Ravi: Nothing silly about the question. What is silly is giving us a close-up look of one small branch and expecting a diagnosis. Stand back, and take a shot of the whole tree, and then, perhaps, a better look at the branch that is unhealthy. We don't even know what kind of tree you have there, but I guess it's a peach. It may be that you have one diseaed peach branch with something like bacterial disease, but it is impossible to say without seeing the development of the rest of the tree. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

lets side step the issue for a second ... first... its YOUR house.. its YOUR yard .... BUILD A NEW HISTORY .... don't try to save trees/shrubs/etc ... for the history of it all ..been there.. done that.. what a nightmare.. until i removed all the prior owners problems .... i cant tell from the picture whether the width of the lot is defined.. on the right ... with a fence right behind the plant in question .... but i can see someone way out back .. and i see the fence on the left .... IMHO .... for what it is worth ... both plants on the right of your picture .... seriously impede the view of and use of your yard ... in my yard.. they would be totally removed .... dead.. gone .... presuming that the photographer is standing on the patio that you will be spending much time relaxing on .... why do you not want to see half of your yard .... if you see the wisdom [???.... lol] .. of that logic .... then proper ID and rescue of a much too large... poorly sited plant is irrelevant .... [BTWay ... are those two plants approaching the power lines also?] new house.. new yard .. new to the garden ... carpe yardum ... seize the yard.. start by getting rid of your problems.. start with a fresh canvas ... and think about planting something in front of that shed ... after a few adult beverages... peering out over your domain ... that thing is going to start bugging you .... lol ... may as well start hiding it this spring ..... now .. the tree on the left .... again.. cant ID it at that distance ... but it looks excessively old .... overly mature... and has a history of improper pruning ... you might want to think about removal of that one also ... every problem [your plants] has a solution [and the snow started it.. lol]... try to look beyond the immediate problem ... and focus on the potential that was created .... i know its hard for new homeowners.. and new gardeners have trouble accepting that things must die .... but my logic is.. if i replace 3 dead plants.. with 20 new plants.. mother earth is plus 17 ... dont worry about it ... my best advice ..... get out the lawn chairs .... and spend the next 60 days sitting on every inch of that patio ..... and spend time inside each window... and REALLY LOOK AT YOUR YARD .... try to imagine it with and without the plants .... move the chairs way back in the lot and look at the house ... sit everywhere .... think about what is there.. and where you want to go with it ... in the garden.. there is rarely any hurry .. we can kill that bush today .. or in spring [might want to see if it flowers] .. or in summer ... define a plan .. think it out... go to work ... good luck ken

Sounds like you have a neat project underway Bob. One thing I enjoy about Bromeliads is growing them in different situations, & seeing how they adapt. Generally, Ive found that many epiphytic BromÂs look better, develop attractive colour and form, when allowed to grow as a true epiphyte, & not forced to grow in a pot. Over the last few years I have put a number of plants up into trees, onto stumps, or drift wood, so I will tell you what I do, and show a few photos, then maybe you could adapt to your situation. Now, the main thing is attaching the plants. First they must be secure, if they wobble around, they will not send out new roots, to lock onto the support. The best material isÂ.stockingsÂÂyes, strips of stockings / pantyhose are just fantastic. You can just cut this material into strips, & tie them tight to hold the plant. The elasticity is just fantastic. Now, there are different grades of stockings...IÂm not really an expert in this areaÂbutÂthe cheaper types will last well for a couple of years, but for larger plants that tend to take longer to get established, it is worth using one of the better brands, & they will give about 5 years or so, before rotting away. I have also just stapled plants directly onto a tree branch. This is easy when the plant has a stolon to nail thruÂ, and it does not seem to affect the living tree. A little bunch of Spanish moss can cover the staple, & help to make it all look "natural". I first tried wrapping things like sphagnum moss, coconut fiber, or even potting mix around the plant base to help them get established. Do not do thisÂ! All plants just sent new roots into this material, and not onto the actual support. Also, one little piece of advice that was given to me, was to do with preparation. If you want to grow a plant epiphytically that has been in a pot for a few years, then it needs to be prepared for the move, & not just stuck straight up in a tree. So, lift them out of the potting mix, and keep the plant where it can be observed, and watered. This encourages a different kind of rooting system, and often the growth changes, with foliage becoming harder and a little more rigid. They can then gradually be moved to their final position on the host plant. Now, after that long ramble, here are a few photos. First, a little Neo attached by the stolon with a strip of stocking material. (I think this was just an average quality brand LOL) The plant had been given to me as a lanky green potted plant. It has now coloured up, and developed much better form. Quesnelia marmorata. I wonderful plant to grow as an epiphyte. Originally purchased this as a potted plant, now 4 years on it is growing happily on a piece of driftwood, and developed 12 compact tubes. Aechmea pineliana. Develops much better colour when allowed to grow epiphytically. A few Neo Fireball hybrids, just nailed onto a living tree.

I've had trouble with carpenter ants in my house and had good luck with this stuff I got from bugspray.com. Its a dry grandular stuff you spread around the house and the ants pick it up and take it back to their nest. That will inturn wipe out the whole colony. That was 15 years ago and bo problems since. I think it was called max force.