Hi, Scotty. First, I'll be talking mostly about repotting. What the person in the video did was not a repot. He very simply potted up, which means no part of the root congestion you saw went away, it simply remained hidden in the center of the root mass where it continues to rob the plant of a great deal of it's potential in terms of growth, vitality, and likely appearance. If I was repotting that plant, the first things I would have done is snip the bottom 1/3-1/2 of the root mass off and bare-rooted the plant before finishing the root-pruning and returning the plant to the same pot in a fresh medium. Potting up) can actually be done at any time of the year with little in the way of consequences unless the root system of the plant being repotted is sickly and the step up in pot size is appropriate, but June is the best month for both potting-up and repotting, even though potting up is a half measure. I would guess, over the course of the next year, the plant he potted up will be denied well over half of its potential for growth/vitality because he didn't remedy the root congestion. Repotting in early spring after a plant's winter of suffering low light and often low humidity conditions (increases the rate of respiration) means the plant's stored energy reserves are, practically speaking, nil. Houseplants for the most part don't go "dormant" in winter, they are unable to grow because they are usually hovering somewhere just above or below their LCP. The light compensation point occurs when the amount of energy consumed during respiration is equal to the amount created during photosynthesis. When a plant is using all current photosynthate/ energy production to maintain its existing viable parts, it has no energy left to grow, so repotting in early spring when length of day/night is about equal leaves the plant at a serious disadvantage from both the perspective of current energy production and it's inability to draw on depleted energy reserves. Repotting in late spring (June) will have allowed plants well taken care of to accumulate carbohydrate reserves in roots and cambial tissues; and, plants will be moving toward peak ability to create food from the sun's energy. Whereas it might take a month or more for plants repotted in March to show new growth (depending on the plant and its level of vitality and natural vigor), the tropicals I've been repotting for 40 years are typically pushing new growth before 2 weeks and in most cases, less than a week. So, while anyone is free to do as they choose with their own plants, my experience after thousands of full repots is that almost all houseplants and a large fraction of succulents are best repotted in the weeks before the summer solstice. Those growing fruit-bearing trees (citrus, avocado, mango, coffee, ..... indoors will usually want to repot earlier. Al

Thanks all The tomato was about 5ft high Uncle T, the others about 4ft. As far as them Cherry bombs I will post a new photo thread on hotpepper. I just put themsome in new in fabric pots I just got. @tomatomike thanks, for the response, I just hope to get this thing :). I thought it could be a catipillar. only one way to see. I am setting my GoPro camera out to film for a few hours. I really want to go after this varmit "Bill Murry style from cadyshack". Last year we did have a squirrel problem and many years before as well. But this year a huge red bird "Not Cardinal" but has been sitting on the fence and lives in the tree next door, it has a redish orange belly. Out of my own stupidity I just sprayed Wd-40 on the fence before I read the replys, someone at the garden shop said it prevents birds if that is the culprit but who knows. I will take everyones advice and thanks again both for replying. I posted a video of my squirrel problem last year. with my GoPro camera. The squirrel kept coming into my back yard and was trying to see what he was doing. Edit on: Tomatoe in trash thanks again both :) Just hope it is not an inlaw as Uncle T said Here is a link that might be useful: my squirrel problem last year This post was edited by thebutcher on Tue, Jul 9, 13 at 19:02

I agree that lifting the plant so the rim of the pot is at or above the level of the window sill is a good idea. Your plant will look best if you prune it either in a dome shape, or roughly a triangular shape. If a dome, the outer stems should be pruned back very hard and the inner stems allowed to grow until they are thicker than the outer stems. Then, cut them back to a point where they compliment the dome. If you decide on a triangular shape, a trunk at the perimeter would serve as the apex or highest point. Stems on the side that has fewest stems would be reduced in height so they form the steep side of the triangle. On the side that has the most stems, the reduction in ht would be more gradual. Can you see the triangular shape of this composition? Instead of a branch makes up the foliar mass on the right side of this J maple grove, you would use a stem that leans to the right - just as the foliage mass on the left side is made up of 2 trunks. I'm not advocating that you turn your tree into a bonsai, but the same artistic principals that are utilized to ensure bonsai look beautiful can be used for all your plantings. The same principals are very closely adhered to in floral design and all forms of art. Al

Now that you have watered it well get a feel for the weight when fully watered. Then check the weight every couple of days. Use a "Tell" to judge when the soil is dry near the bottom of the pot. Al, described how to use a Tell in this post (amongst many others): https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/6001393/dying-plant-advice . Over time you should be able to judge when it is dry and needs water. When you water do it well so that it comes out of the bottom. You can do yours in sink. After say 5 min after water tilt the pot at an angle to let out more water trapped inside. This is excess water and happens with all water retentive soil. You need to drain that out. The posts I linked should help you understand the concepts lot better. I am doing a very short summary here.