A garden bed, close to a casuarina and nearby to poplars, is filled with a mat of fine roots. Nothing has grown well in the bed, although getting plenty of sun, as the plants always seems short of water. Are the trees the culprits?
Hey JH, you are right, the fine roots are what the trees use to uptake water, anything you plant here is in direct competition with the trees.
You could try small raised garden beds or group potted plants in this area. What ever you do, don't bury the roots by adding more soil on top, tree don't like having their roots buried as it interferes with water and oxygen uptake.