Ep 193. Myths Truths and Protecting Roots

Mary Stone discusses Myths and Truths about Roots that extend well beyond the tree and shrub branches. She also explains how to protect roots by not parking on them, which compacts soil and can kill a tree. She reviews the functions of Transport and Feeder Roots and how to safeguard the Root Plate, which stabilizes trees and shrubs. 

Mary wraps up by sharing a personal story about generational loneliness and loss, encouraging listeners to reflect on their past and know that their roots, like those in nature, can heal and grow. 

Thanks for tuning in!

Related Posts and Podcasts you'll enjoy:

Myths, Truths, and Protecting Roots – Blog Post

Insights and Interdependence of Trees – Blog Post 

Episode 88. Insights and Interdependence of Trees

Wonders of Willowwood Arboretum – Blog Post
Ep 161. Wonders of Willowwood with Bruce Crawford

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Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer
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More about the Podcast and Column:

Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.

It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.

Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
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Transcript

Ep 193. . Myths Truths and Protecting Roots 
Sat, Feb 08, 2025 5:50PM • 11:12

SUMMARY KEYWORDS
roots myths, salt impact, tree roots, root plate, feeder roots, mycorrhizae, soil compaction, air spading, tree care, root functions, soil restoration, topsoil importance, personal story, emotional impact, nature lessons
SPEAKERS
Mary Stone

Mary Stone  00:00
Mary, Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone, and welcome to garden dilemmas, delights and discoveries. It's not only about gardens. It's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learn from Mother Nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So let's jump in, in the spirit of learning from each other; we have lots to talk about.

Mary Stone  00:23
Hello there. It's Mary Stone on the screen porch, and we are having a light snow, which is kind of the texture of a snow cone if that makes any sense. And yet, I'm hearing drizzling from the meltdown on the roof. So there you go. It's an unusual winter day, and because of this event, the roads are heavily salted, so no walking Jolie on the road today. That brings this week's topic, myths and tips about roots, which includes the impact of salt on plants. But before that, I want to thank those who reached back after our last chat about Groundhog Day, ancient origin, and accuracy, the editor of The Press with whom my column publishes, wrote that Punxsutawney Phil is fibbing. We can't possibly have more winter. His accuracy is less than 5050, as we spoke about. So maybe he's not fibbing. Maybe he's just a lousy gambler. 

Mary Stone  00:23
The funny thing is, yesterday while walking Jolie, I came upon a wooly bear caterpillar. I was so surprised to see it; it was rather sluggish. And of course, I had to move it from being hit by a car. When I picked him up, the little guy curled up promptly from my gentle toss back into the roadside brush, and as we walked further down the road, there's the sheep farm, and there were baby sheep. The lambs look only a few weeks old. So here we are in early February, and there are signs of spring overlapping winter unfolding—little glimpses of the breakthrough of spring, always a delight to see. So, on to this week's story, and it starts like this.

Mary Stone  02:05
Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. It's the time of year for trade events in the horticulture industry. I attended the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association show a week ago and enjoyed listening to the speakers. One of them was Bruce Crawford, who we featured in episode 161, Wonders of Willowwood. His topic this time, getting to the root of the matter, explains how roots work and dispels some myths about roots and how to take care of them. 

Mary Stone  02:34
It's often said that the canopy of a tree, the width of the branches, mimics the width of the roots below, which is not true. They go well beyond that, typically two to four times the width of the branches, and most of the root activity occurs a few inches below the soil. There was a slide that Bruce shared of a tree, and, below it a ground cover mimicked how far the roots go. It was so cool – looking like an octopus of legs coming out. What a nifty way to demonstrate to the public how far roots go. I think the photo is from a public garden that he visited. Hence, the myth that it's okay to park under trees is not so it compresses the soil, negatively impacting the roots that most matter to the tree. And once the soil is compacted, it doesn't go back. While air spading is a solution. You need to hire a professional to bring some air circulation back to the roots, and it's a little expensive to do that, so do not park on top of tree roots. That is the root of the story. There you go. 

Mary Stone  03:38
Roots of trees are typically three feet deep, although they can be far shallower if the soil is insufficient, as it is along the brook on which I live, so many of the trees are shallow-rooted, and yet they still hang on.

Mary Stone  03:52
Roots' function is to anchor the tree and store food that the foliage and bark produce, plus roots produce hormones and absorb and transport nutrients from the soil to the rest of the plant. I had never heard of this term that Bruce explained - the root plate, which are the roots in the soil at the base of the woody plant, which keeps it stable and upright. The transport roots, which move water up tree trunks and shrubs' stems, form the root plate. They should be three to six times the size of the diameter of the trunk, at four and a half feet above grade. So that's a big, substantial root plate in order to stabilize the tree. And then there are feeder roots, which are the small ones. They're a third of an inch to microscopic in size and absorb water and nutrients from the soil to feed the tree. They also develop symbiotic relationships with fungi by releasing a hormone, strigolactone. These fungi are called mycorrhizae, and over 2500 different species of fungi are known to develop this relationship. 

