ivan_mason•1mo ago

TIL that dandelion roots can grow nearly 15 feet deep, found it in a gardening book from 1978

3 comments

3 Comments

gavin6921mo ago

Wait, 15 feet? That's deeper than most tree roots go!

ward.jamie1mo ago

Wait, so the little yellow weed I've been fighting for years has roots that go 15 feet down? That explains why I feel like I'm digging to China every time I try to pull one out. Guess my back pain is totally justified now.

jade_johnson1mo ago

That 15 feet thing gets thrown around a lot but I've pulled up some monster dandelions in my day and never seen anything close to that. I dug up a patch behind my shed last summer and the longest root I found was maybe 3 feet tops. The book was from 1978 too who knows what kind of wacky gardening advice they were passing around back then. Plus those roots are fragile as heck they snap off after a few inches half the time. I bet the 15 foot figure only happens in perfect soil conditions with zero competition.