Terrene: I hope you are not just talking about the buckthorn. I read a discussion over on the Native Plants forum about that and saw that you participated there, so you must be well aware of all the different ideas/difficulties involved. Girdling buckthorn will just cause it to re-sprout from the base, almost as if you had cut it off, but weakening the roots a bit more than that does. Anyway, to answer your basic question. With most trees I use an axe--a full sized 3 1/2 pound bit axe, usually with a 36" handle, but the length of the handle is not really important. I use an axe this size rather than a smaller hatchet because the weight helps make the job easier. Then I don't usually cut a notch all around the tree, because with many species this will create a weak point for the tree to break in a storm and come down before it is dead, or before the upper parts have begun to rot. This can cause unintended damage to other trees. Of course, if your trees are fairly small, this should not be a big problem. Anyway, I make downward cuts into the tree just deep enough to cut off the bark and just get into the sapwood a little. Basically I am stripping bark all around, maybe in a band a foot wide or so. If I do this in the spring and early summer when the tree is actively growing, I can, on many species of trees, loosen the bark and then peel it off. But you not only have to remove the bark, but also sever the cambium layer underneath. So when I am done cutting all the bark off, I go back around the tree and make sure that I have gone into the sapwood under the bark at least a small fraction of an inch. This cut into the sapwood does not have to be wide at all. Half an inch, even less, will ensure that the tree cannot bridge the gap and re-grow. With a little practice, making this kind of downward semi-scraping cut will be easy. Just trust your instincts and practice a little. You don't take a full swing with the axe, but hold it with a "choked-up" grip and make cuts with an easy downward motion, with one hand near the bit, and the other back a ways on the handle to make complete control easy--no big swings. Now with different kinds of trees in different situations I may girdle trees differently. Some kinds in some situations it is OK, or even better, to simply notch them, and you can do that with a chainsaw, but for most kinds of trees this is not best. For tree girdling I think a chainsaw is a waste of time and energy. It is easier to carry an axe than a chainsaw along with the gas and chain oil, etc. With some trees with very thick sapwood, and trees that I want to die fairly quickly, I may strip the bark in a band 5 feet wide or more, or strip the bark in two bands--one near the base, and another as high up as is convenient. If it is a kind of tree that is very susceptible to breakage with many trees nearby that can be damaged, I will not cut a band around the tree at the same point, but cut a "wavy" band, that is higher in two places and lower in two other places. This way there will not be any one even point on the trunk where the tree dies first, creating a weak point as the tree begins to rot later. I learned to do this after some girdled trees broke and damaged adjacent trees. This method works well, and after using it I never had any more damage. In my woods the main tree I used this on was red maple, but I think it would be good to use with poplar and aspen, and some others, but my experience with those is limited. Well, I have included a bit more here than maybe you need, but I also know that some others are reading this, and I am nothing, if not a person who tries to be helpful, espeically where trees are concerned. --Spruce

We do not post publicly how the Stout vote breaks down by region since that is not a requirement to win the Award. You can find the HM and AM results posted by region, since votes must come from 4 regions for the HM and 8 regions for the AM. But with the Stout,it is simply the cultivar that gets the most votes. The number of judges varies by region. There are more judges in the regions with the most AHS members. Region 2 has our largest number of members, and also the largest number of judges. Region 4 is the second largest region and it has the second largest number of judges. Some regions with low numbers of AHS members ( Regions 7, 8,9) also have fewer judges.I don't think that having the largest regions represented by the largest number of judges would skew the vote. It would just give an accurate representation of what our membership reflects. Most, but not all, judges vote each year!

There were a couple that were supposed to be in Miami maybe Costas farms? Oh first Hi again Jairo, I bought and received very nice, I'm guessing they would be considered seedlings still, seedling from Out of Africa located in Naples FL. Received in two days after buying, packaged very well in two and a half inch containers, talk about instant gratification! I'll post a picture of them, they are all Arabicums which are my favorite, the Obesum a very close second. My hand sown seedlings will be a source of great pride when they bloom and their beautiful flowers are revealed! I'm thinking very positive! I do enjoy every aspect of growing them except for the waiting! But it gives me time to do research and get into trouble(purchasing more bigger plants each being the last swearing no mas! LOL).But I'm glad I'm not the only one who has caught the DR bug! Today is beautiful, even though the forecast called for rain, 80 and sunny! All got to go outside, I work night shift!

KC, bummer about your loss,,,, but you will grow lots more and laugh when you think back about this evening. I just bought 180 lb and am planning to throw it down this week. I expect it will be fine just lying there until the rains hit (hopefully) by mid February. I still see remnants of my slow release Palm Plus on the ground from early fall so im not in a rush. this next dose will be 50/50 GroPower citrus / NitraKing.