what iwhy can water be drawn up through roots and into giant trees like Redwoods for hundreds of feet but..?
http://mccallsnurseries.com/wp-content/themes/Divi/js/%url% but only deawn up from wells with a maximum depth of 33 feet?
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4 Responses
Dean M.
08 Feb 2010
Laura
08 Feb 2010
What are you asking?
Z
08 Feb 2010
It’s just a guess, but look at the quantity and size (thickness) up pipes involved. In a tree you are using capillary action and in a pump you are using suction.
One other thing, most pumps on modern wells sit at the bottom of the well and push the water up, as opposed to sucking/drawing it up. That way the 33′ suction issue isn’t a problem.
Stacy C
08 Feb 2010
I think it has something to do with the fact that water is absorbed throughout the body of the tree- not just drawn up in buckets at a time, but small amounts at a time travel up the trunk at a constant rate, so the tree stays hydrated all the time- or at least when there is a water source.
two differences between a tree and a well – one is the diameter of the opening through which the water is drawn ( take a look at the cross sectional size of xylem tissue and compare that with a well pipe) and the other is that trees have transpiration out their leaves so water molecules, which attach to each other through a weak electrical force, pull the next molecules in line upward.
NOTE: water from wells is highly variable – if you live in an area with artesian conditions, the water will flow under its own weight much higher than 33 feet.