Hi tropicalfreak, What do you have to trade? Your Trade List is blank. Sue

I, too, have read the thing about planting several cuttings together, but I don't buy into that thought because that just results in multiple plants that APPEAR to be one plant. I currently have 4 adult plants, and all of them have multiple trunks. Now, these adults' multiple trunks all start ABOVE the ground. In other words, you see one trunk coming out of the ground, and all the other trunks split off that trunk, which is what I like seeing. I want the same thing on these new babies. As far as your cutting goes, that's kind of what I wonder if I need to do. I mean, shoots typically sprout when you cut somewhere above the base, which is what basically happened to yours when that branch broke off. This is why I wonder if I should top mine. But, I am scared to do that because I don't want to cut the main stem for fear of it then causing the plant to split into multiple trunks at that point, which might be too high up. I'd really prefer if the splits occur down low, just above the ground, you know what I mean?

thanks for the response. I visit so infrequently I forget how to find my posts for answers! I don't live near enough. If the crape myrtle is small, the tap root should be as long and easy to find. It is up to you, I ship in wet papertowel in a zip lock bag with great success. Do you get to burn in your area? I have an arena full of broken limbs and pinecones I can't wait to set ablaze.!! I also seem to have good luck with our trash men taking things if you bundle it small enough and do a little a week.

Actually I think there are several formulations of Osmocote with different lengths of time they're supposed to be good for--three months, six months, and nine months if I remember, but I wouldn't swear to it. And I think some have differnt n-p-k numbers. I'm curious--I heard, but I'm not a chemist and don't know this to be true--that the coating on Osmocote is temperature-sensitive and at temps over something like 85 or 90 all the fertilizer is released at once. Of course if you apply it with a light hand it probably wouldn't hurt, but if you used it in a pot and were generous, since they can't send their roots out in the world, you might get them burned. Seems to me Louis Miller is once of the people who said that. There are other time-release fertilizers that don't do that, so I use one of those. Used to swear by Osmocote, but I didn't want to risk it.