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Chris Beardshaw, one of the presenters on the weekly Beechgrove Garden TV programme from BBC Scotland (ace programme, recommended) was recently planting spring narcissi bulbs and casually says that the bulbs have “contractile roots” so will work to locate themselves correctly….
“Contractile roots”???
Not a description I’d heard before, some explanations below:
a) From Wikipedia: Contractile roots: they pull bulbs or corms of monocots, such as hyacinth and lily, and some taproots, such as dandelion, deeper in the soil through expanding radially and contracting longitudinally.
b) From elsewhere: Contractile roots: roots that become shortened in length (shrivel or shrink in length) and thereby draw the plant or plant part downward into the soil profile; many examples can be found among bulbous plants.
c) Some herbaceous dicots and monocots have contractile roots that pull the plant deeper into the soil. Many lily bulbs are pulled a little deeper into the soil each year as new sets of contractile roots are developed. The bulbs continue to be pulled down until an area of relatively stable temperatures is reached.
Amazing! I didn’t know any of that….. The general point that Chris Beardshaw was making is that there's no need to be over-concerned with depth and angle when planting bulbs as the bulb is capable of adjusting itself to its preferred position!
“Contractile roots”???
Not a description I’d heard before, some explanations below:a) From Wikipedia: Contractile roots: they pull bulbs or corms of monocots, such as hyacinth and lily, and some taproots, such as dandelion, deeper in the soil through expanding radially and contracting longitudinally.
b) From elsewhere: Contractile roots: roots that become shortened in length (shrivel or shrink in length) and thereby draw the plant or plant part downward into the soil profile; many examples can be found among bulbous plants.
c) Some herbaceous dicots and monocots have contractile roots that pull the plant deeper into the soil. Many lily bulbs are pulled a little deeper into the soil each year as new sets of contractile roots are developed. The bulbs continue to be pulled down until an area of relatively stable temperatures is reached.
Amazing! I didn’t know any of that….. The general point that Chris Beardshaw was making is that there's no need to be over-concerned with depth and angle when planting bulbs as the bulb is capable of adjusting itself to its preferred position!
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