Thank you so very much. I know my squash has powdery mildew and I think you're right. This is definitely a learning experience. I planted too much and watered too much. I thought since I live in FL the plants would need more water. Nope. Thanks again.

Thank you, thank you -- all of you. I am going to try to post some pics I took today. I am hoping they will be more revealing. Sorry that last one is so blurry. Berndoodles, thanks for the pics of leaf hopper damage. I think I certainly have that, don't you (referring to the pic with the lovely bugs)? I also found some webbing, so I think maybe I have spider mites. Oh, joy! And I also think I have powdery mildew. I would love anyone's advice. I sure wish I had a flatbed scanner. My daughter has one, but she is out of town. And I wouldn't mind if we had a Bug Man out here in Colorado. However, I took samples to my local nursery and the very nice rose lady there confirmed that I have several separate problems. She thought that the drooping rosebuds were caused by thrips and told me to go home and cut all of those drooping buds off and dispose of them. She thought I had powdery mildew, too, and also spider mites. She advised that I use Bayer All-in-One spray, so I bought that, but after reading the instructions, I decided to try Neem Oil because the instructions said not to use when bees are active, and they are very active on Ballerina, at least during the day, but maybe I could use it at night. I sprayed yesterday very thoroughly with Neem oil and will repeat in 7 days. However, since my roses are so badly infected, and with multiple buggies or whatever, maybe I will have to go toxic. Another problem with me using a toxic spray is I have large pots of herbs close to Ballerina, in fact right beside it. I think I could cover the pots with black trash bags or something. But I also have black raspberries whose vines are kind of intermingled with one of my New Dawn climbers. I'm not sure if I can cover all of them enough. Maybe if I used a hand sprayer rather than a hose-end sprayer it would be easier. So what do you think? Thanks again. Marlene

I totally agree with aztreelvr. Overall, at least from the pictures, the tree looks pretty good. It should be showing signs of growth by now since planted in August, an indication of establishment. New trees require more water. The watering area should be expanded to the ends of the tree's canopy, which will also tell you where to fertilize the tree as the feeder roots are out at the canopy. Fertilize Valentines Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day. I give small doses of fertilizer monthly in the warm months for faster growth. I'll foliar feed with fish emulsion and water it in too. Plants love it. I assume the tree is NOT in a low spot where water will settle around the trunk for days, which can cause disease like gummosus. Stick a screwdriver in the ground around the tree. If it comes up wet, don't water it. You CAN reduce water now that it is winter. With the warm days we were having (still), I would water once every two weeks, but it just DEPENDS on your particular soil conditions, sandy, clay, drainage, etc. Last winter for example (really wet and rainy), you didn't really have to water much. Just keep an eye out for warm/dry spells in the winter that we can get here. Being relatively new, it does NOT have a strong root structure to pull nutrients, water, etc. DO protect the tree the first year from frost then, as it will be quite a bit more susceptible to damage due to age. DO put two stakes on either side of the tree and eliminate the one that follows the trunk. DO use green landscape tape to tie to the stakes on either side allow the tree to sway in the breeze but not so much that it can break. The tape is quite flexible and strong. This is how it will build strength and not damage the trunk. DO wrap cardboard around the trunk to protect from sun as the tree does not have the foliage to do so (as it is new). This will protect the graft too. DO enjoy your lemon tree. Hope this helps.

A lot of gardening is learning by experience. I guess you've got some experience the hard way. As a rule, many herbs don't need any fertilizer. Catnip grows wild at my place. It often chooses very lean soil places to grow. I would take cuttings and leave that bed alone until weeds and other plants that choose to grow there tell you that plot is better. Others may have other suggestions. FataMorgana