Heather, How far from the fence is your bamboo? The new culms will probably appear several inches out in a concentric circle each year if left unchecked. AK will also grow to be 25' tall. (I hope you knew that when you bought it.) Because AK is a clumping bamboo, I wouldn't worry too much about trying to contain it with a physical barrier. It should take about 5 years for it to reach its mature height, but there are some things you can do to slow it down. First, cutting down culms, and removing branches will decrease the amount of leaves providing energy for the plant to grow. Each year, the culms shoot all at one time and the energy they need for rhizome growth and culm growth is provided by the leaves. So, fewer leaves, fewer new culms and shorter new culms. The next thing you can do to aid the process is remove many of new shoots before they ever grow. It will save you all the effort of cutting it down later when it's all bushy. You should be able to snap them off at the soil level with a swift kick or a sharp pruning knife. Do this to *every* new shoot on the fence side over the next few years and eventually the plant just sort of "gives up" trying to grow in that direction. If someone comes to dig out part of your bamboo, make them dig out the half closer to the fence. Digging out the bamboo yourself is not a very good idea, unless you have a huge amount of energy and the right tools. A rhizome saw is a huge help, and I do a lot of digging and moving and hauling of regular garden things (I spread 400lbs of manure this weekend), but dividing bamboo is beyond my physical capabilites. If you leave all this bamboo unchecked, the number of culms is likely to double each year. The old saying goes, the first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps, the third year it leaps! You should be able to cut at least 50% of the culms off at the base and have the plant be totally fine. It's a very vigorous grower, especially here in Houston. And if you're leaving town, you could probably get someone to come over once a year and do the same thing for you. Good luck! -Maggie

Sounds to me like your "soil" is solid clay - many new home developments have that, because they strip whatever top soil there may have been, and what is left is clay - pure enough to make pots out of! Our native soil here in the SF Bay area is like that in many places. Luckily for me, my yard has been gardened for 106 years, so we have a good layer of soil - maybe 18 inches. However, if you dig in obscure corners, like right next to the foundation - clay, pure and simple. What is getting on your dogs feet would be called "slip" in a potter's workshop! I'm not aware of a ground cover that would instantly grow in the winter in solid clay, especially without a lot of work & soil amendments. If it were me, I would probably figure out how to restrict the area the dogs can get into, and then put down some gravel - that is instant. Good luck - Jackie

The Organicide sounds like a good product. I've never used it, but I do use Fish Emulsion which can leave foliage sticky..it doesn't last too long.. Do you mist/shower plants? If so, by doing this Organicide should eventually wash off, BUT, don't hose off until all sign of scale's gone. There may be info on the container advising when you can hose off plants. But please follow container directions. BTW. scale leave a sticky residue, so are you sure it's not the scale that caused this problem or did it happen after you applied the Organicide? I give my citrus a last feeding in Oct (when they come indoors) using Osmocote. It's supposed to last 3 months. I also use Fish Emulsion as an insect repellent and foliar feed. You can also use a 3 month Citrus ferilizer..Toni

Jane, If it were me, I would be thrilled to not handle the rental transaction... just not enough compensation to make it wortwhile, and there is a lot of paperwork. Here in Charlotte, it is customary to only offer 10% of the monthly rent for commision. So a property that rents for $1000, pays a commission of only $100. But, why wait to buy? Interest rates have nowhere to go but up, and you will miss out on the tax credit. Good luck either way.