Welcome to this article that will be talking about the different types of cactus roots out there and how they can affect the plant in the way they grow. Worth mentioning is that the cactus variety is a very hardy plant that has the root system to thank for its survival.
The roots play a vital role in collecting the small amount of water they can collect growing in the desert. These are what make the plant such an interesting one to look at.
Follow along and we will be talking more about the fantastic plant that is the cactus. The perfect house plant in our humble opinion.
Types Of Cactus Roots
We mentioned at the beginning of this article that there are a variety of different roots that can grow from the cactus plant. They are often not specific to the variety of cacti that might be growing.
Instead, they sort of respond to the environment they are growing. They can be divided into 4 different groups. These include taproots, lateral roots, succulent roots, and lastly aerial roots.
They all have unique features and qualities to them. The first is the taproot. This is often the first root a cactus will grow. It’s a long stem that is sent down the ground to stabilize the plant and make it harder.
As it’s the most vulnerable right after germinating this is the purpose of the taproot. The second group would be the lateral roots. They are those roots that can almost infinitely divide themselves and are what spread the root system wider and wider.
The third group of roots would be the succulent roots. Not all cactus plants have these roots and they are often used to collect water. If the plant has access to larger amounts of water these roots are perfect as the main stem of the plant might otherwise get overwhelmed. They are enlarged roots that often grow straight down.
The last group would be aerial roots. They are often caused when there is not a sufficient amount of water in the soil. Instead, the roots start seeking above the soil for water. Generally speaking, this would be a bad sign for any plant. But not in the case of a cactus plant as they can commonly grow this way.
Are you wondering if you can trim a cactus spine? In this article we provide you with the answers to it, Can You Trim Cactus Spines.
Do Cactus Have Deep Or Shallow Roots
There is not really a clear answer to these questions as the plant will be growing both types of roots. If you read the segment above here you would have found out that there are different types of roots on the cactus.
Some will grow straight down and deep, while others will spread out more. They both possess their own qualities. The ones that grow straight down will provide stability for the plant.
The roots that spread out more will be what makes the plant able to survive in harsh climates as they collect the rare rainwater. The way plant can survive for long times without being watered as it instead gets collected.
Some roots will even be the ones storing the water for the plants, which is very plant specific.
If you want to learn more about where the water is stored in cactus plants then we have an article about that as well, you can find it here, Where Do Cactus Plants Store Water.
Are Cactus Spines Roots
The spines on the cactus plants are no spines. They instead have other qualities that can be similar to some root systems. The spines play a vital role in collecting water that is condensing from the warm ground during the hot summer days.
This way the plant can make the most of the ground it’s growing in and be able to survive in places where no other planet could.
