I think I've discovered the problem (one of them). I went to repot it this morning and discovered that it does have a lot of roots, it was rather pot bound in fact, but the base of a couple of the canes is rather soft. I must have been overwatering it and now the canes are rotting. The roots look much different than the roots on my phals (which are rather healthy) so I'm not sure if its a difference between the two types of orchids or the fact that the den is so unhealthy. Also, there are no aerial roots. Do dens have aerial roots like phals? In addition to all that, I found packing peanuts at the bottom of the potting mix. Is this common? I took some out, but the roots were all enmeshed in the grooves of the styrofoam. At this point I'm just hoping the cane with the keikis survives long enough for them to grow roots so I can start over. I'm rather disappointed that I let it get so unhealthy, but I'm hoping to get another shot with the keikis. Live and learn I guess. I've included a link to the pics of the roots in case anyone is interested. Here is a link that might be useful: Den Pics

Some good suggestions. I wouldn't be be intimidated by the pruning needs of the smaller understory trees. A larger Japanese maple tapping 20 foot just needs a few branches a year cut off if you put it almost exactly where the pine was and its not like you're removing ones as thick as my leg either. There are a couple pyramidal shaped trees which grow slowly. Usually conifers. The spot might be on the lower end of their desired sun exposure but your shade doesn't sound extreme. Bet it will just keep them thinner and slow their growth further. Not the best example, but while my Snowkist Arborvitae will keep growing taller until it dies, I bet it would have a 10 year useful life if planted about 4 or 5 feet off the deck.

Your 8" pots will be far too small for mature plants. Consider them as an intermediate step for 'potting on' - meaning transferring seedlings to the next-size-up of pots. However, they might just do for the chives. Even one little bulblet will eventually propagate itself into a nice little clump, which (in the right growing conditions) will fill an 8" pot in no time flat. They do not 'meld together', as you say, although a heap of seedlings in one pot will give that impression. You can choose between transplanting one bulblet at a time, or transplanting the whole lot into a larger pot. Probably more aesthetically-pleasing to do the bulk move! In the right conditions, a mature basil can be the height of a child (say, about 10yo), and roughly the same width as its height. You'll have a hard time accommodating that in an 8" pot! When transplanting, select only the healthist-looking seedlings, and discard the rest, then put one seedling per pot. Of course, you don't HAVE to discard the weaklings - they can always go outside in the garden, where they'll probably do better than the ones inside. You're bound to lose a few, of course. Basil is an annual, and you can expect it to die come next cold season. Basil starts flowering from a very young age. You can try to remove the flowers to encourage more leaf growth, but when you discover a way to prevent it flowering more and more, please let me know! You can start re-potting your basil right now - they are a fast-growing, greedy plant and need space, full sunlight and heat to grow (that does NOT mean the filtered sunlight of a glass window, nor the reflected heat from glass which can easily burn the leaves). Don't start pinching back until you have, say, 10 pairs of leaves, and then just remove the top pair or two. Parsley doesn't like being transplanted, but you'll have to give it a go, as the current pots are miles too small. Don't pinch back parsley - let it do its own thing. Next time, put 2-3 seeds per pot (in which the mature plant will fit - ie 'sow in situ'), then discard the weaker two. Still, give it a go, remembering that parsley has a long tap-root that is easily damaged, and doesn't like being fiddled with. Parsley grows from the centre (think of an erupting volcano), so harvest the bottom, outside leaves, and leave the centre baby leaves to grow to replace the oldies. Remember, parsley is a biennial. In its second year the leaves become coarser in flavour, and the plant will go to seed. Let it happen. Treat Italian parsley in the same way, but remember that it will grow to a considerable (and, to a newbie, substantial) size that might just squeeze into your oven without too much scrunching when mature. Chives and parsley can both do well in partial sun, but basil needs full sun, and lots of it. All your plants will be much happier outside than in, and you can expect them not to grow to optimum size or quality in pots. When dividing seedlings, tap the starter-pot firmly but gently around the sides and bottom, and tip out the contents onto a table, laying the pot-shape on its side. Then carefully break away the surrounding potting mix to expose the roots of the plant. Carefully remove each seedling, being careful not to damage the roots - if they are pot-pound, you might have to do a bit of 'teasing' to disentangle them. Have ready-prepared another pot, with fresh potting mix, use a dibble-stick or your finger to create a hole deep enough to accommodate the entire root system, insert the seedling, then using your fingers only, gently tamp in the soil around it, making sure NOT to bury the plant any deeper than it originally was. (In other words, don't bury the seedling any deeper than 'the dirty line'.) Water in carefully, and Robert's the other son of your grandfather. In future, I suggest that you learn about your plants BEFORE you start them - mature size, growing conditions etc. But yes, you've experienced the delightful thrill of seeing something small and brown actually turn into a plant - and there's no better reward than that.

What clues are leading you to think you have a shortage of phosphorus and potassium? What is actually growing well? How long do the acorns take to break down/be eaten after a normal crop has fallen? Do they go mouldy? Get eaten by grubs? Taken away by rodents? If you confined them in a compost heap with mixed leaves - a slow damp heap over the winter - what do you want to use that humus for? (I'd probably think about azaleas, rhododendrons, some of the acid-soil berry bushes. I'd also run a pH test - even with one of those soil tester kits to check it out.) If you mushed them then that oily flour is probably going to be a starter bed for various fungi and bacteria which might not be too welcome in the garden. At the moment there'll be an ecosystem in place to handle the leaves and fruits from the oaks that is mostly benign. You might choose to 'do more of the same' but not quite so 'spread out' as at present. (Less work...;-D )