To all: a bit more on this topic while it's brought up... Additions, renovations, sewer lines, and other projects can definitely throw a wrench into your garden machine. It's best to have a bail-out plan in place for the plants, to determinte what could/couldn't/should/shouldn't be saved or moved. Determine how you would move things around in emergency fashion. Consider what's possible: direct transplant or temporarily store? Save any pots over the years you think might help with this. Burlap and large trash bags can also help if tied around root balls. Newspaper linings can help with water retention. Once again, have shady locations ready, as sun will dry dug-up plants in one or two days. If transplanting, get balls of clay off the roots, and water the exposed root ball thoroughly, as you'll notice some rootballs are already somewhat dry in-ground from drought. Add 4-5" of water to the new hole before you start back filling. Add water again halfway through the back fill. Then once full, tamp the soil further in with your feet (EVENLY - too much pressure on one side and the plant will tilt) and then level it again with more soil and repeat. Water just a bit one more time, and mulch it all over. This should be enough water to keep the tree or shrub going for up to a few weeks without much further watering, even in the heat. Regarding sewer lines, it's EXTREMELY important (especially for new or recently new homeowners) to have yours mapped out and camera'd completely so you know what condition it's in and exactly where it runs. You can lose an entire back yard if your line has to be dug up and replaced. Just having back-hoes, trucks, and excavators can flatten everything in your yard within an hour or two. Once you know where your line runs, keep deep-rooting trees AWAY from the pipes. Over time roots can destroy or completely block the pipes. Get LINE INSURANCE from your gas company if available - $15 bucks a month on your bill can cover replacement of your sewer line, which usually runs from $2000-$10000. If end up facing bills of this magnitude, a few plants will be the least of your worries. Lastly, if people need to use any part of your property for municipal work, DEMAND they not do so without a something such as a court order, AND/OR make sure they will furnish the cost to replace anything damaged by equipment. And if anyone happens to wreck on your property, their auto insurance SHOULD pay for landscape replacement costs.

I agree with the above. Your bf is letting a 6 year old run the show. If your bf doesnt' change, ie the fighting with you in front of the kids which shouldnt' be doen in the first place, then leave. But you make sure to sit both your bf down and son and tell them together your decision and why. Oh yah, personally, i know its important for your bf to see his newborn but under the circumstances, i wouldnt trust his son with the way you are describing it. The problem here is the father not being a father. Your stepson, is feeling threatened by your pregnancy. His father should have sat him down and spoke to him about it. You guys should have told him you were pregnant before you showed. He felt betrayed for not being in the circle. Now he feels he will lose his father because of your newborn. There is a serious lack of communication on the fathers part here. You must have a family sit down adn keep an open communication with this child ifyou want to continue. But if you keep fighting with the bf , this is also going to affect your kid. If bf doesn't change, leave. Its best for your child. But i would have supervised visitation. let your bf come over to see his newborn. Dont let him take him to his house. His son will turn his anger onto his half brother. And seeing how your bf doesn't seem to parent well, i would bring that issue upfront for safety. (i knew a case where the sd was strangling her little half sister, if it werent' for the grandmother that little 3 year old would have died.)

You're not failing as a parent because you aren't a parent. That responsibility belongs to his father & to his mother, absentee though she may be. This little boy sounds like a very angry person, & there's a reason, there's always a reason. Your family might benefit from professional help (although I hate to say that-it seems like "counselling" is always the recommendation for everything from screaming hysteria to broken fingernails). People don't just make up new behaviors; they learn them; is this boy mimicking the way he sees you treated at home? How does your boyfriend interact with you? Do your views matter? Does he repeat what you've said or contradict that you've said? So often, we women think we're married or "as good as", & in fact our partners have no such illusions; many times I've heard girls & women talk about their partners, & in the conversation it becomes obvious to everyone except the woman involved that she's a live-in, a babysitter, a resource that comes in handy. I'm not criticizing; I've been there, done that, & paid for everybody else's tee shirt. You've taken a great deal of responsibility off the boyfriend's shoulders, & unless you have his respect & his wholehearted support, this will get much much worse. The two of you already have a child together, you're taking care of his son, & yet you aren't protected by marriage. How much does that sound like a committed, loving partnership between equals? If your boyfriend walks in front of a bus, what happens to you & your daughter? What happens to this little boy? You've got an awful lot on your plate, & you absolutely need back-up at home & the security of a committed partner. I wish you the very best.

I believe what you pictured is mold of some type. However the webbing sounds allot like spider mites. Did you let the soil dry out properly between watering? Or was the soil related to the pest infestation? Bonsai Elm Care Guide