Steve: Wait a minute here, you purchased a serviceberry shrub at 12'? Does that mean 12 feet tall? Surely this cannot be so. That is the size of a middle-age serviceberry that has been in the ground for many years. What kind of a rootball would such a plant have? Surely too big to get in a wheelbarrow. If it really is as big as you say, that is a bit too large to be trying to transplant in the middle of the summer. If it is fully leafed out, it must be transpiring moisture very rapidly in the kind of heat we are experiencing now, and I don't see how the roots can keep up. You may be able to slow the transpiration by pruning it back severely, but I would say the prognosis is not good for a tree transplanted at this time of year. Most of us who plant fruiting trees and bushes do so in the dormant season with young planting stock. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

proper watering is all i ever recommend for conifers ... or any plant.. never feed a stressed plant ... and i dont buy into all those homeopathic goos ... when all it needs is PROPER WATERING .... do not water a conifer.. in a pot.. like you water annuals or perennials.. they simply do not need that much water ... and potting media is different for conifers/trees ... as drainage is imperative ... you will never make the brown green again ... so its just an issue of getting the root working.. to avoid future damage ... and if that happens.. it will eventually outgrow the damage ... you must have a pretty big balcony.. my Holstrup is going on 10 feet tall .. in about 7 years ... ken

Thanks Josh for the reply! I have them under the ledge of the patio, so they are getting some wind protection. I could put them in the greenhouse away from the fan and they would be better protected wind wise, but I think it may be still too hot for them in there? Yes Josh, I love blood oranges! I have another blood named Vaniglia Sanguigno I got from Logees when I was on vaca in CT, but it is not in fruiting stage yet. I just think blood oranges are so beautiful! And i am also excited for tasting a finger lime. The vesicles are round and the juice is suppose to just pop in your mouth. I was reading some fancy chef article or something that says because the vesicles are round and closed until bit into, the release of flavor in very intense and tasty along with the added addition of texture when it pops open. Again, the article explained it much better than I am here. I hope they have the red finger lime in the US one day. What is considered "too hot" for newly transplanted citrus? Mike, I know the worst part is the change of seasons and hauling the citrus in! I did this for years. But now I have the greenhouse and it has made a tremendous difference! For the first time i did not have to worry about leaf drop due to indoor lighting issues. If I remember correctly Mike, you have a greenhouse, but still bring them in around February when it gets real cold? I kept mine in the greenhouse all winter with heat of course. I only kept it in the low 40's on the coldest nights, sometimes even getting to the upper 30's, experimenting since it was my first year, and the citrus had no issues! I was suprised! Definitely reacted much better to the greenhouse than all the years being in my house with lights. Although I did not have the greenhouse up yet when Sandy came, which was a good thing because who knows if it would of gotten destroyed. But when Sandy came, I had my one room in the house filled with all my citrus and figs and other special plants so I would not lose them in the storm. Then, I had hauled them all back outside just to have them all hauled back inside less than a week later because of our freak Halloween snow storm! I am sure you had part of that too Mike? Oh, before I go, should I give them any epsom salts or vinegar now, or when I first fertlize over the weekend? Thanks guys! Christy

We planted Fig trees in late May and they lost all the leaves and fruits due to the transplant shock and this unusually dry and hot summer in TX didn't help either. But we are watering faithfully and I put some Miracle grow fruit tree fertilizer (the stick kind you bury by the root) and Black mission fig is finally putting out some gorgeous new leaves. I don't know if it'll bear fruit this year but I think they will come back well established and strong next Spring. We had a big older fig tree that was uprooted by the storm and we couldn't replanted without cutting off the tap root which was so deep and after that the tree never recovered. If you did not cut the main root, then my guess is tree will recover but sounds like root might be damaged. Keep water and watch and if it does the same thing by next Spring I would consider planting a new tree.