It's pretty well dried up now, and I went out today and just scraped it off the stem (scrape is kind of too intense a word...it was basically coming off with only a little help from me, and crumbling to dust). I think because I have the plastic tray around the base of the tomato plant, the mold started growing around the soil in the center of the tray (moving from the crack in the tray leading up to the center hole). I guess there are several types of this "slime mold" and this is just one type. Some look watery and goldish yellow, some are puffy and red, some are puffy and yellow (like mine), and some are clear or whitish. Pretty fascinating actually. The stem of the Tom plant looks fine, the entire plant is very healthy looking, and the mold dried up as I read that this type of slime mold does (once it isn't fed any more moisture). I read that you could put down lime, but then, it will screw up the PH your plants need. Most sites said applying anything was pretty much unnecessary. Who knows...maybe it will make my tomatoes taste better? If I keel over from eating one, you can put a Cherokee Tom on my tombstone...lol. Linda

Kittee, take a look at the links I've listed and see if any of the insects match what's on your datura. If it is scale carefully scraping it off even though it might be difficult would be the most direct route to take with the fewest risks. If you do scrape it off, be careful not to dispurse the insects inside the scale when the shell is removed. It would be good to follow up with an insecticidal soap spray or light oil spray afterwards just in case there are eggs or you miss some. You can also try swabbing the scale with rubbing alcohol, but that might not penetrate the shell and get to the insects underneath. If it is scale, you definitely want to get rid of it before the young (crawlers) hatch and spread to other parts of the plant. A light oil product like Pyola (with pyrethrins) or Ultrafine oil might also do the trick. Oil insecticide products work by suffocating the insects. The pyrethrins in the Pyola product are an effective insecticide, and are organic. You can get the insect controls I've mentioned online at Gardens Alive or similar sites. There may be a chance of some leaf drop or damage from an insecticidal soap or oil spray, so keep that in mind too. Hope this info helps. Good luck. http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/entomology/ornamentals/part1.html http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/orn/scales/green_scale.htm Here's a link if you can take a photo of the insects, they might be able to ID them for you: http://bugguide.net/node/view/6/bgimage

I have four 12 to 14 foot crape myrtles my husband got for me late in the summer last year. he dug them up with a backhoe so they had a good root ball. this spring only one of them produced leaves? The other three are still green under the bark but have done nothing, there are some new shoots comming up from the base. Is there anything I can do to encurage them or is it a sign that the transplant was to much. Are they Dieing? Anything would be helpfull I dont know much about these trees but I sure don't want to loose them

Any pictures? FataMorgana