After watering everyday, keeping the shade over my poor Black Jack fig tree, it is showing signs of new life! My Angel Red pomegranate that was planted the same day did the exact same thing. They basically shed 90% of their leaves to help deal with transplant shock. After some TLC for two weeks, they both put out healthy new growth! Here're some photos of the fig tree with new growth. But there are lots of these tiny flies around the tree. Could they be fig whitefly? Here's some photos of my Angel Red that did the exact same thing. Again, I am so glad that I got lots of advise on here for care of my fig tree. But I also have learned from this experience that the plants are pretty smart and does what it needs to cope with the transplant shock if you give them some additional support like water and some shade. I have learned to not freak out as soon as I see the tree drop their leaves when I first plant them, and learn that with proper care they will put out new growth when it is ready.

Ooooh, I should stay away from Jungle Exotics! I'm not sure I can resist temptation & I'm trying to avoid spending money on new plants this year. I've been to JE only once & it was like October, so the inventory was down and the temptation level was low. I brought in some of my canna tubers this winter & left some out...we'll see where things stand before long. It really was a harsh winter for the garden. I left a few brugmansias out that I didn't care about and I think they are all toast (I'm in SeaTac). Some of my phygelius really took a hit, but others look fairly decent. Andrea, have we chatted about brugs at one of the Green Elephant swaps? I must admit my memory is not what I'd like it to be! There are a number of brug fanciers in the Puget Sound area. Kangaroo Apple, Solanum laciniatum or S. aviculare, is a rather tropical looking plant that's related to brugs. It has small blue/purple star-shaped blooms reminiscent of potato or pepper blooms...also in the same plant family, nightshade. And the foliage bears a resemblance to marijuana - which it's not! The seed pods are rather egg-shaped, like small peppers. ~ Patrick

Once leaf loss is underway, it's not unusual for the symptom to get worse, even while the cause of the symptom becomes less limiting as you're get watering under control. The reason is, once the shedding process reaches a critical point, it can't be reversed, so any leaves that already have/had abscission layers forming where the leaf is attached to the stem are destined to be shed. That sort of makes your job out to be getting the plant through the winter and into a state of vitality that will allow the plant to be repotted and subsequently pruned back. Once you do that and get the plant into a soil you can water correctly, you'll have a much different scenario. I various ways, I often point out that when using a water-retentive soil, you end up battling the medium for control of the plant's vitality. That's frustrating and no where near as rewarding as growing CAN be. Keep in mind that the 6-7 months you should wait to do the work is little more than a blink of an eye to a tree. This might sound corny or new agey, but if you settle yourself into the same rhythm the plants go through in their annual growth cycle so you can take advantage of their strengths and allow for their weaker times, you'll feel a much greater sense of unity with your plants. More knowledge, a better understanding of how plants work, and the confidence that comes from knowing you are acting with the best interest of the plant in mind (which can only increase your own gratification), all act to elevate the plane on which you interact with your plants. If you pare the reason you're here down to its bare bones, isn't it because you want more from the growing experience? Al

Shiitake (Japanese Forest Mushroom) culivation on logs article. https://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/pdf1982/leath82a.pdf Steps: Inoculation of a hardwood log with shiitake mycelium already adapted to a wood (spawn needs to be grown with sterile culture technique, hense purchased ahead of time). "Good log" growth indication showing white shiitake mycelium growth on log ends and healthy mushroom logs with bark intact. Grown correctly the shiitake fungus owns this log. Lots fungal of food here = lots of mushrooms. Success! get the frying pan ready! After a growth period, when triggered to fruit by rainfail or tub soaking they pop out and grow to this stage in just a few days.