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.

Jim Gardener was just discovered

Last week we looked at whether our compost system has the conditions it needs to work: suitable materials, moisture, structure, airflow, space, and realistic management. Now we can look more closely at the materials themselves. We often learn to divide compost materials into greens and browns. That shorthand can be useful, but it can also hide important differences. Two materials called “browns” may behave very differently in a pile, and something that looks brown is not automatically a carbon-rich structural material. Instead, begin asking what each material actually brings to the compost environment. Food scraps and fresh green plant material usually bring considerable moisture and readily available nutrients, including nitrogen. They often decompose quickly but provide relatively little lasting structure. Fresh grass clippings can break down rapidly and bring both moisture and nitrogen, but large amounts can settle together and reduce air movement. Dry leaves contribute carbon, absorb some moisture, and provide some structure. Their particle size and condition influence how quickly they break down. Straw and mature plant stalks contribute carbon while also helping create physical spaces through which air can move. Wood chips and small woody pieces provide coarse structure and carbon but generally decompose much more slowly than soft green material. Fine materials such as sawdust or shredded paper can contribute considerable carbon and absorb moisture, but fine particles can also pack closely when wet limiting oxygen. Particle size changes the picture too. Breaking material into smaller pieces exposes more surface area to decomposers and generally speeds breakdown. Larger, tougher pieces usually remain longer and may help preserve structure and air spaces. This is why compost materials are more than ingredients; each one changes several conditions at the same time. A bucket of kitchen scraps does not simply add “green.” It adds water, easily decomposed material, nutrients, and fine soft particles. A handful of coarse dry stalks does not simply add “brown.” It adds carbon, larger particles, and physical structure.

We've been having major windstorms here in S.E. Ohio. There are leaves everywhere, I've been blowing them over the hill so they aren't all over our porches/decks. This morning I thought maybe I should be raking them up instead, and either putting them in leaf bags or just dumping them inside my fully contained raised beds. I have 3 feet of fencing that go around each one, which does a pretty efficient job of keeping the leaves in once they are put in. I normally wait until about October to do this. Thoughts?