Hi guys Thanks for the info! Yeah, I don't remember those aerial burr knots being so pronounced in the past. But, then again, it was in an area where I wouldn't look at it as much. So, are we saying this was a bad method of making a multigraft tree? (By having the rootstock go so high?) If so, I'd like to inform my nursery as they are still selling similar trees. Or are we saying that they just used an inferior rootstock? If I did pull the tree, it would probably be only once it started to get sick (presumably from the insects in the knots) . The wife likes the RD apples, and I like the idea of having a multigrafted tree, just for the novelty of it. That said, I've already got my grafting supplies so I can graft on other varieties for next year. I guess my fear is that if I were to pull this tree out, I couldn't plant another tree in the same spot due to apple replant disease, correct? You may have seen my other post about how I believe that has already happened to me with my Enterprise. Then again, that would be an ideal place for a peach tree as there are no other structures around it from which a squirrel could jump from. Thanks for the 2nd opinion Al! Now that I know the tree is compromised by the aerial burr knots, I'll have to think more about it. Thanks guys, -Glenn

Get it in the ground ASAP.

noelle, transplanting a fig tree five feet tall at this time can be tuff. the roots are shallow and spread quickly which will make difficult to dig up in one piece. you can almost gurantee that when you transplant it, it will go into shock and all the leaves will fall off. this is pretty much prime time for figs to start producing which means most of the energy is used in the upper parts and excising it and the roots puts it under great stress. if you must dig it up now, i'd prune the entire tree heavly until only the main trunk is left then top that part down to about two feet. what that may do is force the energy back down to the roots after you replant it. new growth coming back at this time in your area makes it very vulnerable going into winter with young green growth starting out now. in the mean time take as many cutting you can and try propogating some now. i've never done any summer cuttings and i may try some soon so i can't help you there. if they take, you can protect your young trees in pots with shelter or covering from the winter. in the mean time take the other cuttings about six to nine inches long and remove the leaves. rinse them off in a mild solution of about 30% clorox and 70% water. that will kill any fungus or mold spores. dry them off and place them in a plastic bag in your fridge and leave them there until early spring then try your hand at propagating them. (DON'T LET THEM FREEZE IN THE FRIDGE) fig cutting are fairly easy to propagate and if your transplant doesn't make it at least you have a few tries to create your own tree from a cutting. you can find many aritcles in the forum on transplanting and propagation. once you get into planting fig trees, one tree just won't do. good luck to you and you transplant!

pjtexgirl - I just had to share this story with you. I remembered you saying boxwoods smell bad, so I sniffed one when I was at Lowes one day and couldn't smell anything. I was at Callways last week and they had the Green Tower Boxwood, so I bought it to go next to my front door. The longer I drove around with it in my car, the more my car started to stink. I recognized the smell instantly. I used to have this neighbor and I noticed that smell every time I walked up to their front door. It smelled like a musty smell to me and I always assumed that maybe they had some water damage in their house at one time and the smell never went away. Needless to say, I took the shrub back a couple of days later. My mother was in the car with me when I took it back and her first thought was that it smelled like cat litter and I remembered you saying it smelled like cat urine. No more boxwoods for me!!