Nick, highly visible ties don't seem to bother me either. I've forgotten they are there, but they are also barely visible since I also worked with the coco fiber. My apartment is already very warm and dry. I'm not entirely sure yet that the outer coco fiber covering is completely unnecessary since I am watering every 2 days instead of every day in my conditions; only time will tell, but if I have to increase my watering anyway, coco fiber is coming off! I recently placed an order with Andy and the subject of mounting came up. He mentioned that when using moss underneath he uses the "green" moss because it saturates less, so less risk of rot. I don't think I will be able to grow cloud forest plants, but I will keep your advice in mind in case I decide to experiment with a couple. I have one potted masdevallia that has just finished blooming, not one of the prettiest or exotic looking, but a "cute" plant. Stitz, I'm not close to reaching my 30 yet and have to slow down cause of the holidays. But space IS quite the determining factor here with me. I'm not sure exactly where my limit is with the mounted plants yet; next summer I should have a pretty good idea. Stitz this is off topic but I was wondering if you wouldn't mind posting the orchid wiz info on Dendroium laevifolium; she is showing lots of health and growth since I got her over the summer but I need to make sure that I am doing right by her to bloom; it's possible she may be getting too much light. I'd also like to know more specifics about watering and when I can expect to see hints of blooms. Tia.

For those of you contemplating moving an established plant, it would be helpful to know the species and how it reproduces in the wild before attempting the move. Broadly speaking, Manzanitas follow one of two reproductive strategies following fire (but almost never both): seedling or stump sprouting. If it's a known stump sprouter, you might have a chance if you take great care while doing so. If it reproduces by seeds, you're better off finding a large shrub (the older the better), scooping some soil from under the plant and giving them a smoke treatment. If you are going to attempt transplanting an existing shrub note that the larger and more intact the root-ball is, the better the chance of success - ideally it should be as wide as the canopy and deep enough to include most of the feeder roots (mostly within the top one to two feet of the soil profile); plant high, transplants are more susceptible to problems associated with being placed below grade than pot-grown plants (don't forget settling if the soil in the bottom of the hole has been loosened); as far as pruning, feel free to do some shaping but don't head the entire plant back, tip growth produces auxins that stimulate root initiation. Ryan Here is a link that might be useful: Where there's smoke there's germination.

Sorry if I came off as so negative with my advice, certainly you have gained a wealth of personal experience that has now elevated you from a "newbie" gardenener to one more experienced with the trials and tribulations of invasive weeds, and poor winter drainage. A bit more about using Roundup in case you didn't know: 1. Works best when bermuda grass has not been cut back, but is full and lots of surface foliage 2. Apply when bermuda grass is in active growth(usually once it has hit 75F temps for a couple of weeks 3. Roundup works best when you have consistent warm weather so that it actively gets translocated to the roots 4. When bermuda grass is invading from the neighbors gardens, you need to do regular weed patrol to keep on top of runners that spring up from under the fence, probably at least every couple of weeks About the annual bluegrass: 1. If you are planting out small seedlings that can't effectively compete with weeds, try cutting an 18 square of weed fabric and pinning down at the edges around any new seedlings, this is what is typically done with revegeatation seedlings/trees planted out in grasslands, they need help creating a clear zone so that they can get large enough to compete with the weeds/grasses 2. Mulching deeply to keep bare soil from being exposed greatly helps with inhibiting weed seeds that need light to germinate, such as the annual blue grass 3. If you are trying to reseed poppies and other wildflowers, you can keep smaller areas weedfree and scatter saved seed, but will need to be vigilant about weeding seedlings of weeds as they come up Watering new plantings; 1. Standing with the hose and giving things a splash of water just isn't enough with valley heat and small seedlings with their limited roots 2. Better to give things a really good soak twice a day if starting seedlings when the weather is still hot, and use mulch to minimize soil evaporation 3. You might consider creating temporary shade structures using bamboo stakes and shade cloth if you can't resist starting seedlings outside the ideal fall planting window 4. Ideal time to plant out small sized native species is in the fall, once it starts to cool off enough in your area that you won't be getting any more 75F and above days, this makes a huge difference in heat and water stress for small plants Drainage issues 1. You are absolutely right that if you didn't know how poorly drained your intended garden was going to be, you wouldn't have known that it would be a problem. 2. You now know that it may be worth investigating first before you start planting; ie, look to see if there are rain gutters or downspouts off the roof, where they drain, if there is enough slope to the ground that water can drain away, etc. It may also be helpful to ask the neighbors, landlord, former tenants, when you have a chance to do so, if there are any drainage problems with the site Weeds; 1. You now have the experience to be a better judge of whether your intended garden area is surrounded by weeds, and if so, you now also know that it is always a good idea to try and get rid of the stored seed bank before you start planting 2. Getting rid of entrenched weeds may mean using Roundup at the right time of year to effectively kill them(and use the full strength applications and repeat usage after clearing away killed weeds, watering for at least a couple of weeks to initiate new growth, wait until weed regrowth is at least a couple of inches and spray again. You may need to do this 3 or 4 times over 3 to 4 months to get rid of all the weeds. 3. It may be useful to cultivate/disturb the soil several times to expose weed seeds to light, hoe them off or spray with herbicide, and repeat several times if you suspect you have a real weed problem. This could even mean that you don't plant your garden until 3 to 4 months of weed treatment. Dogs and new plants 1. it may be preaching to the choir, but small plants and dogs who aren't trained to be careful around small plants, or don't get enough walks/excercise to keep from being bored when left alone all day, are not a good mix with new plantings, especially at small vulnerable sizes. It only makes sense to give the plants some protection from dogs if you can't mitigate their behavior, dogs will do what dogs want to do without work on your part. Maybe I have just been lucky with the dogs I have owned, but I started training them very young to be careful around the garden, and not destroy young or old plants. I also had the time to take them on long walks every day, and burn off all that excess energy, which is important when you have a labrador retriever. Now if I could just train the raccoons not to damage plants in my garden.. You have gotten some valuable experience in gardening by the "trial by fire" method, but it can also be useful to ask questions when you aren't clear on the methods, take classes, and keep reading up. Obviously there isn't just one way to garden, and I certainly don't claim to know all the answers, but over 40 years of gardening, over 30 years of them professionally, mean that I do have a very good handle on how to handle weeds, drainage, soil amendmending, etc to fit within the budgets and efforts of my clients, and can tailor solutions that will work within different circumstances. It is always about tradeoffs, and I am not against using weedcloth as a first line of defense to be set underneath deep mulch when I can't eliminate the weeds in the first place, it has been my only workable method to minimize bermuda grass and Oxalis pes-capri infestations when I didn't have the time or budgets necessary to really control them before new landscape plantings.

The plants you mention specifically tend to be susceptible to root rotting pathogens when irrigated during the growing season. They have adapted themselves to soils that are dry when warm and cool when damp, conditions that are not favorable to soil fungi. They avoid infection by living in soils that don't support high populations of pathogens. When planted in soils that do support high populations of pathogens, then these plants are in trouble as they don't seem to have other methods of resisting infection. I don't know about other dryland plants. I suspect it varies by species and by ecoregion of origin, but maybe not. I know that rare plant conservation efforts in Australia are complicated by the introduction of Phytophthora cinnamomi, and that native plants growing in well drained soils are less subject to infection than those growing in soils that are subject to waterlogging during periods of heavy rain. These plants can be wiped out by the pathogen, causing local extinctions and changes in distribution and abundance. So it could be that many dryland plants are susceptible to root rot when irrigated during their normal dry season. Those are my thoughts on the subject. It would be very interesting to see how your plants do over the years.