That DB is grafted on Dr. Huey. I don't recommend amending the hole except for adding the superphosphate (put it in the hole then cover with soil, then the plant). I usually amend the entire bed in the fall, but you don't say if your soil is sandy and needs the amendments. You want to avoid what we call the "bathtub effect" where the hole retains too much water and it doesn't drain out properly. Here we may or may not have that problem because of the sandy soil (in some cases). Make sure the union is 2" below the soil. Don't "tamp". Backfill and use water to fill in the holes. Use your hands to press in the soil to make sure there are no air pockets. But you don't want to compress the soil around the roots. Mulch the soil, but keep the mulch away from the canes. Water after you plant, then monitor the soil. You shouldn't have to water daily, especially since we are due for more rain this week (thu - sat). You'll probably get in two applications of Rose-tone, July and August, then stop (no fertilizing after August). Once you see new growth after planting, you can try a weak (1/4 - 1/2 strength) solution of fish emulsion once a week until you start the Rose-tone. You're going to need a regular fungicide treatment for DB.

Hi, Wayne!! *waving from Sanford* Happy to see that you stopped by. It's always good to have you verify something like this. I've never seen this snake, though I've seen southern hognoses here and there. The coloration was very different from what I'm used to. But that's the only thing I could figure with that little upturned nose that I thought I could see. Next time I'm in Vaodiva's neck of the woods, I hope I can spot him! Marcia

Hi Wayne, I also love snakes and do my best to relocate them, but a few years ago we came across a very pretty snake that was after a toad in my yard. I live in deep south Texas, 7 miles from the Mexican border just to give you the territory of where the snake was found. This snake was about 2 feet at most and was a light tan color with extreme pronouced brown diamonds. It was the end of February and a cool morning (low 70s) so it was moving very slow. My kids were looking at the toad and I noticed what I thought was a stick next to the toad and grabbed it to move it out of the way when I suddenly realized what it was. I dropped it right away but it moved very slow due to the cool morning. we put it in a container and took it out to a shrubby area just outside of town. Somehow I have always wondered what that snake was as I have never seen one like that before. My thought is that it may have been a copperhead snake since they range from really light to reddish copper to really dark almost black colors depending what part of the valley they are found. Still those diamonds were very pronounced on a short and thick snake. We have quite a few species down here but few poisonous ones. Any thoughts? Josie

What a shameful waste, seriously. A lovely little harmless Eastern Hognose killed by some ignoramus. YOU might not have killed it, but someone you know did. I hope you do at least make an effort to educate them and shame them for their senseless act. I personally cannot be friends with anyone who does kill snakes just because they are snakes or because they assume all snakes are dangerous. Honestly, killing snakes and then posting their pics on a reptile forum to ask if they were dangerous is no different than bludgeoning a puppy to death and posting its photo on a dog website to ask if the members thought it might have had rabies. It is not difficult to learn how to ID snakes, or at least, to distinguish the venomous species that live in your area, but please ask your friend: what IS the point of asking if something might have been dangerous AFTER you have killed it? Even if it was a venomous snake, what does that prove? Its presence does not mean that there are others or that there will be others, only that there was one snake and now it's dead.