Water and nutrients are absorbed through root hairs and by the tips of these smallest roots. Root hairs are functional for a few weeks to two years and then are sloughed off. Most tree species are infected with mycorrhizae. Mycorrhizae are specific fungi which form a symbiotic relationship with a tree. These fungi receive their nutrition from the host plant to complete their life cycle and aid the host plant by increasing the efficiency of the tree s root system.
Trees can share root systems.
If two roots of the same species grow next to each other, as they grow in diameter, they may grow or graft together. This has implications when trees growing next to each other are infected with vascular diseases which may be transmitted through root grafts. Roots Healthy trees will have a healthy, expanding root system. As we work with landscape plants, avoid practices which will damage or inhibit the growth of a trees root system. Soil compaction and trenching, digging or adding fill dirt within tree root zones often cause health problems for those trees in the future.