Can you use some erosion cloth along your boundary to keep out some of the sand? I live in a clay soil, wooded hills and mountain area so am not familiar with dealing with sand. I guess I'd be out there every day with the shop vac getting up the sand.

Thanks for your help, suggestions and encouragement. I'm sorry I wasn't able to respond promptly. We put out a new product this week - this involves a great deal of extra time and work for everyone. Getting back to the subject - Spruce: I'm sure you think I'm a nut case or an idiot but some of these concepts are difficult to grasp and internalize until you observe them firsthand. I've read about forest succession and how it unfolds over hundreds of years but I've never observed it nor have I tried to create a forest. I'm trying to find ways to bypass some stages - as you say "trying to grow a forest that is like a mid or late stage in the forest succession, without going through all the stages that lead up to it." At times, I've been confused by conflicting advice - for example, whether to use loblollies as a nurse tree. In any group, people will disagree. It's my responsibility to find more information to resolve the question or clarify the issue. I asked our forester this question. He advised me to use loblollies as nurse trees until oak seedlings are 3-4 feet tall - once they reach that height, the pines may cast too much shade. If this happens, they need to be removed. In another thread, you also recommended using black locusts as nurse trees, chopping them back as needed, so I did order black locusts. Given the type of shade they cast, it may not be necessary to remove them - I'll wait and see. Alabama & Sherry: Thanks for the posts about hardwoods growing under and around pines. I was beginning to think I'd lost my mind. I've decided that trees grow differently around the country and under different conditions - and that there are no one-size-fits-all answers to questions. Sherry: Why do I think you just got your 2008 FF catalog? So did I but I'm afraid to open it - too much going on right now. The seedlings I ordered from the NC nursery arrived 3 days ago - 2 weeks early - and they sent an additional 200 Atlantic white cedars that I didn't order. I've called but haven't heard back from them so I'm trying to keep the cedars cool. You said you ordered two nyssa biflora/swamp blackgum from FF. How would you describe these trees? I ordered 20 nysssa biflora seedlings, in addition to 50 Nyssa sylvatica seedlings. I have a wet area and thought N. biflora would be happy there, along with bald cypresses, Atlantic white cedars, maybe some red maples. I'm not familiar with the the Jefferson Elm. I'm working on an order from Mail Order Natives (I am a nut case!). In addition to Carpinus caroliniana, I'm looking at A. saccharum var. floridana, Acer saccharum var. leucoderme (Chalk maple), and Pistachia chinensis (Chinese pistache). She has Magnolia asheii - that's been on my list for years, and Magnolia macrophylla (Big Leaf Magnolia) but I think they both need more shade and protection than I can offer right now. I really need some big fast growing Magnolia grands to screen my neighbor's sheds across the pond. QM: I haven't received the seedlings from Indian Mound yet. They should arrive around Feb 15. But NC sent seedlings two weeks early so you never know. I'll let you know when they arrive. Take care, Pam

I have been reading through the interesting posts on the Joshua tree, especially from the original post of kazooie(kapiti coast, NZ}. I think someone forgot to ask how much rainfall that they get on the New Zealand coast. That would be the first thing whether or not you could even grow it there. It is a true desert plant and survives on very little rainfall/snowfall in one of the driest deserts in the world. No drip systems or anything is needed, but it has to be a climate that is very comparable to the Mojave. We grow them successfully here in southwest Idaho, but we are an extension of the Great Basin Desert, and only at 2,600 feet. We range in rainfall here in our valley from 3 inches to 10 inches in good years, which is not very often. And they can take extremely sun, but humidity is another factor that could be lethal to the plant. These true desert yuccas tend not to survive in semi to tropical countries unless there is a greenhouse situation. Also, it must have a definite winter resting period, or the plant will not survive long. Doesn't like much of the winters in Phoenix, Palm Springs and such. It never quits growing. There are related species from Mexico that do much better and thrive without that winter cold.

The thing about tracking hardware is that it is so expensive that for the say, 15% or so reduction you get due to sun angle you can buy enough extra panels to offset the loss, assuming you have the space. CA new title 24 states that on a new building you must provide an unobstructed roof area of 250 sq ft(no vents, chimneys, or roof penetrations). Those panels must be at least 3'below the peak to provide access for the fire dept. It pains me to say it but solar thermal is about dead in the current American market. I was in the solar and alternative energy business in CA back in the late 70's-early 80's and did hundreds of hot water and other types of solar systems. They work great, but a dhw system today is around $10,000. That money is much better spent on a PV system today. Much better return on that investment. Ground mount systems are fairly common up here in the foothills. My house is shaded by a Sequoia and a few 4' dia Black Walnuts. My only PV option will be ground mount out in the side yard or a new garage roof, I suppose, but then again I spent the garage on the house re-model;). I've seen several up here where they put the array up on a 15' or so tall post. There are, finally, initiatives underway now to establish better specification guidelines for DC power. Snidely, I think you and I would get along great in person, but boy, we sure don't agree on much here. That is in no way a critical statement, quiet the opposite in fact. I'm a fitter/welder in an early life and worked on gas lines from 1/4"-36". I am very comfortable with it, but I understand the process of pipe design and installation. I do think that as we have codes that require smoke detectors that every home should also have CO detectors and, if supplied with gas, have a combustible gas detector. I am surprised that the insurance industry hasn't pulled that off yet. I guess not enough houses/people have been lost that way. Anyway, looking forward to meeting you on the next post;)