Sensing Water

[Ron]

For a number of years scientists have known that plants can somehow sense water. A study in 2014 found that fine lateral roots develop that will travel a surprisingly long way to reach water.
When I lived in Yarnfield I had a couple of large pots (about 3ft high) which I planted up with annuals. Not wanting to fill them with compost due to the cost, I bought a couple of trays to fit the pots, cut them down a bit and placed them inside. I then had about 12 inches of planting space and double that below the tray. To avoid them being top heavy I three quarter filled the bottom part with water. I also drilled drainage holes in the trays.

I have to admit that my watering regime wasn’t constant yet the plants flourished. At the end of the season I began to empty the pots ready for the next year. I was surprised to find long fine roots had developed aside from the normal roots which were still as you’d expect. They travelled through the drainage holes and hung in the water reservoir below. The plants had been helping themselves to water throughout the season!