It looks like the original problem on that one was codling moth, and then brown rot got in where the worm ate. The tunnel through the apple is where the worm went. Start by controlling the codling moth. Some of the flesh doesn't look good; I'm not sure it is not just natural browning or if its some other problem. More generally keep an eye on your apples throughout the growing season. You can see when the codling moth hits because you will see frass on the outside of a hole. Take down those apples and cut open and check out the worm trail. After observing a couple hundred of those you will instinctively be able to recognize a codling moth entry and will be able to monitor how your spray program is going throughout the season. You don't want to only learn of things after the season is all over. Scott

Toxcrusadr, While never having spoken (conversed) with you before I have read some of your posts and am happy to be able to share a few thoughts with you. As has been stated earlier in this thread, I did my best to keep things simple but do not feel that limit necessary with you, the pleasure is mine. The reason your limit of familiarity with "colloidal humus compost" is due to the fact that the author of the book spoken of coined the phrase is my understanding. Each term stands on its own; however in the original discussion that was the name given to the substance at the time and it has stuck. Humus can develop colloidal properties, yet compost cant; compost can lead to humus, yet humus cannot lead to compost. "Humic substances are key components of a friable (loose) soil structure. Various carbon containing humic substances are key components of soil crumbs (aggregates). Complex carbohydrates synthesized by bacteria and humic substances function together with clay and silt to form soil aggregate. As the humic substances become intimately associated with the mineral fraction of the soil, colloidal complexes of humus-clay and humus-silt aggregates are formed. These aggregates are formed by electrical processes, which increase the cohesive forces that cause very fine soil particles and clay components to attract each other. Once formed these aggregates help create a desirable crumb structure in the top soil, making it more friable." (See link below) While I do enjoy making compost, my larger focus is allowing said compost to develop the largest amount of humic and fulvic acid as possible. And too, auxins, cytokinins, and other grown hormones and enzymes can be present and ready to go to work once the compost is applied to the soil. It is for this reason I constantly stress allowing ones compost be allowed to cure/mature. Those of us who have developed soil with such an organic foundation find we grow plants that refuse to die. As an example, those "Georgia collard greens" in the photo above will live well past a year, growing a stalk over three (3) feet tall, and will harvest collards with a taste to die for. I do have a different understanding of the nature of humic and fulvic acid, with fulvic being much smaller than humic, thus is the main carrier of nutrition in foliar sprays. Fulvic acid and the many wonderful functions it provides for all life on earth is one of my favorite topics so all I will say for now is that once our planet has replaced both fulvic and humic acid in our soils our health will be akin to those collards I just spoke of, in human time. I too will avoid the topic of bio-char as well; I trust you will understand. I do appreciate your insight and sharing of knowledge, it is very much well taken Blutranes @gmail.com

The fertilizer issue was discussed on the e-mail robin about 5-6 years ago too. I have always been careful not to overdo it with this plant. Does it grow low in the foliage for you? It did bloom here, and blooms were much as your picture, but I simply cannot stand blooms that are down in the foliage. I think I will give it away to a club member. Maybe it will do better for them. It is leaving here regardless. There just isn't room for fussy plants here.

Thank you every one of you for your kind support. I knew that fellow hostaholics would be the ones who would fully understand how I feel. I just had to share with you. That was a terrible situation you had to endure moccasinlanding. I hope your neighborhood plant thief stays on her medication too. I felt that I could start a new thread ("My hosta was stolen!"), but then I thought against it---we want to stay on the positive in life not the negative, right? So towards the positive, this is what my dear husband built for me last year for my spring birthday. Needed more room for hostas and that side of the house had more sun. It was also here that my Birchwood Parky's Gold was---near the ground, on top of the window well cover. Irawon, I will still take away any hostas that are special to me. I did take away Goodness Gracious. I need to take away High Society too and maybe more.