It's fun to get started isn't it? Being a brand new gardener you don't mess around either. You chose a moderately difficult plant to grow well. This is probably a plant Al (Tapla) would like for it's small leaves and trunk that looks old pretty quickly (he's a bonsai nut). OK, so let's start at the beginning of your questions and work through them. Per your request I will keep my responses short and not overly detailed (I will try anyway ;) Container type: Seems a 20" pot is ideal if I don't want to repot for at least a couple of years. True? Can I just buy standard type pots and use them as-is or do I need to do any drilling/lining/etc.? I assume I should mulch. A 20" pot would be more room than needed for this dwarf variety. For reference, I used to grow full sized blueberries in 20" or so pots (I now just grow them in the ground). This is fine as long as your potting mix drains very well. If it doesn't the extra potting mix that the roots aren't taking water from will retain water for a long time potentially leading to root rot. I would suggest looking at the roots on your plants and choose a pot that is just slightly large enough to fit them in without having to scrunch them up much. It's going to be easier this way. Cross-pollination: GA catalog says "No pollinator needed." Does this mean I do not need to buy other blueberry varieties? Would it be helpful for me to do it anyway? If so, what varieties do you recommend? You don't need another variety, but yields will likely be higher if you have one nearby. Variety doesn't much matter. Blueberries are listed as early, mid or late season, but this generally just refers to how long after flowering it takes for ripe fruit. Most blueberries will flower around the same time (early-mid spring) regardless of how long they take to ripen so any other blueberry should serve the purpose. Timing: OK to put them in pots and place outside right now? Is winter too close? Yes, you can put them in pots and place outside now, but it's really not the best time. You likely only have another month or so before they begin to go dormant for the winter. You don't have much choice though. You have plants sitting around that need a home and you have to hope for the best. Winter: OK to leave them out in pots over the winter? Is it critical to bury the containers for the winter? If so, when should I do it and when should I pull them back out? Container plants generally need some protection for the winter because the cold hardiness only refers to the above ground portion of the plant, not the roots, but in a container the roots are above ground (the earth insulates plant roots very well). You can either bury the container after the plants lose their leaves (or right away if you like, it won't harm them) or place them in a shed or unheated garage. Your plant is rated cold hardy to zone 3 and you are in zone 6 so with a little protection from the worst winter has to offer they should make it. Remove them from the ground or the shed or whatever when buds begin to swell. Once the plant pushes out new leaves it requires sunlight or it will decline and die. Location: North side of house is pretty sunny but limited space; could put pots on front steps if they're not too big. West side of property is lined with hedges but gets lots of sun during the day. Rest of property has big trees and is pretty shady. Suggestions? You really don't need to avoid the freezes, you need to avoid the freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw cycles. Wherever they spend the winter it should not be a sunny area. The sun can warm/thaw them even when the temps are below freezing in which case they thaw by day and freeze by night. Very bad situation. They don't need any light whatsoever once they lose their leaves which is why the shed/garage is fine. If buried, choose an area that gets little to no direct sunlight. pH: How carefully do I need to check soil pH, and how often? Controlling pH is difficult in containers. I wouldn't bother checking it. Use a water soluble fertilizer and for extra safety add 1/2 ounce white distilled vinegar per gallon of your tap water to acidify it and you will have no pH troubles in a container.

Hi Jodie, First, though Petunia is a beautiful, sweet-smelling plant, it's an annual..They do best outdoors. If you decide to grow it as a house plant, keep in the sunniest window, in a cool room. If you can place outside until autumn, do so. Otherwise, place in a south or west window. How many stems do your cuttings have? For instance, are each one stem or several? Once they root, pot in a small container. Though most ppl do not have peat pots around the house, what I been doing is placing cuttings into these pots, then settting into a 4" pot. Depending on the amount of roots makes a difference, but I wouldn't repot larger than a 4" pot. In fact, if roots are small, a 2 or 3" would work best..at least until roots fill container, then increase pot size. Do some of these plants do best potbound? Are you taking after roots are established? If so, I find the Peace Lily does best when a bit potbound. But, don't overpot any plant..When you need to repot a house plant, the normal range is 1-2 sizes up. So, if you have a plant in a 4" pot, and 'need' to repot, go to a 5 or 6".. Spider plant babies..it depends..I have a tiny spider plant attached to the wall on the side of a west window..it has about 12 leaves, yet it shoots out babies. The larger the plant, the more babies it'll get. Watering...the best time to water is when soil feels a bit dry..Not bone dry, but crumbly dry. Plants usually need more water in summer but it depends on your house..if your home is air conditioned, kept cold, soil will take longer than it would in a warm/hot house. The best way to tell is by sticking your finger into the soil. If your finger comes out wet/moist, wait a couple days and recheck. If it comes out dry, then water..Another way to tell is by lifting the pot..When soil is dry pot will be light in weight..when wet it's heavier. Since you're new at growing plants, it's a good idea practicing lifting pots when dry and wet to distinguish the difference. After you get the hang of basics, you'll need to learn about fertilizing..This should be done during growing season from spring till autumn. But I'm jumping the guy..lol..sorry..Good Luck, Jodie.... Toni

Well I am a sod farmer along the Red River on the TX side so take that for what it is worth. 1. How long should I wait before I mow it the first time? You shouldnÂt wait any longer, it is past time. I am certain you have Tifway-I aka 419 Bermuda. Tifway is best maintained between ½ to 1 inch in height. If you have a rotary type mower lower it all the way down which should be around 1 to 1-1/2 inches depending on the brand. Tifway is best maintained with a reel type that can go down to ½ inch. The other thing to remember is Tifway (all Bermuda grass is an aggressive grower and requires to be cut every few days 2. I have read that when I mow it, I should keep the level high. Is this true? No, where ever you heard that from is clueless! 3. I purchased a bag of Vigro fertilizer for new grass. Should I apply it before or after I mow the lawn? Well what does the bag ratio say? Something like 10-0-5 or what? Regardless it was the wrong type. Your very first application in the spring when the grass is about 50% green should be a ratio of 3-1-2 (15-5-10) or 4-1-2 (20-5-10). Then every 30 to 45 days should use a straight nitrogen product like 39-0-0. Lesco is in you area and has every one of these ratios in a slow release urea formulation. Lou was right about what to use, but I think the price is much lower in the neighborhood of $22 to $27 for a 50 pound bag. Box stores like Home Depot also carry Lesco in limited formulations You can use what you have for the first application and the trick is to apply 1-pound of nitrogen for every 1000 square feet. To figure that out take the first number in the ratio and divide it into 100. So for example if the ratio on the bag says 10-0-10, 100/10=10. So you would apply 10-pounds of product to every 1000/ft2 4. There are several weeds growing. Is it ok to use Weed-Be-Gone? Wait till the weather is warmed up good and the grass is actively growing before using and post-emergence. FWIW if you properly mow, water, and fertilize the weeds will disappear on there own as Bermuda will choke most any thing out.

Ohh..I learned the hard way that it was MUCH easier to take someone's advice that is in written form the wrong way ..too easy to put your own spin on the "tone" of what they are saying...sooooo, I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and be grateful for any advice I get...it was a good point to make though and I thank you for it.. Now I still have to figure out what's best to plant ... So, for example, if I were to go with either Polish spirit or xtriternata rubra marginata, which grow to about 20' and my fence is close to 100 ft I would need 5 plants, planted every 20 feet, I suppose..correct? And, since they are deciduous, I'm wondering if there is something I plant in between them, or instead of a couple of them, that would give a different look when the clematis are losing their leaves... Ohhhhhhhhhhhh so much to think about