Hello..... I have no problem with throwing anything that rots into the ground!!! I have buried my dogs,parakeets, cats, mice, fish, lobsters, and my worst enemy,and so on near my plants...Any plant living near these things that I have buried, seem to do GREAT..I buried at least 20 pounds of fish next to a dying red bud tree 2 years ago, and that thing came back with a vengance! We know for sure the ground is the place to be for these things... But in containers???? Thats my point.. I just thought that burying these things in CONTAINERS only invites trouble and a whole bunch of maggots, and does nothing for a potted plant...In fact, maggots is what I saw crawling over the top of some of his containers, falling over the edge with tons of birds having a field day on a hot day last week... Funny thing is though, the ones that have not been dug through by varmits, are doing quite well anyways or yet still....lol My backyard STILL reeks like a whole lot of dead fish by the sea. It masks out the sweet smells from all my sweet lilies and anything else that use to make my backyard smell so nice. I hope this smell goes away fast, or I will send out the cats in my local pet shelter to have a field day..Those poor poor things cooped up all day in those small cages the next block from me......I can hear them houl all night sometimes,..;-( :-(

"I'd still be tempted to trust the LB tech to know what he's doing. A gamble?" Well since no engine mfg. that I am aware of has ever recommended straightening a crankshaft for their engine, even long before OSA or "Liability suits", the LB Tech is already out of bounds. I have been "tinkering" with small engines for about 60 years, am a former certified Dixon Service Tech. and I can tell you for sure that really doesn't say much. "Would this seal being bad, cause the engine to barely run due to lack of crankcase seal" It will likely affect the engine starting and decrease the power some. "Barely run" is probably because of more issues such as the crankshaft binding. "I thought that this was due to the timing being off, but the flywheel key was in-place." Since LB uses a steel crankshaft key in an aluminum flywheel, the chances of shearing a key are very slim. The chances of cracking or splitting the aluminum flywheel thru the keyway are pretty good. The sheared keys you hear about all time are usually B&S which use an aluminum key. Walt Conner

Ok, let me clarify things a bit. First off, I was wrong to say these are swamp chestnut oaks. I had keyed them several years ago as chestnut oaks, Quercus prinus, but had somebody recently contradict me and say the were SCOs. I double checked my findings against several sources and confirmed they are CO. Secondly, since I'm a Master Gardener Volunteer with our local extension office, I've already "contacted" them. I've discussed this with our agent on a couple of occassions and he (a plant pathologist by training) hasn't heard about anything specific to these trees. I haven't taken him any samples yet since root samples (which he wants) are difficult to get from 2-3' diameter oaks. That's on my list of things to do. Brandon, the trees are spread throughout our property and adjacent properties (about 50 acres total area) and there are many apparently healthy COs among them. But these looked healthy until they started dying. We've had several summers of moderate drought but not severe. We started noticing them dying about 3 years ago. I've seen a ganoderma lucidum near a couple of the trees. I hadn't thought about it but they are a cause of root rot in some oaks. However, the way these trees decline is not indicative of this particular fungus. Another tree that was blown down during a hurricane a few years ago had several of the armillaria mushrooms (I'm not 100% sure which one) growing near the base and they continue to come back, I assume still getting nourishment from the remaining roots. Oh! Oh! You are wonderful! One of the pictures I took of the most recently cut down tree showed the black "strings" typical of shoestring root rot! I haven't seen the fruiting bodies near these trees but this may be the clue I need. I'll go find that particular piece of wood and get some samples for examination. Even though I've been a MG for 10 years, I still have so much to learn. Thanks for putting me on the right path. Oh, and Rhizo, no there has not been any construction or change of grade near these for many years. We've been at this property since 1979 and the trees are scattered about so widely that the minimal disturbance from lawn care can't account for this. I don't have a definite answer from this discussion but you've certainly given me direction. Thanks to you all! Sandy

I doubt that tar spot will "go away by next season". Generally, once your area's got it, it stays put. I live one hundred miles north of Milwaukee and used to only see tar spot when visiting that city or points further south. In the last few years, tar spot fungus has made it to our neck of the woods and is now an annual occurrence. Maybe he meant that the fungicide treatments would have it vanquished by next year but that too is doubtful, there being so many other maple trees around, each one contributing to the furtherance of this minor pathogen. And it really is minor, the worst thing about it being the way it tends to ruin fall color on afflicted trees. Other than that, no biggie. Branches dead or dying in a tree's crown (upper portion) typically indicate root damage. Most likely, this will right itself over time as the root system regenerates. I'd resist the urge to "do something about it", most of the work that can be done needing to be done by the tree itself. +oM