Friday, January 27, 2012

Can a vine split a wall? or is it just that a vine has simply chosen that path?

Vines and tree roots can split rocks by sending rootlets into tiny crevices and as the root grows in thickness it will force open the crack, splitting the stone.

In the early days of quarrying men would drill holes in the stone and pound in wooden stakes. These would be soaked in water and as the wood swelled, the stone would split along the row of holes

Can a vine split a wall? or is it just that a vine has simply chosen that path?
The vine does play a role. Vines have tendrills which dig into the surface of the wall. This provides a place for water to get into and if it freezes it pushes the hardmaterial apart. That in turn allows the vine to dig in deeper which allows the water to penetrate deeper the next season and so on.


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