Plants contribute significantly to the global water cycle, redistributing about 10% of liquid water from the land to the atmosphere and through the different soil layers. The water deficit in the atmosphere pulls the water column from the soil to the leaves, thanks to the cohesion between water molecules (Dixon and Joly, 1894). A negative hydrostatic pressure (or tension) is created by the vaporization of water and its loss through the stomata that propagates downstream towards the root system. During the day, the amount of water supplied by the root system does not compensate for transpired water, creating a water potential gradient between below-and aboveground organs. At night, as stomata close, water re-equilibrates along the water column, and the xylem sap reaches the soil water potential prospected by the root system (Améglio et al., 1999). During the night, water is thus transferred through the soil layers and inside the plant to the lowest water potential (leaf or soil). This phenomenon, known as hydraulic redistribution, generally causes water to rise from the depth of the soil in all directions (Richards and Caldwell, 1987). Different patterns of hydraulic redistribution have been described according to the main direction (vertical through hydraulic lift or descent, or horizontal through lateral horizontal roots) and destination (foliar uptake when leaf water potential is higher than soil water potential or tissue dehydration in relation to its capacitance; Nadezhdina et al., 2010). By chance, Liu et al. (2021) identified a hydraulic distribution mechanism that consists of bi-directional water flow in the lateral roots of Populus tomentosa. In the upper part of the root, the flow of water through the xylem is centripetal, while in the lower part, the flow is centrifugal. Liu et al. (2021) measured sap flow velocity by the heat-pulse method. A heating element surrounded by two News and Views