I'm not experienced with papaya but the wet roots issue strikes a chord because I'm growing succulents in gritty mix in NorCal. One observation I've made is that in larger pots, gritty mix stays wet longer than you might think, even in our dry climate. I know Al says it's not possible to overwater a plant in gritty mix, but if the roots haven't fully colonized the pot then it's possible. JFYI.

This has probably been covered elsewhere, but I'm wondering about whether Bt stem injections are useful as an SVB damage preventative. Perhaps a stupid question, so bear with me. My understanding of the usual strategy is that you wait until you see the frass, and then squirt Bt into the hole to kill the bugger. But why not just fill the vines with Bt solution? Yes, that's maybe a lot of fluid, but the Bt is cheap. Very diluted. I can make tens of gallons for a few bucks. Instead of inspecting all the vines carefully every day or two, this way, I figure I'd just pump 'em up say, every week. I've never done Bt injection, as I like row covers, but row covers are hard to do for non-vining cucurbits, like zukes. How many gallons (ounces?) of Bt does it take to fill up a zuke plant? How long does the fluid stay in the stems? Do they leak?

kevingalaxy, I believe mowing higher is only beneficial during the summer season. And the reason, imo, is because this does not promote vertical growth because about 1/3 of the blade is in the shade from photosynthesis. About the roots growing... If anything, experts have taught us that root growth is optimum during the spring and fall for cool season grasses. However, in the excessive summer heat, root growth is seized(forgot source). So I don't think roots will follow the water down or to a degree that indicates significance. And besides, roots should already be deep if you followed the deep and infrequent watering during spring/fall. I believe auteck stated in the summer one would need frequent watering... as in spreading out 1.5inch per week on a 0.5inch per basis. I am still debating this but 0.5inch is close to being deep if you have sandy soil. Maybe auteck can fill us in on proper techniques for KBG? [Hopeful] =]

Hi, thanks for the comments and the encouragement! Kew tip....you a Londoner then with a name like that?? You're correct, houses here in the UK are usually brick built, or stone blocks like in the older houses in our village. The concrete blocks you see are actually the rear wall of the garages that we didn't get round to rendering and pebbledashing to match the rest and the house....will it get done now do you think? The list of jobs grows daily, it was more important to get a house for all my plants first. A door and opening windows come first I guess. I live in the Staffordshire Moorlands, 5 miles from Alton Towers Theme Park across the fields and valley at the back. (it's around 150mls NW of London, a similar latitude to Edmonton, Alberta according to my map for those who are not too familiar with these parts) We are just south of the Peak District Nat Park, it's a small rural hill-top village...and very windy! We managed to salvage most of the glass as it was toughened so that was a great help and we already had the wood, so all it cost was many man-hours...and woman-hours too! It's already filling up with all kinds of plant life....palms, agaves, dragon trees, alocasia, fuchsias, pelargoniums, passion flower, strelitzia, hoya, callistemmon, plumeria and not forgetting the Royal Poincianas!!! Things are really warm here for the time of year, we are having an amazing April with temps of mid 20's, I am having to open the g/h before work as it reaches 100+. Usually this time of year is cold and wet still..global warming?? Happy growing! Gill.