Sandie D. answered • 09/21/14
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Hi George,
While Earth Science isn’t one of my strengths, but I am an avid gardener. These are the things I would examine for an answer.
Rocky soil tends to have poor drainage, so there would be a lower level of moisture retained in the soil, if any. As with any smooth surface, the water tends to run off quickly or pool in lower areas and eventually evaporate. If the rocks are porous, the water usually does not reach the soil below the rocks in any great quantity.
The soil in rocky areas tend to have little in the way of root or plant growth because of poor drainage and an inability to retain nutrients needed from the soil for plant growth. Therefore, the depth of the plant’s root system would be a factor in rocky areas. In addition, the strength of the plant’s root system may not be able to grow around some rocks to gain nutrition from a lower level in the ground.
Depending on the type and size of the rocks in the area, these rocks can limit sunshine from reaching the soil that is needed for young plant photosynthesis when the nutrients cannot be fully taken from the soil. As a shaded area tends to be cooler than a sunny one, the soil’s temperature in a rocky area may not be warm enough for some plants that are able to thrive in poor drainage areas with few soil nutrients.
Organic matter tends to be low or nonexistent in rocky areas. As few plants can grow and thrive in rocky soils, the possibility for dead or dying plant matter below the soil surface is limited as an alternative nutritional method for other plants. Additionally, because of the lack of dead or decaying plants, there is little to attract worms and other burrowing species to the area to provide aeration to the existing soil to assist in root growth of existing plants.
While Earth Science isn’t one of my strengths, but I am an avid gardener. These are the things I would examine for an answer.
Rocky soil tends to have poor drainage, so there would be a lower level of moisture retained in the soil, if any. As with any smooth surface, the water tends to run off quickly or pool in lower areas and eventually evaporate. If the rocks are porous, the water usually does not reach the soil below the rocks in any great quantity.
The soil in rocky areas tend to have little in the way of root or plant growth because of poor drainage and an inability to retain nutrients needed from the soil for plant growth. Therefore, the depth of the plant’s root system would be a factor in rocky areas. In addition, the strength of the plant’s root system may not be able to grow around some rocks to gain nutrition from a lower level in the ground.
Depending on the type and size of the rocks in the area, these rocks can limit sunshine from reaching the soil that is needed for young plant photosynthesis when the nutrients cannot be fully taken from the soil. As a shaded area tends to be cooler than a sunny one, the soil’s temperature in a rocky area may not be warm enough for some plants that are able to thrive in poor drainage areas with few soil nutrients.
Organic matter tends to be low or nonexistent in rocky areas. As few plants can grow and thrive in rocky soils, the possibility for dead or dying plant matter below the soil surface is limited as an alternative nutritional method for other plants. Additionally, because of the lack of dead or decaying plants, there is little to attract worms and other burrowing species to the area to provide aeration to the existing soil to assist in root growth of existing plants.
Jessica S.
10/30/17