I have one large Tea Olive near the rear of my property and I am about ready to take it down. Even though it is protected on all sides by other trees, Maple, Oak & Pine, it has been severely damaged twice by wind. There is one large trunk now hanging, partially broken & split. It is also a nuisance, as the birds scatter the seed all over the property and around the neighborhood. The only reason it is still standing is, I haven't planted a food source for birds, that will replace it. The food source for all wildlife is rapidly disappearing in my area, as commercial developments expand, removing all vegetation and new homeowners begin removing old growth trees and shrubs as soon as the ink is dry on their deed. They replace them with Bradford Pears and Leylandii Cypress. Guess I should move elsewhere, but the thought of a new owner cutting down all of my trees, most of which I planted, and removing all of the native plants/shrubs, all of which I planted, would be too much to bear and keeps me glued to this spot, Fuming! Rb

Ahh to the gentleman in Binghamton, there's a hydroponics store in Vestal on called Planted Earth In fact I think it's on Vestal Rd, They'll have everything you're looking for. The EZ Clone people have a product called REZ-CLEAR that they recommend for extending the life of the solution and keeping if free of algae and contaminants. I've just started usin it so no comments. I am trying to clone blueberries on a large scale. Unlike the posters here I did everything the formal (and expensive) way. So far.....not good. Tons of correspondence with manufacturers of clone machines and additives and they seemed to know alot less than me with their expertise being in the cannibis. I've asked one question of The Hormex people, the ez clone folks, Turbo Klone, Turbo King, Dip & Grow etc: Why are you recommending a solution PH of 6.0 for a plant that grows best in the field with a PH of 4.5-4.8. Their response? Try 5.5 And there it sits. Dip & Glo (the only knowledgeable person I've engaged with) does not recommend his solution in the tank. As a matter of fact, it breaks down in ten hours anyway. IBA is indeed insoluable, but NAA is not. Dip & Glo combines both in a liquid form as does Hormex in their Liquid concentrate. Hormex, however, recommends their liquid concentrate in the cloning solution. And I am currently using that at the recommended dosage (not on the label) of one tsp per five gals. along with silica and the CLEAR-REZ. While D n Grow recommends a 1 to 5 second dip with the cuttings that's for dirt (or dry medias) and rendered ineffective when washed off in a cloning machine. On this round of cuttings I tried to establish control groups and dipped the cuttings in the D&G for extended periods of time - up to 1/2 hr. - before they went into the machine. In another machine that is doing nothing but keeping the cuttings barely alive, I pulled out several rows of cuttings and immersed them in the dip and grow for over an hour. The theory (completely unproven) .....coating will wash off, the plant has to absorb the liquid to have any chance to be effectve. ONe note: The humidity dome is considered largely ineffective. it's been proven that the stems can absorb enough liquid from the bombardment they're receiving and I'd bet the dome is contributing to the rot. Conclusion: There are too many variables for me to ever be able to figure this out. At this point I am absolutely nowhere without a single success - though who knows, this current batch may actually root. Any solid advise about The blueberry and a cloning machine would be appreciated. SteveAJL at the American on Line Place

Mine has grown just over a foot this year. I fertilized when I planted them early in the spring. I kept them watered all summer. I mulched heavily. I'm in 7b. There's one down the street from me that's maybe 12' tall. It's many years old. I assume it was here when the 20+ inches of snow fell on NC several years back. It looks great today. The only other experience I've had with them is in zone 8. I'm right on the border depending on which map you look at. Last year, we had plenty of below freezing nights, but only 3 hard frosts. Our last frost was in mid-April while Charlotte (45 minutes west) had a few more including one in early May. I'm hoping that by planting them near my brick house, with full sun until about 2pm, I can keep them from too much damage.

I'm not familiar with any of those areas. I live an hour northeast of Jacksonville, Fl. What is your zone there?