Soil moisture that is root-system deep will help almost any ornamental planting do a better job of getting through winter.

When plants are growing, they sense how big a root system they have to produce to draw from the soil the nutrients and moisture they need to grow and reach maturity and reproduce. On a conventional farm where there are high levels of fertilizer nutrients in the soil, along with lots of water, there is little incentive for roots to penetrate far.

Conditions last year were very favorable. There was even better soil moisture. But frost came despite what had been a very mild spring to that point, so you never know how Iowa weather is going to turn out.

What is visible is not always a good measure - It is not about how tall the tree is, but rather how deep its root.

I have deep roots in this Oklahoma soil. It makes me proud.

This is the first, definitive study that provides unambiguous experimental evidence that soil moisture can control invasions of Argentine ants.