I just dug up a huge 10 year old peony that gets at least 6' tall and is too tall to stake. Last year I rigged up something really tall and strong, but it was too big to conceal and looked really stupid. I decided that this spring I was going to ditch it and replace it with a single or a semi-double. So I just dug it up but now I can't seem to throw it away. I divided it into too small sections (I got carried away). Most of the divisions have 2-3 eyes. I figur I can donate it to a plant sale or give to a friend or family member. If I pot them up now, will they root quickly so they can be easily transplanted later in the season? Or do I dry them and store them and give them as tubers in the fall? Most of the eyes are about 1 - 1 1/2" and have not opened up at all. Because I made my divisions so small, can I combine 3 in a pot? I probably should have researched this a bit before I ripped them up. I don't know if I did it right. I might have ripped out tubers that had immature eyes that I couldn't see.

A few months ago, while pruning my trees, I removed the leaves from a few short branches and stuck them in a pot of soil. I promptly ignored them. Low and behold, they have rooted and now sport a set of leaves (don't get me started with all of the pampering I did with my winter cuttings and my With these being so young and tender, should I bring them inside for the winter -or- go ahead and let them go dormant and move them to the garage? From Lou's prior comment, he doesn't let them go dormant ... what is the pro/con for this? Both cuttings, as you can see, are tip growth and very green (have not hardened at all.) The left branch is from a Sultane the right is an Alma. One other thing ... at some point I will need to separate these into their own pots ... when should I do this? -Steve

My Koi have always been born brown. Around 10 - 18 months, they all change color to orange, whites sometimes with varying shades of yellow. A few have stayed orange, but most are multicolored. Originally I didn't know anything about raising Fry, but first I learned that they are born brownish and turn as they age. I had no idea until I looked in my pond and saw what looked like "guppies" swimming around. I had no idea that Koi fry are generally brown. BUT recently I have read that only goldfish stay brown until a year or so old. Does this mean when I originally bought my first Koi, they were Goldfish and not Koi? I've had hundreds over the years and none have changed color at less than 6 months of age. But all have changed by the time they are about 14 months. They have all matured to the bright orange and white, typically seen as Koi. None have ever looked like goldfish. They are kept in outdoor ponds, not warmed during the winter. But there is always an antifreeze unit during the winter so the water will not freeze. I have several aerators in each pond, and two waterfalls. I have only lost a couple of the Fry when they have gotten into the filters. I have lots of areas that have hiding places in the ponds and spawning areas. I had 6 adult Koi but I don't know their sex other than "Big Daddy". He is the first that lets me know breeding season has started. He's about 20 inches. The other adults range in size from 6-10 inches and are 2-5 years old. My present hatch of 200 or so are all 9-10 months old and starting to get their orange colors now. I separate babies to their own pond when I first see them, usually 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. I read some remarks that other folks have a low survival rate of 20% or so. I have had nearly 100% survival other than the two that were caught in the filter. Why is that? Is there a type of Koi that is more hardy than others?

Great minds think alike! I also planted VQ to co-mingle a bit with my ND. :) I think the difference in colour and bloom form is just enough to keep it interesting. Regarding transplanting now vs. waiting, I would let it finish its flush and then move it if it's an established plant. However, your cool temps would be perfect if it's fairly young. I'm also a newbie to general rose growing, but have had 75yr old ND for years and have now transplanted them multiple times, most recently this Spring. With the help of everyone on this forum it was very successful. I got as much root ball as possible and dragged them on a tarp to their new location, having already dug and amended the new (huge) hole. I water in after adding ~half the soil and again at the end. I also make a little berm around it to keep the water from flowing off. Lots of compost, but no fertilizer. I watered well until established. Two of the transplants didn't miss a beat, and the other lost its first set of leaves to shock, but