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dishonourableaccount t1_j6g3jgo wrote

Trees grow tall evolutionarily to outcompete neighbors for access to sunlight. It takes more energy to grow tall and distribute resources up a tree via passive means, than it would if a tree would grow laterally.

Roots on the other hand typically want to be close enough to the surface to get water and nutrients in soft soil rather than less rich soil and harder rock below.

This is all very surface level but that’s the gist of it.

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Ok-disaster2022 t1_j6gqm0k wrote

It may also depend on soil and ground conditions. If there's only a few meters of penetrable soil above a grant outcropping, it's going to have a hard time getting deep enough.

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Chagrinnish t1_j6hacjp wrote

>Roots on the other hand typically want to be close enough to the surface to get water and nutrients in soft soil rather than less rich soil and harder rock below.

The roots need oxygen and do not grow where they cannot breathe. Any water or nutrients they find is just a bonus.

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