1. Flowers and Trees
Backyard Ecosystem

2. Roots Provide plants with a way to:
Anchor the plant
Absorb nutrients and water
The first part to emerge from the seed is the root.
Some roots are edible!
Examples: beets, carrots, horseradish, sweet potatoes
Roots anchor plants in the ground, holding soil in place and preventing erosion. They also take the nutrients from the soil and transport them to the rest of the plant, store food, and hold plants upright against the wind and rain.

3. Root Types

4. Taproot System Found mainly in dicots
A large, central, and dominant root that grows down vertically.
Anchors deeply to prevent wind from uprooting plant.
Also acts as food storage for the plant, especially in a drought.
Examples: Dandelions, carrot, parsnip
The main root goes deep into the soil, making it difficult to pull from the ground. The lateral branches will break off if you try to pull the plant from the ground and a new plant can grow from these. Taproots of oak and hickory trees grow so long that they can reach water several meters down. Carrots, dandelions, and beets have short, thick taproots that store sugars and starches.

5. Fibrous Root system Found mainly in monocots
Fibrous roots are closers to the soil surface than a Taproot system.
Thin, branching roots forming from the stem.
Helps combat erosion.
More surface area and root tips to absorb nutrients
Examples: Grass, Rice, Corn
Fibrous roots are closer to the surface because the grow more outward than straight down vertically. Most trees begin life with a taproot, but after one to a few years change to a wide-spreading fibrous root system with mainly horizontal surface roots and only a few vertical, deep anchoring roots. Fibrous root systems help prevent soil erosion as they anchor plants to the top layers of soil. Grasses are an example of a type of plant with densely fibrous root systems that keep soil in place.

6. Invasive Species and weeds
Knowing what type of root you are dealing with is important if you are trying to remove it.
Rhizomes - a continuously growing horizontal underground stem that puts out lateral shoots and adventitious roots at intervals
Japanese Knotweed
With these, you think you kill the main stalk, but it can just keep popping up nearby. It is very difficult to kill.

7. Functions of the Root Support a plant Anchor it to the ground
Store food
Absorb water and dissolved nutrients from soil
In order for it to absorb the nutrients from the soil, it needs energy. In order to understand how exactly our roots function, we need to understand a little bit about soil.

8. Soil
Soil is a complex mixture of sand, silt, clay, air, and bits of decaying animals and plant tissue.
Essential plant nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
Trace elements: iron, zinc, molybdenum, boron, copper, manganese, and chlorine.
Soil in different places contains varying amount of these ingredients. The ingredients in the soil can determine which kind of plants are going to grow the best there. There are certain nutrients that plants need. Nitrogen ensures proper leaf growth and color. Phosphorus helps with the development of roots, stems, flowers, and seeds. Magnesium helps with the synthesis of chlorophyll. The trace elements are very important, but if they have too much, it can be poisonous to the plants.

9. Clay Soil Particles packed closely together, with little air
Dense and heavy
Lots of nutrients
Retains a lot of water, making it difficult to garden with.
Wet clay soil is difficult to garden with because it is heavy. Dry clay soil is a little easier to use. For clay soil, you should add mulch or compost to the top layer every autumn to keep it from freezing. This will also allow better drainage and air flow.

10. Silty Soil Retains lots of water. Lacks a lot of nutrients
Try not to walk on this type of soil. It will compact it and not allow air.

11. Loamy Soil Mix of sand, clay, silt, and even some humus.
Retains nutrients and water very well.
High calcium levels.
Very good for gardening.
Loamy soil is one of the perfect types of soil because it is a mix of sand, clay, silt and even some humus. The pH level of loamy soil is 6, with high calcium levels and can retain nutrients and water very well. It is also well aerated. The specific composition of loamy soil can vary, but with the right balance of additives, it can be made ideal. If you add compost to loamy soil, it makes up for whatever the soil is lacking.

12. Sandy Soils Not good to grow plants in at all.
Large particles, prevents the soil from retaining water.
Hard for roots of plants to be established.

13. Peaty Soil Dark brown or black Organic material and is rich in water
Water content is slightly acidic.
Because of a high water and nutrient content, peaty soil keeps plants healthy even in dry weather and protects the plants from harm in rainy months. The water content of peaty soil is a little acidic but is good for controlling plant diseases and can be used to balance the pH level of other kinds of soils.

14. Chalky Soil Found in limestone beds Not ideal for growing plants
Difficult to work with
Low water content/ high lime content
Causes yellow and stunted plants due to high pH level of 7.5
These kinds of soils are found in limestone beds that have chalk deposits that are deep. This is not an ideal soil for growing plants because it can be hard to work with. Chalky soil has low water content but high lime content, which is why it has a pH level of 7.5. This means that chalky soil is alkali and causes yellow and stunted plants.

15. Layers of Soil Layers of soil are called horizons. O Horizon:
Top layer of soil made up of living and decomposed materials.
Very thin
Usually dark
A Horizon:
Topsoil
Minerals and decomposed organic matter
Layer that many plant roots grow in
Soil is made up of distinct layers, called horizons. Each layer has its own characteristics that make it different from all of the other layers. These characteristics play a very important role in what the soil is used for and why it is important.
O HORIZON- This is the top layer of soil that is made up of living and decomposed materials like leaves, plants, and bugs. This layer is very thin and is usually pretty dark.
A HORIZON- This is the layer that we call "topsoil" and it is located just below the O Horizon. This layer is made up of minerals and decomposed organic matter and it is also very dark in color. This is the layer that many plants roots grow in.

16. Layers of Soil (cont.) B Horizon: C Horizon: Subsoil
Clay and mineral deposits
Less organic materials
Lighter color
C Horizon:
Regolith
Slightly unbroken rock
Very little organic material
Plant roots are not found here
B HORIZON- This is the layer that we call "subsoil" and it is located just below the A Horizon. This layer has clay and mineral deposits and less organic materials than the layers above it. This layer is also lighter in color than the layers above it.
C HORIZON- This is the layer that we call "regolith" and it is located just below the B Horizon. This layer is made up of slightly unbroken rock and only a little bit of organic material is found here. Plant roots are not found in this layer.

18. Bulb vs. seed
A seed can be called as an embryo inside a seed coat, which usually stores food for the new plant until it can produce food on its own. Bulbs are underground vertical shoots which has modified leaves.
2. While bulbs are perennial, the seeds are annual, perennial and biennial.
3. Bulbs need low maintenance than the seeds while cultivating. Bulbs can be moved from one place to another very easily whereas it is difficult to remove plants that comes from seeds.

19. Bulbs vs. seeds (cont.)
4. Seeds are usually sown whereas bulbs are planted by digging holes in the ground.
5. Seeds are usually inside a seed coat. Bulbs are globe shaped which has overlapping leaves arising from a very short stem.