If plants and trees can communicate via their root system, do they get lonely in pots?

Sebastian Leuzinger, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand explains that Plants don't have "feelings" as we know them, because they don't have a nervous system. Yet it would be presumptuous to assume that we have a full understanding of all aspects of plant life, particularly how plants communicate.

New Scientist, UK: Plants will definitely experience something like being "lonely" in pots because they miss out on underground connections. The majority of plants form symbioses with fungi underground, via their roots.

If plants and trees can communicate via their root system, do they get lonely in pots?

Physical connections between the roots of different plants are rarer, although probably more common than once thought. Carbon, nutrients, and water can be exchanged through those connections, but a pot plant can easily be given these resources in its container. However, if plant hormones or chemical signals are also being exchanged through this root network, the story looks different. Research on this is still in its infancy. It is difficult to characterize exactly what an "isolated" plant is missing out on.

If plants and trees can communicate via their root system, do they get lonely in pots?

However, we know that some tree stumps without any green leaves are kept alive by neighboring trees from the same species that provide water and nutrients via their interconnected roots. This is something that is definitely out of reach for a solitary plant in a pot

If plants and trees can communicate via their root system, do they get lonely in pots?

So, while plants are easily pleased when they have access to sunlight, carbon dioxide, water, and nutrients, we are far from understanding some of their secrets. Tree stumps without leaves can be kept alive by neighboring trees that provide water and nutrients via their interconnected roots

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