, so I take a small piece of wood (small stake) and use that to prop the plant up straight before setting the cage over it.

I've damaged the roots of young tomato plants when hoeing as well. Now I plant the angle inside the row rather than outside of it. Of course, I also mulch my tomatoes with brown grocery bags and lots of straw, so I don't have to hoe anymore there either.

 

[baymule]

I have buried the tomatoes deep, but never thought about anything else.

 

[buckabucka]

My tomatoes are always grown in black plastic, even now that we use a hoop house, so no hoeing for me, either. We do lay soaker hose first, otherwise they dry out quickly.