Every year I buy a couple of egg cases in early spring and put them in a few evergreens around the yard. The cases will have a stick or a space where the stick was. If there is a stick, you just tug and twist lightly and it will come out. Then I find a stem on the Yew or Boxwood that's about the same size and slide it into the spot where the stick was. I make sure and keep them hidden from birds and nosey squirrels but exposed to the sun. For me, they do not control enough pests to make a difference in my yard. I really enjoy gardening and running into them through out the summer. The birds are preventing them from becoming to established but every once and a while I will find a egg case that I didn't plant. When they are young they are tiny and eat knats and white flies. as they grow so does there food choices, anything they can catch. I love them in late summer they are big enough to help out with the green crickets and katidids. If you do not mind large insects they are a real blast. In fall they are as big as they get(almost 3") and will have wings. The males are thin and long and the larger females have a leaf shaped abdomin. The girls don't fly but the boys do. The boys fly around franticlly at night trying to find a mate. They are very active at night alot of people find them on there porch, because the night before they were attracted to the light and all the yummy fat moths. Their eyes turn so dark red at night they almost turn black. They have very short lives. They will breed lay egg cases and then perish before winter. Mantis212

Hey OrchidGuy, I would love to have a rooted cutting of your Pummelo. I would almost kill for the red one! LOL Needless to say You can not even buy the fruit here in KY. We just bought a place in Bonita Springs this Feb. 2008 and I am starting anew with my Florida yard. I have a lot to learn. We have been coming there for 15 yrs. but never had my own place to plant. We will be going back the last of Sept. Yea! I can hardly wait. Anything you are looking for in a trade? I had a ton of stuff on my trade list but not sure what happened? Everything got wiped out on it.. Thanks You are in Zone 10. Anywhere near Bonita?

Well, that's what I'm going to do, John. Pull out all the stops. Plant in heavily amended soil in HUGE holes (to give them a good start), which is much against the going thought for planting a tree, chelated minerals, soil sulfur, and a copper application during the winter to kill any chance of phytophothora. I think I will try to get a soil sample done before I tackle this, though, just so I actually know what I am dealing with. If you can provide some documentation on the differences between pummelos and other citrus, that would be helpful. Not doubting your experience, but always helpful to have this in writing so I can refer to it. From what I have been told, nothing different is done for Oro Blancos/Melogolds, and in my yard, they don't fare any better than my straight pummelos. I'm hoping this is just an issue during establishment, and I won't need to jump through huge hoops with them. I don't mind doing a little extra for some of my citrus (my Meyer lemon for example, gets more fertilizer apps than other citrus, due to it extraordinary production), but hopefully I won't have to go to extraordinary lengths to get my pummelos going! Patty S.

Thank you, Laura! Yes, I agree, Harris has some very nice trees for the price.. I have been pleased with most of my orders , but, I have had a few I ordered and received that had weak stems, and, the leaves were wrinkled, puckered, and had clm damage etc.. I would certainly never have picked them out in a nursery to purchase, and, I was surprised they would send them out looking that way.. but, with some tlc, they are coming along well. My Hirado Buntahn is a different story altogether... My Baboon Lemon had some bad looking leaves when it arrived, but, it has since started growing and pushing out new leaves along the top and the base of the trunk. It is looking good and strong, and, the leaves smell amazing!! The only other plant I have that is a slow grower is my Xie Shan.. It is finally pushing out just a bit of growth along the trunk. The trunk is thin and weak, but I have a stake supporting it.. I see you are vacation.. I hope you and the family are having a great, relaxing time! My Four Winds order is arriving next week after being put on hold, and, I can't wait to see the plants! I am so excited!!