Yep, you're right Alexis--it's 'Sea Gulf Stream' and if you see a pic. of a 'good and mature' one you WILL be 'faint of heart'! Carol--look at the leaf with the very faint 'stripe' going along the vein--that's it! I've got that leaf in a clear glass custard cup of water right now, with the timer set for 1 hour. Then, we'll see--but I have NO DOUBT it's the neems. I found a couple of other leaves with even fainter stripes--just the beginning of the infestation coming to light!! Oh well--SGS is a lot like my 'Jimmy Crack Corns', I've decided so it will GO--very quickly if I'm right--which I will be!!! Whaaaaa! I really don't have SUCH a problem--just a few that I've done away with! This is the first evidence of a re-occurence in an area where previously I had an infested one. The other occurence, the hosta had not been in place very long at all--less than a couple of weeks it showed evidence and it was gone, and boiling water poured in the area it had been and SO FAR, 4 yrs. out, no further ocurrences. Same as in the first case--new hosta, within 2 wks. I found out for the first time about foliar nematodes and it was history with a heavy dose of boiling water in the planter and no re-occurence there either. Sigh!!! Oh well!!! I think the 'Maui Buttercups' brought the neems with it, from the area where a 'gifted hosta' was planted with 'neems'! I didn't realize it was infested for many weeks before my sad discovery! The MBC was moved to the front of the octo-deck, about 20 ft. above where it had been--so it HAS to be that it contracted them from it's previous planting!

I'm in Zone 8, Louisiana, north of New Orleans. The earthworms are welcome to move in :) but I think the holes slightly large for earthworms. I should also add that I inherited the raised bed when I moved in. It was super overgrown. I noticed the holes when I was cleaning it out. Then the day after, I noticed the hole with the burrow in one of my potted plants that was next to the bed. I assumed I disturbed somebody. I found some new holes around today in the fresh soil I brought in.

sounds like transplant shock and its results ... where are you ... when did you do this?? what is your soil?? how well watered are they??? etc .... really.. you give us no fact .. pix would really help ... the trick on transplants.. is to look past the older leaves .. which suffer the brunt of the transplant.. and look to the center of the plant ... and see what the new flush is doing.. if it looks strong and fine... then you are all set ... give them a few more weeks.. then snip off the worst of the leaves.. even injured .. leaves still produce food and use it to offset the transplant ... after the new flush .. we can prune out a few to make the plant look better without reducing food production, as the new leaves have increased ... in my garden .. the year of transplant .. i hope only that they live.. the show is next year ... perhaps your expectations are a bit high.. if you expected the new bed to look as good as the old beds.. they will.. they just aren't going to do it that fast.. relax ... good luck ken

If the surface remains nicely moist because you have a lake underneath, you've got a problem. As Dave said, root rot is then pretty much assured. I'm not sure how you're judging that the bed is drying out. Sure, the surface is going to get dry, if you don't have that lake underneath. That would be completely normal. If the surface stays moist, things are probably too wet. I can't imagine that several inches down it's drying out, however. That's where you want the moisture.