franktank: Yes, I'm thinning every day, both nectarines and pluots. Won't need to thin the apricots but have a good crop. The blueberries are done flowering. I'm still bothered by flower bud abortion/failure on some trees, mainly apricots and pluots. I think it is due to not enough water last summer. Still haven't gotten the water right but do think I know where I'm at. By that I mean I know how much I'm applying. Am going to try to stay on a steady course this yr rather than making frequent adjustments. Don't know if my water problems are operater error, my soil, or unique to fruit under poly. Maybe some combination. Still all things considered my greenhouse system is the best setup I've ever had by far for growing consistent high quality fruit. I'm surprised more aren't interested. But the optimum system would vary by crop and climate. The Fruitnut

ramble: It can be from too much fertilizer at one time. Have you fertilized lately? If so how was it applied and how much? I've burnt the leaves several times. But have never killed a plant that way. One tablespoon of 21-0-0 in two gallons water is safe on potted if water is not short otherwise. If your soil is low pH, urea would be better. Since urea is I believe 46-0-0, a tablespoon in 5 gal would be good and safe for the plants. Probably even safer would be cottonseed meal or blood meal.

Angela: Trunks turning from green to brown over a short period of time indicates they are dying. How close is "next"? I wouldn't plant a blueberry very close to raspberry bushes because raspberries spread and you don't want to be digging around a blueberry plant to get them out. The immediate cause of the death of your blueberry plant is most likely excess moisture. Blueberries have very fine roots that rot easily, and three or four days of waterlogged soil is enough to kill them. For this reason, good drainage is essential, and if you dug out and amended a nice hole in a low area, followed by heavy rains, the plant could easily have drowned. Leaves on a drowned plant look much the same as those that have been sunburned. Although I doubt that over-fertilization is killing your plant, I agree with gardenmom that fertilizer is not necessary the first year after planting, although amendments to lower the Ph, particularly peat moss, are helpful. Also agree with gardenmom that it is best to remove all blueberries the first year after planting, or better yet remove the blossoms before they even form berries. This is to allow your plant to put its energy into growth instead of struggling to produce berries the first year. You should be more specific about exactly what your "special low PH stuff" fertilizer is. Brand name would be helpful. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Miss Barbara, My word Gurl, I needed a fresh page just for you . . . temptre . . . enabl . . . Dear Friend. ♥ All jokes aside, The orchids and I faired well over the winter, and I will let them know you are thinking of them. You already know that your influence is scattered throughout my collection, and here you go again enabling me more !!! However, I’m not sure if you remember, last year when you baited me with White Elephant. It was right before I left to visit Hallson’s. As a result of your post, I ended up picking out one right then and there !!! It was haggard looking last year, what with a move across 5 states and then too much rain and shade. Here he is, in 2013. And again this year, looking much better. Pic taken today. Ooooo all that white sends my heart a flutter. :P But about this Lionheart business, I will reserve my comments to the actual post, so check back later. :) And Bless your heart for sharing your wind chimes. I ended up spending a half hour perusing that website, listening to all the different models. Your Earth Song is gorgeous !!! But I had to laugh when my ear settled on the $ 660.00, 8ft tall, Himalayan Echo . . . figures, I couldn’t swoon for one of the smaller more reasonably priced models. I would die to have one that big, though. Hang it somewhere high in a tree in the back yard and just let it resonate. I’m sure you could almost feel the vibrations if the wind picked up enough and really got it going. But I won’t be hearing it’s song for a long time at that price . . . good to set long term goals for yourself, right ? I was inspired by your link and ended up finding out more information on the one I just bought. I updated the original post if you want to go back check it out. This is actually my second one. The first, was a gift from my Mother almost 6 years ago after I graduated college. I had it hanging on my porch when I lived in Indiana, PA, but never made it out of the box once I moved to Philly. That is all changing this year as I have plans (or rather a grown adult with a big drill) to attach a huge hook to the roof of the front porch overhang. It is a 42 inch Arias. It does not have a theme or name like my Windsinger and definitely sounds more like cathedral bells. But still just as pleasing. Plus, I think of Mumma Bear when I hear it. ♥ Here is a link to a vendor that sells them, but it also includes an audio clip if you want to hear what it sounds like, as well. Arias 42 Inch Wind Chime Thank you for thinking of me, and I hope to be able to post again soon with more updates. Give hugs to the husband, birds, and little furry ones for me. ♥ Yours, Ludi