Digging Deep

Sunflower growing above and below the ground.

Spring is on its way. The lengthening daylight hours, warmer temperatures, melting snow, and the delivery of my seed order have me itching to start digging in the soil. But it’s not time yet, I need to be patient for a little while longer. However, I am in the process of digging deep just not in the garden.

What does it mean when we say to dig deep? The dictionary defines it as investigating something, delving, probing, or examining. To ‘dig it deep’ is to make an effort utilizing all your resources or to put all of your effort into doing something.

In the garden, we dig holes deep enough to allow the seed, seedling, or the tree/bush we’ve bought from the nursery to take root. The roots of the plant pay a key role in its overall well being. The roots are the source of water necessary for the plant to carry out photosynthesis. Nutrients in the soil are also absorbed up into the plant through the roots. Roots provide structure and anchorage for the growing plant. The roots help the plant to withstand the forces of nature such as wind, rain, sleet, and snow. Some roots play a key role in the storage of the products of photosynthesis. Take ‘root’ vegetables for example, carrots, beets, turnips, and radishes all have strong and deep tap roots. Deciduous trees, those that lose their leaves during the winter, send sap to be stored in the roots until spring time comes again when that nutrition will be sent back up to the branches to support the growth of new leaves until they start photosynthesizing food for themselves. Now you know why we humans have tapped maple trees for millennia in order to collect their sap to make that sweet syrup.

Rain drops being absorbed into soil.

It turns out roots are a lot more important than we thought. Plants make connections with other organisms through their roots. The legumes, peas and beans for example, have specialized root nodules where nitrogen fixing bacteria can live and provide that essential element to the plant. Other plants engage in similar relationships with fungi who are responsible for breaking down dead matter in the soil releasing nutrients for the plants and in return get sugars from the plants which they can’t make for themselves. Trees communicate and support one another through their roots. Aspen and pawpaw trees are examples of clonal communities where more mature trees will provide nutrients for smaller or struggling trees. Trees can organize and communicate the need to develop defenses against pests, droughts, or that it is time to reproduce.

Root systems forming.

Let me get back to where I started with the concept of digging deep. On the personal level, when we are challenged in life, we are often encouraged to dig deep within ourselves for the answers. It’s during the dark times that we dig deep to find our roots, and here I am referring to our core values, our belief systems, our sense of purpose. Those key things are what help us to be rooted deeply, and prevent us from falling down when we are buffeted by the winds of change. Our roots also grow outward to make connections with others so that we create a support system that provide nutrients, messages, and support to keep on going.

In the week ahead, I plan to continue to dig deep within myself. It’s not only within that I will look, but all around me and to investigate, probe, and examine the messages that I receive and really get to the root of whether or not they convey the truth. I encourage you to do the same thing. Let’s find our place where we can dig ourselves in deep, take root, and prepare to bloom.

Take care!

Maryanne