group of three pix above... top one.. can you see the difference between older branches.. and younger, browner branches???? you would take out some of the older stuff.. leaving the younger ... just cut out the most offensive one .... see how the plant responds ... and take another next summer ... you can always take more.. later.. after you learn a bit .. and practice ... but you can never staple them back on.. lol ... there is no reason to replace it... unless you just got a hate on for it ... at worse.. practice ... you can always remove it in a year or two.. after thoroughly messing it up.. lol.. been there.. done that ... ken

Sun shouldn't be a problem. But you will want to keep it well watered it's first year.

Propagation is relatively easy. I prepared cuttings early summer last year and by Sept. I had several rooted plants. Here's what you need to do. "Cuttings should generally consist of the current or past seasonÂs growth. Avoid material with flower buds if possible. Remove any flowers and flower buds when preparing cuttings so the cuttingÂs energy can be used in producing new roots rather than flowers. Take cuttings from healthy, disease-free plants, preferably from the upper part of the plant. Take cuttings from the young branches. Early morning is the best time to take cuttings. Early morning is the best time to take cuttings, because the plant is fully turgid. While terminal parts of the stem are best, a long shoot can be divided into several cuttings. Cuttings are generally 4 to 6 inches long. Use a sharp, thin-bladed pocket knife or sharp pruning shears. If necessary, dip the cutting tool in rubbing alcohol or a mixture of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water to prevent transmitting diseases from infected plant parts to healthy ones. Remove the leaves from the lower one-third to one-half of the cutting. Treating cuttings with rooting hormones. Be sure to tap the cuttings to remove excess hormone when root hormone is in powdered form. Use a soilless mix for your rooting medium. No topsoil, no garden soil. Materials commonly used are coarse sand, a mixture of one part peat and one part perlite (by volume), or one part peat and one part sand (by volume). Insert the cuttings (vertically)one-third to one-half their length into the medium. Make sure the buds are pointed up. Space cuttings just far enough apart to allow all leaves to receive sunlight. Water again after inserting the cuttings if the containers or frames are 3 or more inches in depth. Cover the cuttings with plastic and place in indirect light. Avoid direct sun. Keep the medium moist until the cuttings have rooted. Rooting will be improved if the cuttings are misted on a regular basis. Once rooted, they may be left in the rooting structure until spring. Newly rooted cuttings should not be transplanted directly into the landscape. Instead, transplant them into containers or into a bed. Growing them to a larger size before transplanting to a permanent location will increase the chances for survival." Hope this procedure is clear.

Well, I did fertilize last year a bit but not this year mainly because I ran out and it was just something I had here for my other flowers. What is the best kind of fertilizer that I should be using on them please? I don't see any bugs or anything on them. If it is mites will Seven work on them? I do see a tiny bit of white 'cottony' stuff on some of the yellow leaves and a bit of it on some of the bigger green leaves but it is not a lot. I have never seen this either so I don't know what it is. Thanks so much for your help. I truly don't want to loose my trees.