Tap Rooted Plants

Trees have long been known to lift water from the soil to great heights using a principle called hydraulic lift, with energy supplied by evaporation of water from leaf openings called stomata. Twenty years ago, however, some small plants were found to do more than lift water from the soil to the leaves - they also lifted deep water with their tap root and deposited it in shallow soil for use at a later time, and reversed the process during the rainy season to push water into storage deep underground. Dawson discovered in 1990 that trees do this, too, and to date, so-called hydraulic redistribution has been found in some 60 separate deeply rooted plant species.

Suzie Browning wrote:I discovered Permaculture a few months ago so I may have some pretty novice questions to ask at times.  I've been a gardener for a long time but really never gave much thought to root systems and their complicated ways of supporting the plant with nutrients or how their root systems might support other plants.

Do all tap rooted plants bring nutrients up to be used by other plants?

Suzie Browning wrote:Do you think these plants that deposit water shallowly, use it all themselves or could that water be available to other plants nearby?  (The article did state that they thought the main purpose was to make it easier for the plant to draw nutrients from the soil)  Which rears another question, as silly as it may sound, just what is the purpose of water to a plant?

Does anyone know what the 60 other plants species might be?

Evan Nilla wrote:i know this thread spans a lot of time, but, i think Sepp Holzers whole system is based around this fact. However, what we need to do now are find plants that like each other. Its not about competition, its about enabling cooperation, and, thats what our energy should be focused on. Cycling water like this will be hugely importing moving forward.