Vicki.. are you staying in the area or moving somewhere that gets rain? I did similar things when I sold my house. Even after the people signed the contract I was out there mulching and pulling weeds. It's about 6pm. I guess mothernature read this post. She hasn't teased me today. She didn't give me any rain but she didn't tease me. Pam3... LOL that was funny about the mailbox. Buford... That's a ways from here I think. I'm not really sure. I felt a couple of drops yesterday but no rain. I just watched as the drops evaporated on the deck before the next one was felt. That made it especially painful when nothing happened after that. bumblebeez... I have tried that and still nada. foxesearth... If it were to pour right now, I believe a good amount of rain will get into the soil. I have been keeping it moist as best I can so the water seeps in and doesn't run off. What you use is a very good strategy though. Well it's about that time... Time to go water.

Just leave them be for now and monitor. If there's condensation on the inside of the container they don't need water. As it gets warmer, some of them might, but usually mine get by on spring rain/melt until it gets much closer to LFD. IMO, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to take the lids off too soon. One 70 or 75 degree day here or there isn't likely to fry them, and as long as the night-time temps are low they can use the protection of the containers. A couple of years ago we had a little bit of a warm up in April. I took the lids off and many of my plants, especially the tomatoes, did not grow -- it just wasn't consistently warm enough. My mistake was totally removing the tops and discarding. I should have just pulled them back then closed them when it got cooler. If you're using milk jugs or 2L bottles, the extra warmth generated by keeping the tops on is more beneficial than not. Again, just monitor -- if the sprouts look like they're drying out, water. If they look like they're suffering from too much heat (wilting, etc.) then open them up during the day and close at night. It all depends on where you are, but if you're getting 70 then 38 then 60 etc. I'd keep the lids on for a while longer. You didn't mention when your LFD is. Mine's around April 30. Until then, the tops are staying on.

Alcohol is a good way to get rid of scales. Neem Oil will also do the trick as it covers and suffocates them. If you want a drench use something with Imidacloprid in it like Monterey's once a year insect control. Or Compare and Save Systemic drench. Bayer makes the stuff as well. It will also get rid of Mealybugs, Aphids and other sap sucking insects. You can purchase these through your local Gardening Centers. Here's an excerpt from St Augustine Insect site: "Quote": With product containing 1.47% Imidacloprid, add 1.5 tsp into a quart of water and pour it through the mix to thoroughly drench the potting mix. The orchid will absorb the chemical through the roots into the leaves and kill the scales from the inside out. "Unquote". Hope this helps.

10 to 15 feet in height after at least 10 years (probably longer in Z5) is a reasonable estimate. The Sooner Plant Farm photo could be of a much older tree and height is hard to determine in a photo without perspective or anything for comparison. The SPF tree has also been pruned to a single trunk. 'Jane' and the other magnolias in the Little Girl series naturally grow in a multi-stemmed, more shrubby manner. They can be pruned into a more tree-like shape if you're willing to do the work each year. It is a good choice for Z5 in that it is a very hardy variety that blooms late enough to avoid most frosts. It will do best in a site out of the wind.