Diverse cropping systems reduce risk, increase economic return and improve soil health resulting in healthier plants with a bigger rooting system that are better able to withstand external stress including pests and drought. We compared root growth characteristics in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) grown in rotation with bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum)(bahiagrass 2 yrs, peanut/cotton) to conventional rotational of peanut only (peanut/cotton/cotton). Studies were conducted in Quincy, FL in 2003 and 2004. In 2003, a wet year, cotton in the sod rotation had a larger crown root diameter per plant (2.26 vs. 1.63 cm) root area (87.2 vs. 57.4 cm-2) and total root length (640 vs. 460 cm) compared to cotton in the peanut /cotton rotation. The bigger root growth in cotton after the sod can be attributed to colonization by the cotton roots of the roots channels left by the bahiagrass. There were no statistical differences in either root area or total length between the rotations in 2004, a drier year. However, roots in the sod rotation had much larger diameters which enabled them exert more pressure on the soil and develop a deeper root system which extract more moisture from deeper soil zones. An extensive root system enables cotton to explore larger soil volumes and extract more nutrients and moisture.