Ace the Certified Arborist Test 2026 – Branch Out and Leaf Your Mark!

For trees to effectively take up essential elements through their roots, the critical condition is the dissolution of those elements in water. Essential nutrients must be available in a soluble form for roots to absorb them; this process requires that the nutrients are dissolved in the soil moisture surrounding the root systems. When nutrients are in solution, they can move through the soil and be taken up by the root hairs, which is essential for the tree's physiological needs and overall health.

While moisture is also vital for nutrient uptake, it is not sufficient alone if the nutrients are not in a dissolved state. Application of deep root fertilizers or injection methods may have their uses, but they do not guarantee assimilation of nutrients if those nutrients are not first dissolved in the soil water. Thus, the process of nutrient availability is fundamentally connected to their dissolution in water, making this the key condition for effective nutrient uptake by trees.