if its important to you.. that's good enough for me.. and as you note in #4 .. there is always tomorrow to be done with it ... here is 8 cuts.. since i pulled that number out of thin air.. lol ... i dont know what tools you have available... a good ladder and a pole saw.. some rope .... as well as a good pruning saw would really help ... a second person to hold the ladder ... and the cell phone predialed to 911 [emergency services ... lol] cuts 1, 2, 3 [blue] are cleaning up for attacking the bigger branch .. surely dont have to be pretty cuts.. but it can be good practice to learn how to do it right each time ... cut 4, 5, and 6 [red] .. are cleaning up the bigger branch... so you can work safer.. no need to have a nicely pruned tree if you poke your eyes out.. or kill yourself trimming it ... 4, 5 [red] , and 7 [lime green] .. you might be able to stand in the crotch while sawing ... use the rope and the second person .. hold the branch while cutting.. and perhaps a small tug at the final cut to pull it away from you or the ladder ... cut 6 would have to be made with a pole saw if you have one.. skipped if you dont think you can do it safely from the ladder ... this cut.. should take off the entire end.. contrary to the little red mark .... i think the final cut [8, magenta] has already been discussed ... you might.. in this situations cut from the exterior ... toward the crotch .. and have to slightly push the branch inwards as the saw starts to bind ... it will take a bit longer ... but you will have to cut it up on the ground anyway ... and it will be a whole lot safer in making it all fall down .. and you will end up with an easier final cut ... NO MATTER how the final cut works out.. it will be better than allowing the rot to continue down into the main trunk ... does all this make any sense?? do any of you want to debate the multiple cut system???? its how i learn ... always willing.. if you have a better idea ... ken PS: under the 7 .. i might now see some branches coming straight toward the camera.. if so.. make that cut 3a or 3b .... so you can stand up there later ... PPS: here is a similar cut on a much smaller tree ... pre prune post prune

Really Like this plant, but dont kno what it is, but the best thing to remember about cacti and succulents in General is that YOU only water when the soil is dry and you gatta poke YOUR finger into the soil a little bit, if its wastwater it...if it's damp leave it be. With these plant's when in doubt, DON'T! Is the best method on watering. You also have very heavy soil in the pot, these plants do best in either a "gritty mix" or a cacti and succulent soil,and %50 perlite added for extra drainage. The easiest way is to repot the plant with %50 cacti and succulent soil then mix %50 perlite ...mix it up and wait about a week to water the plant so the roots can heal. Try to get as much of the old dirt off the roots as best YOU can before repotting. Make sure the new pot you're putting IT IN has. Drain holes , and and slowly accumulate the plant to as much bright light as YOU can provide.I'm sure others will chime in if i left something OUT or if they know what the plant is! Goodluck

Don, your just the little fountain of information. Thanks Only addressing my taste, I like space between hosta. I also like them so thick that there is little weed problem. A great many hosta are not specimen quality and need to be planted in groups of one variety to make a show. Just like a man, never happy.

Since tomatoes are grown in almost every climate and there are many different type there is no right way to do it but depending on the context there can be wrong ways. An older retire has all day to water but is too frail to move a 20 gallon container. I can advise such people 3 gallon is doable. It would be a horrible solution for those that plan on week long summer excursions or want maximum production. If you are one of those people who plant their garden in way back yard and forget to visit it for a week or two then I strongly suggest that you cage every 3 feet. When disease is a problem it is less feasible to pack them together. On the the hand growing in containers close together makes changing out the soil trivial to rotate away from the disease etc. Some times there is better sun further up the trellis. If one wants larger and earlier fruit then by all means prune(at the cost of total production). This also means those with lots of space may also want to prune to a single vine for the early fruit. There are just too many urban, forested settings and where caging a plant every 3 feet is not desirable. There is one site I like about a garden that terraces into a mountain. That space is precious. I used to be one of those where I grew up with a sunny large flat back yard. Now I have a 6 foot strip on the south side of the front yard and side of the house because its shaded elsewhere. I go from raised beds to containers once I hit the side of the house. A few big cages and a few hills of squash is just going to eat up my space. I do pole beans rather than bush for this reason. 3 foot cages is simply designed for one cultural practice with specific goals in mind which I would classify as lower maintenance and cost utilizing an available space resource. The default advice seems to be traditional row gardening and it does not always apply. However its also true not to take advice on intensive gardening and then treat it like a row garden. In one case an urban gardener will just not even try. In the other case such a person will be discouraged to try again.