i would like them email me exmktgjanitorial@yahoo.com

Bkay remove all the soil. I use a hose with a nozzle to blast away any remaining soil on the root ball when I need to result to this tactic. I'm nearly 100% certain it is a salt/mineral issue since you mentioned the terra cotta pots disintegrate which is what the salts will do. I had the same probleam with non plastic pots until I started to use glazed pots. Given Texas is primarily desert no doubt your water is quite alkaline due to limestone deposits or other similar minerals in the ground which your water percolates through. The easiest remedy is to repot your plants including this one and removing all soil from the root ball and pot into a good soil mix. Not sure what part of Texas your in but you might want to consider buying a rain bucket and using that water for your hostas. Or purchase a water filter which you can attach to your outside faucet to remove the salts. Heavy fertilization using a chemical fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro or Peters can also cause similar damage overtime as well. Easiest solution would be the filter which you can get at any big box store. Scott

The mouse/rat poison seems tempting, but I was reading google on it, and the dying animal wanders around thirstily looking for water and easy to pick off by predators which are then also poisoned. Cats, dogs, and protected raptors can fall victim. Apparently in Mexico they used a lot of rat poison and killed off all the predators and were overrun by rats. I found one article claiming feeding mice dry instant mashed potatoes would expand in their stomachs and kill them. Also a mixture of chocolate milk powder and plaster of paris would kill them. Peanut butter mixed with plaster of paris and hung from trees in bags has been recommended for squirrels. I grow lots of plants to provide nectar for bees, and have great pollination of my fruit trees- mint beds (and great for tea), allow dandelions to bloom, then cut off seed heads, flowers in general. As for the bay laurel, it is only hardy from zone 8-10 so the next bad winter will kill it. I try to grow stuff hardy to at least zone 7, preferably 6 or lower. Lots of herbs are extremely hardy and tough- oregano, marjoram, thyme, and upright rosemary. The hellebores are really great when they bloom so early in spring, reserve judgment until you see them then. The last year's foliage is cut off around then. Plants that do really well here are biennials like Lunaria- money plant and I won't mention Forget-Me-Nots, because they are so rampant and hard to control; and ephemeral plants that grow in the wet spring weather then disappear in the dry summer- Anemone nemorosa, daffodils, some tulips, Muscari, etc. I find moles very damaging as well, I also have plants heaved out of the ground by them, buried under their mounds, or roots left hanging in the air underground. They make burrows that attract voles as well so the ground under some fruit trees or vegetables becomes more burrow than dirt. 3 winter squash were flourishing then suddenly began to wilt and die, I pulled one up out of the mole mound and it was eaten clean off. I actually have to plant pole beans by digging just a small hole for the bean, sprinkling on cayenne pepper, and putting a 4" galvanized nail into the ground by each bean (warning: danger!). Then after the beans are growing I wrap the bottom 9+" of stem with aluminum foil to keep them from being nipped off by voles, and still lose quite a few. I'm appreciating one bed by the driveway the PO filled with gravel- no voles! I've been putting quite a few of my seedling perennials in there and hope to raise them unmolested. I also pretty much ended having my daylily roots eaten off by putting lava rock in the bottom and sides of the planting holes. That would probably work for fruit trees if enough could be put in a big enough area- difficult. I'm looking for more shrubs that have fruit. I already have an extensive blueberry collection, and really like the evergreen forms, and also like Aronia, available in tall or dwarf forms. I'm getting interested this year in barberries, Mahonia (Oregon Holly Leaf) which is tough as nails here and makes an attractive hedge, in various heights, and Berberis- the ornamental red import thunbergii you see everywhere is pretty but no edible fruit and potentially invasive in forests; preferably the native fendleri, green deciduous leaves, gets tall, and has fruit supposedly tasting like sour cherries. Also lots of non-native Berberis like darwinii, most have edible fruit, attractive foliage, some evergreen and some deciduous, and medicinal properties in the bark and roots. Raspberries can be great if you have the room, since they spread. I also like mulberries, the lavender or white trees have non-staining fruit not noticed by birds, and the weeping form has small tasty fruit hidden by the weeping branches and leaves.

I finally got some of my greek pepper seeds to sprout! I don't use seed mix ... I just strain my potting soil and use that and haven't had any mold issues. I put sandwich baggies over each starter pot and put them on the back porch. The idea just popped into my head the other night and it's working. It's keeping them so much warmer than not being covered. I may get some peppers by Christmas. lol I feel your pain Dirty ... I have auto immune syndrome ... my doc is skirting the word lupus for the moment. I know how it feels to have a good day and then feel like a truck ran over you the next. Gardening and nature help me to keep my spirits up. So sorry to hear about your health issue Greenthumbs ... sending good vibes your way. :)