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What Makes Trees Grow Taller?
What Makes Trees Grow Taller?. Trees grow in two basic directions: horizontally and vertically. Vertical growth occurs only at the branch tips, through structures called apical meristems. Because height only changes at the twig tips, you can pound a nail into the side of a tree and it will never move up. On the other hand, growth in the diameter of...
Trees grow in two basic directions: horizontally and vertically. Vertical growth occurs only at the branch tips, through structures called apical meristems. Because height only changes at the twig tips, you can pound a nail into the side of a tree and it will never move up. On the other hand, growth in the diameter of the tree trunk, which occurs through a different process, will swallow the same nail in just a few years.
Light
The role of light is important to how fast a tree will grow tall. When buds "break" in the spring and come out of dormancy, it's partly because of more available light. Light strikes the opening leaves, triggering production of chlorophyll, an important part of food production for the tree. Trees that are shaded will add height more slowly and burst into leaf later in the season. Trees that get more light stay in leaf throughout the season and grow taller, faster.
Oxygen
Take a deep breath. The atmosphere you're inhaling contains 21 percent oxygen. According to Purdue University, apical meristems require only 5 to 10 percent oxygen in order to grow. Oxygen needs to be present in the soil, too. Lighter, loamy soil contains almost as much oxygen in the spaces between soil particles as there is in the atmosphere. Compacted clay soils don't hold nearly as much oxygen. That's one of the reasons that many trees can't grow in clay.
Water
All plants need water not just to grow tall but to live, and trees are no exception. Water is absorbed in two ways. First, it is pulled through the root hairs into the cells of the inner bark of the tree. As water evaporates from leaf surfaces, a suction is created that pulls the water from the roots through the trunk, up to the canopy, moving nutrients from one part of the tree to another the way blood moves through your veins and arteries.
Soil
Poke a spade into the soil at the base of a tree. If the tree is well planted in a good site, the soil will be loose, deep, rich and well drained. While conifers and evergreens prefer slightly acidic soils and others prefer alkaline or neutral dirt, most trees will not grow in dense clay, which holds too much water and causes roots to rot. If the soil contains adequate levels of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and a few trace minerals, the tree will thrive and grow to its genetic potential. If not, a soil test will tell you which nutrients are missing, and you can amend the soil to improve it and help the tree grow tall.