Mary Stone  04:56
Bruce shared, by the way, that during the summer drought that we had, it was the fungus that helped trees survive during the parched ground phase. And trees above the light in the forest will feed the shaded trees below. Trees always want to be close together because that helps keep soil cool and moist, which helps the fungus. And therefore, it's wise to plant three or four trees in a grouping rather than a solo tree, so they can help each other and cultivate good soil culture. But not too close because that root plate will be compromised. 

Mary Stone  05:29
So this was kind of a neat side note that Bruce mentioned that sometimes when you buy a clump river birch, or at least you think you are, at a nursery, it could be single trees that are potted together and that is not going to grow well, because as the tree matures, their root plate will be compromised, and eventually they will split and fall. And that is something I have seen when there are inexpensive plants; that's typically what they're doing. They're not selling you a clump.

Mary Stone  05:56
Balled and burlap trees, that the trade calls B&B's are dug by the grower before being sold to nurseries, who sell them to us. 80% of the roots are cut when digging up trees, and many of them are feeder roots. So newly planted trees need extra water for the first three years so those roots can recover.

Mary Stone  06:14
Container-grown plants can be a problem, too, because roots can girdle in the pot, so you have to tear the roots apart. I call it tickle the roots when you're doing so with small plants. But with trees, sometimes you have to literally get pretty ambitious and rip those girdled roots apart so that the tree will not girdle in the field.

Mary Stone  06:35
it's the time of year here in the Northeast when snow and ice cause municipalities to salt the roads and parking lots - overly salted If you ask me. I have some interesting photos I think I'll put in my column post. And where does that salt go? Into our water systems, into our fields, and our gardens. What we can do to help will be a topic for another day.

Mary Stone  06:58
But it is true that high salt levels can damage roots by impacting their ability to absorb water and nutrients. Folks think that the salt damage is evident on the foliage nearest the road, and that's not always the case. Often the damage is elsewhere on the plant, and it may not show up the first year.

Mary Stone  07:17
Another myth is that when we dig up the soil for regrading to build a house or solve a drainage problem, the disrupted soil can sustain new plants well, and that is not the case. It takes years for a property to recover. So when you are doing some heavy regrading or disturbing of soil, add bout five to 10 inches of topsoil so that your new plants will have nutrients to grow. That is something I highly recommend. A lot of times, people cheat on that, and the damage will be obvious when the plants are not thriving. Bruce joked about a cocktail party puzzle. You can stump guests, asking them how long it takes for nature to restore or create one inch of topsoil. The answer is 500 to 1000 years. Next time you look at topsoil, consider how precious it is our gold here on Earth. Garden dilemmas?AskMaryStone.com

Mary Stone  08:12
Speaking of roots, I'd like to share a personal story, if I may, an awakening of sorts. In the past, I've attributed loneliness I felt as a child and recreated into my adult life stemmed from the roots of my folks. My mother's mom died giving birth to my mother two years after losing a son to meningitis. And dad's dad split when he was two, so neither had role models, and both were emotionally distant in their parenting roles. It recently occurred to me that they, too, endured loneliness and, loss and sadness as children. It's a revealing experience to consider how the generations of our past impact us. My dad never spoke about his childhood or living on welfare. He kept it to himself. Mom told stories of how she was to be a good little girl because she only had her dad, and he was old. He was 40 when she was born, which is not old by today's standards. I wonder if she ever felt responsible for her mother's death, perhaps subconsciously.

Mary Stone  09:14
But she spoke graciously about her Aunt Bessie, who, along with her dad, raised her. As a child in school, Mom was teased that she didn't have a mother, to which she responded, I'm lucky to have two mothers, and you only have one. And I am lucky to have the parents I had.

Mary Stone  09:32
I feel our parents are chosen in our lives to grow from. Whether yours are biological or adoptive parents, or if the parent role was filled by a relative or friend, understand that it is part of the plan that we are here to experience. The wounds from our past can be released and healed like flower petals that fall to the ground to encourage another bloom; we can, too. Find comfort and wisdom in observing nature. It teaches us to let go and to allow new growth. No matter our age, our roots can recover, and it helps to share and talk about it with others. So, thank you for allowing me to share my story, and I'd love to hear yours. I invite you to email me at askmarystone@gmail.com. I so enjoy hearing from you, and I enjoy our time together on the screen porch. So, thank you for joining me each week, and thank you for allowing me to feather in some of my personal stories, which are part of the book underway, The Lesson of Leaf. I look forward to visiting with you next time on the screen porch. I think I'm going inside to have a cup of hot tea. Have a great day. 

Mary Stone  10:42
You can follow garden dilemmas on Facebook or online at GardenDilemmas.com and on Instagram at hashtag Mary Elaine Stone. Garden Dilemmas Delights and Discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch and always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.