Hi peoples! First off, I never intended to hijack the thread. I'm learning alot, and even maintaining my sense of humor with the maternal concerns that go along with any new hobby and the learning curve, lol. Barbara, thanks for the welcome to the AV forum. I'll be starting my own thread shortly, so as to monitor the responses, if that's ok. I'll try to not duplicate the same questions, so you kind folks don't feel put off for having to retype the same info ad nauseum, lol. Wow, that's a long stint in the San Juans! I am so glad to have had the year and a half I lived in WA. First we lived in Anacortes, had a house, with our boat in Olympia. Then DH changed jobs and we moved up to the San Juans, in Anacortes. One of the many high points of my time there was cruising past Orcas Island and ending up in a pod of Orca Whales! One breached (?) alongside our 30 foot boat with that awesome big eye staring me in the face! It was only a few months later we got a bigger boat, lololol. Another of the fun times was living next to Kenny G in Friday Harbor for a weekend. I absolutely loved Friday Harbor!! Now then, Vall3fam, you have me rolling on the floor in stitches this morning! What a wild sense of humor you have. I'm afraid your prices are a bit steep for me, though I'm sure you are well worth it! Maybe I can interest you in some a weekend onboard, in the master cabin with your own lexan hatch, with a view of the mast, moon, stars. Then hang a line over the transom and see what we can catch for dinner. Or perhaps next morning a sunrise cruise with champagne and orange juice mimosas, bagels and cream cheese, fresh air with a gentle breeze, beautiful palm trees for scenery... All this for maybe an hour or two of the two of us playing in the dirt with my baby mini AVs?! I realize you are in CA in a beautiful climate and don't need to come here for our sunshine and balmy winter weather, but if I could twist your potting arm just a little....hee hee. Fondly, Girlsaylor

vegbed, I can find a home for some sticks. I'm afraid I don't have lychee, loquat or passionfruit. I do have dwarf mulberry, which is as easy to grow from sticks as plumeria. I'm about to do a major trim on it, so I can offer big, long sticks. I also have calamondin babies. It's a tiny, sour orange that is great in cocktails or as a marinade for fish, and it's no-care in Miami, but I have no idea how long these babies would take to bear fruit. Hmmm. Let's see, what else do I have that might interest? sapodilla seeds - I'll have to check to see if I've got any seedlings, but these often volunteer, so they must be easy to get growing. And it is the most amazingly sweet fruit. Red dwarf ponciana seeds. Queens Wreath seeds A million century plant babies (actually, those are going out with the trash Monday unless someone says something. It bloomed next to a bees' nest and I swear every single flower was pollinated. There are 1.36 million two-inch babies. I've never seen anything like it.) A rather large piece of a staghorn fern that never attached right and needs a new home (the other piece attached, so I'm thinking of just splitting them.) I also have a kind of unusual croton - at least I never see it at HD. It's green/yellow with long, thin, weeping leaves. One six-inch stick rooted in water five years ago is now six feet tall.

Congrats on the purchase of your first fig tree. Here's some advice to help you get your tree off to a great start........ Keep the ground ALWAYS moist (not soggy wet) so that your tree develops a good ROOT system. NEVER let the ground completely dry out for the first year or two of an in-ground fig tree's life. This is very important and a very simple practice that many people overlook. Do not do what those who grow figs in containers sometimes do.....judge watering needs by waiting for the leaves to droop. You will be rewarded with a nice tree that bears fruit rather quickly.....if you keep that ground ALWAYS moist (mulch helps). Moist ground is more important than fertilizer; but, they sure do love a little fertilizer in their diet. Your tree will continue to develop a root system into the fall and early winter after the leaves fall. Next spring fertilize your tree a couple of weeks BEFORE bud break and watch how your fig tree responds!! Dan

disintegrated? like turned to dust? did she water it after planting it. figs are drought resistant but thats once established. while young you should supply water when needed. AZ soil will dry out fast so you can add some organic matter to hold the water better. never dig a hole and poor in potting soil, compost, ect in the hole and plant directly in the hole. amend a hole 2 to 3 times the size of the rootball by mixing existing soil with the soil amendment. the bigger the hole the better. also mulching helps cool the roots in the 100+ degree days and slows evaporation. once your roots are older and run deeper it will probably never need to be watered again or need human assistance and will likely outlive you and provide plenty of figs for your grandkids and maybe there kids. remnants of president Thomas Jefferson's fig orchard lived into the the early 1900's and He planted them as early as 1769. If a tree will take care of you for this long it just makes since to do the extra work upfront. If her plant fails don't give up, just try again. Everyone needs a fig tree especially Mom! Good luck.