I have found that if the tree is small, that manual removal of scale is a safe and effective way of taking care of the problem (works for aphds and mealybug too, though those can just be washed off with a hose too). I have used a cotton swab and a cup of soapy water to just wipe them off if they are soft scale, or just a twig to snap them off if they are hardened. It really isn't very difficult, a couple of passes over a few days usually takes care of it, and I do take care to rinse the soap off when I done. It avoids the defoliation issues as well as pesticide exposures--my halfhearted attempt at organic approaches :) I agree with Pelham's advice to leave the tree to just grow for now, since it has recently suffered insult. I would allow a young and small tree that can't live outside year-round to gather as much photosynthetic machinery (new leaves and branches) as possible as the colder and darker season approaches, though you certainly can train the branches however you'd like--espalier as Toni mentioned. HTH.

Okay, so you have enough room for 4 trees total. I would select a lemon, and orange and the Page mandarin. For the lemon, I would say the Lisbon will probably give you the shape you're after. It is more upright and dense than the Eureka. But, downside is, that is really is much more thorny than a Eureka, and the fruit tends to be inside the tree, as opposed to a Eureka, which bears its fruit on the outside of the tree. The Eureka tends to be more open in its growth habit, the Lisbon more upright. But shape can be changed by pruning. So, maybe rose gloves are in order :-) Both are very prolific producers, so you'll have lovely yellow lemons on your tree year round. For the orange, I would go with the Cara Cara because it's a navel for one, and because the flesh is pink, which is kind of cool. The Trovita is a nice juice orange, however, so it really depends on what you want for eating as well as for looks. The Cara Cara is better for eating out of hand. The Trovita better for juicing. Take into consideration what you want to eat, as well as for looks. You would then have a very nice citrus collection, and trees that will provide a nice, dense screening for you. Patty S.

rachelellen - I've wondered about those polymers and whether they would be useful for our sandy alkaline soil. What you describe about your tomatoes - sounds like blossome end rot, that is also quite common. When the tomato plants get too much sun - the top growth gets the calcium first out of the soil, and there is less left in the soil for the roots. I noted that planting my tomatoes too early - means they will be a long time until they get enough heat to ripen (cool summers here). If I plant too late - the blossom end rot problem happens because of the rapid top growth - for the reason above. The peat moss seems to help the moisture retention, but wondered if polymer additions would be feasible, as I have 9 planter boxes for growing veggies. The expense may be a factor. I know that folks garden in our local deserts - also in boxes, and they have soil problems - as well as wind, etc., to deal with. The Vegetable/Fruit Forums have lots of knowledgeable folks that advise. About lemons - I'd juice them adding some of the zest and freeze in ice cube trays. Great convenience in summer. The limes are heavy this year, but few will go to waste. Also have the mandarin oranges. I agree about someone that would appreciate having the excess. Unfortunately, California frowns on sending fruit beyond the borders (pest/disease control laws). Most of the neighbors have their own fruit trees - so are not as welcome. I've offered several times. From time to time, my grand-daughter takes the excess to her church group - also fresh eggs - which they really enjoy more. Just my 2 c's. Bejay

It's not true that only lemons will root. I have many cuttings that I just potted out of pummelo, grapefruit, mandarins, limes, sweet oranges, calamondin, and Buddha's Hand. I did a tray of 39 and only lost 6 and that was due to the poor condition of the stock that the cuttings were taken from. All citrus root fairly easy. The problem is that some don't like to grow on rooted cuttings for a length of time. The ones that don't do as well on rooted cuttings, I root them anyway and use them for budwood to graft later on when they reach a good size. I use a recycled nursery tray. Fill it will a good potting soil with perlite in it. Make sure the media is wet but not soggy. Prepare your cuttings by taking at least 4 nodes. Strip two leaves off and cut the other two in half. Dip in a good rooting hormone and using a pencil, poke a hole in the media to receive the cutting. Do not push the cutting all the way to the bottom of the cup. Insert the cutting and firm the soil around the base. Finish all your cuttings the same way. Put some stakes in each corner of the tray. (I use two U-shaped bamboo stakes) and then slip a large clear garbage bag over the tray and tie it closed. Place near a warm bright window (or greenhouse if you have one) and try not to open it for about 4 weeks. I open mine about the fifth week. Give a tiny tug on a couple of cuttings. If there is any resistance, they are rooted. Now is the time to pot them out. If not rooted, give them about two more weeks.