I had recently heard mixed reviews about having horses on my land. While there are lovely animals... at least the ones I'm with.... they eat lots of vegetation where I'm trying to get my ground covers up and running. There are 2 concerns that I have .... - Stomping the ground and compacting it - Eating ground covers/grass till ground is bare They do fertilize with their dung and hydrant pee which is great. 👉🏻 So, what's your opinion? The area that the horses are in is about 1 acre. 👉🏻 If you do have animals on your land, how do you know when enough is enough?

Root Architecture and Below-Ground Occupation When we terminate an annual, divide a perennial, or remove a pot-bound plant, we get a brief look at how that plant occupies the soil. A root system is more than a taproot or a fibrous mass. Roots differ in depth, lateral spread, branching, density, diameter, and location of fine absorbing roots. Some roots provide support and transport, while finer roots are especially important for water and nutrient uptake. This is why labels such as “deep rooted” and “shallow rooted” are useful clues, but incomplete descriptions. Rooting patterns are influenced by genetics, but the root system that actually develops is also shaped by soil structure, moisture, oxygen, compaction, available pores, neighboring plants, and management. A plant capable of deep rooting may still concentrate much of its active root system near the surface depending on its environment. Neighboring plants also do not usually occupy separate underground layers. Their roots commonly overlap within the same soil. Differences in depth, density, timing, and persistence may change the relationship, but pairing a “deep-rooted” plant with a “shallow-rooted” plant does not mean their roots avoid one another. Time is important too. Annual roots develop and die within a growing cycle, while perennial plants may maintain larger roots and continually replace finer roots. Below-ground occupation therefore changes through the season and over the life of the planting. The next time you transplant, divide, or remove a plant, look before shaking away the soil. Notice how far the roots extend, where they branch most heavily, whether they follow cracks or soil layers, and where neighboring roots may occupy the same space. The better question is not simply, is this plant deep rooted, it is where are its roots likely to be active, and where will that space overlap with neighboring plants? A plant occupies soil as well as visible space, and below-ground relationships depend on where roots are active through space and time, not simply on whether a plant is labeled deep rooted or shallow rooted.

Living in the country brings all kinds of pest challenges. This morning I was moving some hay around and found this guy. He's a beauty! And a very valuable part of our ecosystem here!

As summer starts winding down, this is a good time to look at what actually happened—not just what we planned. What thrived? What struggled? What surprised you? What volunteers showed up? Where did water, shade, soil, pests, or timing change the outcome? Before we rush into fall projects, I think there’s value in taking inventory of the season and deciding what deserves to be repeated, changed, or abandoned next year. What is one thing you learned this season that will change how you manage your space next year?

When I see powdery mildew show up late in the season, I don’t automatically think, “How do I kill it?” A lot of the time, I see it as a sign the plant is already stressed and beginning to tap out. Heat, humidity, drought stress, declining light, aging leaves, reduced airflow, or simply the end of the plant’s productive cycle can all make it more susceptible. That doesn’t mean powdery mildew is harmless, but it does change how I look at it. Instead of only treating the symptom, I ask what changed in the system. Is the plant short on water? Is airflow poor? Is it overcrowded? Is it simply reaching the end of its season? Sometimes the mildew is the problem. Sometimes it’s just the plant telling you it’s tired.