One major issue that California has been dealing with for years now is the severe drought we are currently in that is a result of global warming and water depletion. One of the best ways to reduce the impact of this issue is through the proliferation of drought tolerant native plant populations in California.
Drought tolerant native plants benefit both humans, by using up less of our water when we grow them, and California’s ecosystems, by saving water for them as well as supporting the native animal, fungi, and other populations. However, one unseen benefit of these amazing plants is that most of them have deep roots. How does this help? Invasive species and agricultural monoculture (farming only the same kind of crop) both contribute to soil degradation, making it harder for the native plants to grow on the land. Soil recovery is not a quick and easy process after it has been eroded and depleted of nutrients. Native plants with deep roots, like the drought tolerant ones, not only use their roots to reach water at deeper depths, but their deep roots also hold the soil together better, helping reduce soil erosion.
This is an example of long, fibrous roots. https://graniteseed.com/blog/how-do-plants-help-prevent-erosion/
Although the best solution is to mitigate soil erosion by trying sustainable agriculture methods and preventing the spread of invasive plants, adding more native drought tolerant plants, like dudleyas and agaves, but more so the native drought tolerant plants with deep roots, like the hummingbird sage and the California yarrow, is a great way to alleviate the preexisting problems.
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