 This 'hydraulic lift' allows the tagasaste to keep extracting nutrients from the shallow soil which would otherwise be too dry.This hydraulic lift is also seen in the native banksia shrubs that grow naturally on these soils and have a similar root design.When tagasaste is planted in rows that run north–south, it has been found that both the shoots and the roots grow twice as fast on the west side of the plant as on the east side.