Regarding why root enhancing pots have been so slow making it into the market place, as a grower it is hard to recover the added expense which is about 3 times the cost of a conventional plastic pot. As a grower, I know without a doubt RE pots work by producing healthier plants because of the multi-fold increase of root tips produced by the pruning effect either by air, constriction, or mechanically by severing. The improved health is like a plant on steroids which grows at maximum speed both in trunk caliper first, a real plus in tree production, then in secondary branching because of closer internodes. As a home owner the benefits are equally as valuable. Because of the increased quantity of root tips, the plants attach into the native soil incredible fast which means they become established quicker. This results in reduced shock and a higher drought tolerance again because the additional root tips which allow for greater water and nutrient absorb-ion. Back to why all growers are not using them, first is pot cost, secondly added production costs in handling, limited reuse of bag type pots, appearance of pots at the retail level, and a lot of resistance to change. I have been in the nursery/ grower business for almost 30 years and learned about the benefits of root pruning back in college. The concept and benefits are proven, but until the market is willing to pay a higher price for a higher quality product growers are reluctant and growing in RE pots will be limited based on demand. I have seen the pictures of 30 year old trees blown over in hurricanes with circling root systems caused from the original container that the tree was grown in. Some quality landscaping companies are requiring the trees they plant only be grown using RE methods. Sure any tree might be blown over in a hurricane, but when you see the problem, why not take advantage of planting a better product if available. Regarding the question why are more growers in Tx growing in RE pots? One of the first growers in the country using Dr. Whitcombs Rootmaker Pots was in Texas. They were really responsible for showcasing the grower benefits of root pruning, because of the quality of the product they were producing. I have also used RE pots in propagation, and although they dont increase the ability of a cutting to ininiate roots, they do increase the percentage of quality liners usable. Also planting a liner with circling roots into a RE pot does very little to increase the quality of the overall product. This is major problem, because in reality, very few nurseries, propagate all their own plants, which means liners are bought in for shifting up, and in most cases RE liners for every plant you grow are just not available. So what to do? Buy RE plants if available, if there is any price differance, most likey it will be minimal, and there will allways be some added benefit regarding quality. I hope this shed some light and answered some questions regarding RE pots. Brian

token, Tulips are basically annuals here. Don't even think of them returning the following year unless they are very old plants, not the newer hybrids. I got leaves last year, but no blooms. Same here but . . .I learned a trick over on the bulbs forum. Only certain kinds of tulips will return, bloom and multiply, and the specs usually don't say because most people do grow them as annuals, some come back, but some peter out by third year. I guess you are supposed to look for "tulips for naturalizing". Never saw that phrase in all of the many I looked at. Here was my experience, but I don't know how it will be long term. I ordered some yellow and pink from Bluestone. One yellow came back, didn't bloom. A lot of the pink ones did come back and bloom, second year, don't know what they will do next spring. They did not multiply, may have lost a couple. But I ordered an assortment 2 yrs ago called "Purple Rain" from American Meadows. I planted all my tulips and covered w/chicken wire and nailed it down w/landscape pins (squirrels). Now I can take most of that up and didn't nail the latest down. The tulips will come up thru it but I had to cut some holes for some that got stuck. As soon as they are done blooming, cut back the stems way down so they won't use energy trying to make seed, leave all the foliage to die back naturally as that's how they feed the bulbs for the following year. That takes awhile and can be unsightly. At the time you cut back the stems, sprinkle the ground with Scott's Bloom Booster, shows on the container how densely. Repeat in the fall. The result was that my Purple Rain mixture multiplied some and produced more blooms this past spring, and they are on the east side where the technique wasn't expected to work because it's only morning sun. One in the assortment came back and bloomed, the purple w/white border, rest didn't. That one is shorter than the others. But the plain colors did pretty well. I just filled in a gap there and had planted a whole new row for me in front, will see how they do. I would buy other kinds but I know whatever ones are in that mixture work, except the one, and the colors work well for me. I'm still working on this spot and will overplant with something, and shouldn't have used fill flash on the photo. Here is a link that might be useful: Purple Rain Tulips

Conifers and Japanese maples compliment eachother so well that occasionally I feel like these forums should be named 'Conifers and Japanese maples'. I'll try and mix in a few pictures of my many JM's in the next few weeks as they begin to wake.

Oh yeah. If it isn't blooming they won't buy it. Could be a 6-pack so root bound and heavy with flowers that it keeps falling over, but it will sell. It's also when they will find the plant for sale. Come in September looking for forsythia? Good luck, they were available in April. All 6 of them. Over 30 years ago when I first started the nurseries tried a campaign to encourage people to plant in the fall. "Fall Is For Planting!" posters were put up everywhere. It's the best time to plant in CA except for tropicals. The weather is starting to cool down but it's still warm. You usually only have to water until the rain starts. The plants have a long cool wet winter (well, most winters, lol) for the roots to grow well and get established before the heat of summer. Well, it was a total failure. Most people, being from somewhere else, just couldn't wrap their head around the idea of fall planting. Plus most of the plants were NOT in bloom. Even with pretty pictures of the flowers on the tags, just couldn't imagine the flowers. They'd rather buy them in May when they're blooming so pretty, stick them in the ground, forget to water them in June, cause it was just raining wasn't it? Then wonder why they were dead in 95*+ July. Heh heh, I'm not cynical after all these years, am I?