Good morning! Well, my computer is holding at the moment, so I'm venturing a few replies while I can.... Borrowed from Wiki - I googled "sinister handed" and Google's first suggestion was Left-handedness - Wikipedia. ;) "There are many colloquial terms used to refer to a left-handed person, e.g. "southpaw" or "goofy". Some are just slang or jargon words, while other references may be offensive or demeaning, either in context or in origin (e.g. the British "cack-handed"). In more technical contexts, 'sinistral' may be used in place of 'left-handed' and 'sinistrality' in place of 'left-handedness'. Both of these technical terms derive from sinestra, a Latin word meaning 'left'.[6]" "Meanwhile, the English word sinister comes from the Latin word sinestra, which originally meant "left" but took on meanings of "evil" or "unlucky" by the Classical Latin era. Alternatively, sinister comes from the Latin word sinus meaning "pocket": a traditional Roman toga had only one pocket, located on the left side for the convenience of a right-handed wearer.[citation needed] The contemporary Italian word sinistra has both meanings of sinister and left (the masculine adjective for sinister being sinistro). The Spanish siniestra has both, too, although the 'left' meaning is less common and is usually expressed by izquierda,[11] a Basque word that made its way into Portuguese too. In Portuguese, the most common word for left-handed person, canhoto, was once used to identify the devil, and canhestro, a related word, means "clumsy" (sinistro means only "sinister"). Furthermore, in English, the expression "To have two left feet" refers to clumsiness in the domains of football or dancing." See ya'll elsewhere....! Josh

I totally agree with aztreelvr. Overall, at least from the pictures, the tree looks pretty good. It should be showing signs of growth by now since planted in August, an indication of establishment. New trees require more water. The watering area should be expanded to the ends of the tree's canopy, which will also tell you where to fertilize the tree as the feeder roots are out at the canopy. Fertilize Valentines Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day. I give small doses of fertilizer monthly in the warm months for faster growth. I'll foliar feed with fish emulsion and water it in too. Plants love it. I assume the tree is NOT in a low spot where water will settle around the trunk for days, which can cause disease like gummosus. Stick a screwdriver in the ground around the tree. If it comes up wet, don't water it. You CAN reduce water now that it is winter. With the warm days we were having (still), I would water once every two weeks, but it just DEPENDS on your particular soil conditions, sandy, clay, drainage, etc. Last winter for example (really wet and rainy), you didn't really have to water much. Just keep an eye out for warm/dry spells in the winter that we can get here. Being relatively new, it does NOT have a strong root structure to pull nutrients, water, etc. DO protect the tree the first year from frost then, as it will be quite a bit more susceptible to damage due to age. DO put two stakes on either side of the tree and eliminate the one that follows the trunk. DO use green landscape tape to tie to the stakes on either side allow the tree to sway in the breeze but not so much that it can break. The tape is quite flexible and strong. This is how it will build strength and not damage the trunk. DO wrap cardboard around the trunk to protect from sun as the tree does not have the foliage to do so (as it is new). This will protect the graft too. DO enjoy your lemon tree. Hope this helps.

Thank you both.... John when I say moving it I meant just moving it to get it out of a downpour. Then right back into the sun when the showers end. Mike I have read that many times that over watering is next to impossible in this mix. But I still worry. So I am not going to move it out of the rain anymore. I'll just see what happens. Yes I did bare root it. The roots were not rotted at all. I have a pix somewhere. I will have to find it. Thanks for your help. I'll just keep plodding away. You guys are great help! I can't thank you enough for your support. Jenn

Hi Jon, I feel like I just took a ride on your lawnmower around your house. The unfortunate thing about your video is we only get a few seconds here and there when the camera points up from the ground to show the house and shed. Landscape design is intended to pull the house and garden together in a complementary fashion. We saw the problems that are most on your mind, but not the big picture. Weeds -- there are several weed killing products on the market. Use one of them that has glyphosate. If you read the label and follow instructions, you can use it safely and be rid of the weeds. Repeated use will rid you of the Japanese knotweed, too. Persistent treatment until weeds are under control is essential. A common mistake is to spray, then let the next crop of weeds grow and go to seed before treating again. If a weed is allowed to grow and produce seed, the cycle is perpetuated. Kill kill kill! Then you're done. About moving the garden -- veggie garden, right? It should be located in the sunniest spot in the garden -- south facing, no trees overhanging, no tree roots to compete with your plantings. (In the video we only see the base of the trees -- whatcha got there?) I hope this won't come off as too harsh, but simply removing debris would really make a difference. The scattered bricks and wood planks, pots and whatever make it look like a yard sale after a hurricane. (yes, I exaggerate) But a tire? Come on Jon. :-) Rent a pickup or a dumpster and haul it all away, or put it away in the shed. Firewood, okay, I get that, but split the logs and make a neat stack along the fence with the firewood and nothing else. No random "parts" of this and that. Imagine yourself putting along on a ride-on lawnmower with nothing hidden in the grass, just relaxing and cutting the grass, enjoying your green space. Nice!