there are a couple types of rebud ... and w/o a proper ID ... it is hard to give any specific info on its future performance ... second.. trees.. in general .. like a very high draining media in the pot ... and almost any bagged media is going to be too high in peat to favor the tree ... if you are limited to buying media... you should look into a cactus mix ... otherwise .. many peeps here like al's mix.. which is homemade.. perhaps someone has a link to that ... up here in MI ... Cercis canadensis .. the eastern redbud.. seeds wildly .. onto my wood mulch.. which is on top of mineral sand ... and which is usually about as dry as dry can get ... and i get hundreds of seedlings per year ... with no watering beyond what nature supplies... which leads me to the conclusion that ERedbud.. does not mind being dry ... which i tell you.. so you dont drown them in your pots ... and if you stop drowning them [not that you are, just meaning excessive watering] .. then you might not need much fertilizer ... but if they are off color.. so be it ... isnt redbud near native in NY .. the thought that you need to carry it from FL to NY.. cracks me up .. regardless.. live your dream ... good luck ken Here is a link that might be useful: link

you planted them.. AFTER they leafed out??? transplant stress ... you media in a pot.. was probably all that got an arbor day tree to sprout.. lol .. great place to make a donation... but they usually send carp plants.. the fact that you got two to live.. is supreme ... but i would have left it in the pot.. until fall planting time ... and on top of it.. i am surprised the miracle grow media didnt kill them .. lol.. two on your chit ... its very high in peat.. and is made for annuals and perennials... it holds wayyyyy more water than a tree would like.. and on top of it.. you were waering it every day ... are you understanding how many bullets you've dodged.. lol.. the pic directly above.. the tree looks great ... forget about the leaf way up top ... and sand is the best drainaing soil in the world for trees... mulch heavy.. but no closer than 2 inches to the tree ... water .. deeply.. thru the whole root planted ... and then dont water again.. until your finger.. stuck in 2 or 3 inches.. indicates its dry.. or hot.. hot sand under mulch.. is usually dry within a few days.. watering is not a schedule thing ... its about learning how to maintain moisture in your soil.. in your yard ... congrats on beating the odds on ADay carp ... ken ps: i am going to be chuckling for a month over guessing ADay ...

Planting the pots is a good idea, since exposed pots will get much colder than those submerged in soil, and you are wise to worry about rodents. Of course there are many ways to protect the pots....I would dig a hole big enough for all the pots, then make a simple cover out of hardware cloth or some other kind of screen. Put the cover into place before backfilling the hole, so when you do put the dirt back in the hole, the bottom edge of the cover will be buried. Alex

I've looked through my caterpillar book, and I can't find one that looks like yours. The body is shaped like the Schizuras - red-humped cats are in that group - so it could be that, since your cats are so little, they're a type of cat that looks very different in the early instars than later ones. There are only a few pictures in my book of early instar cats. I'll guess that they're early instar red-humped cats - if you can keep track of them or raise them yourself, you might get a better ID with a later instar. Sherry