'Scorch' (leaf burn) has seldom killed any tree and olives are particularly well suited to CA's drought, so I'd have issues with the diagnosis you have received. Pruning, even heavy pruning (and olives are routinely pruned hard), would not make the tree any less drought tolerant nor would it necessarily encourage leaf scorch. I'd be inclined to have the tree evaluated by a certified arborist that knows his stuff or take clear photos and samples to your local extension service office for an accurate diagnosis before leaping to any other conclusions. If the tree is in fact dying, replanting with another olive in the same location is dependent on what the tree is dying from.....some pathogens remain present and active in the soil indefinitely (like armillaria or verticillium wilt, to both of which olives are susceptible) and replanting in the exact location with the same or another susceptible species is not advised. The description of the symptoms could indicate that one or the other of these may be at cause but that would need to be confirmed by a plant pathologist or someone else skilled in these matters. Bottom line is you must get the problem correctly identified before you can make any replanting decisions.

Raven -- I'm so sorry! I had a friend (of 41 years) visit from California for over a week and she left Wednesday. She was my first houseguest here, so the weeks before her visit, I was busy preparing the guest room. I didn't come to the forums during her visit. I'm beginning to work on the landscape. I planted my herb garden (pots and planters on the deck) yesterday. Today, I had a crew here creating a new garden bed out front to help provide privacy; they also cleaned up some areas for me.

I don't have one. I suspect they are nice and easy where and when the soil is loose and moist...maybe not as good if the soil is harder. I love my regular hoe. Many of my weeds are one here and one there...not always a need for mass cultivation.

Ha! I can't take credit for the jerry-rig -- I had the "initiative" to look on line:), but I'll pretty much do anything to NOT stand at the stove. Yes, I tried to make this smaller; yes, I send thermometer pics to my kids so they'll try to cook more:) Poaching chicken breasts. Lars, I'd love to see if you try cheese-making -- I know you're an adventurous cook:) I don't eat a lot of milk products cause I can never quite tell what the reaction is going to be, but I'll take a risk to a have just a bit of this. Going to watch Ina, Cindy Mac. She's usually my go-to as her recipes are pretty spot-on. Plus, she doesn't like cilantro and neither do I, so we have that in common --LOL! And chloebud, oh my. That sounds delicious. Annie! My grandmother said that too! HA! She's also the one that taught me to knead over the phone when she lived in Pittsburgh, and I lived in New Jersey. I loved when we moved back to the 'burgh -- this woman always had great food even when you dropped in unexpectedly. I digress, but I miss her:) So, I'm now probably going to go down the mozzarella rabbit hole some time this summer because your thread was pretty inspirational HA! Thank you so much for finding it. My goodness, what a fun and unique time! Is there a hint for this or will I know: "The curd was cut into large chunks. If you cut it too soon, it affects the texture and results in dray grainy cheese, so timing is crucial." And I love this encouragement: "Mozzarella takes between half an hour and an hour, I was surprised it went so well. Trust me, you could do it." Have to look for rennet and citric acid too. Linda, I googled lactose free ricotta and there are some sites. Can't verify this one, but it looked similar to the process I used Lactose Free Ricotta. There is also a you tube. You're such a seasoned cook, if you have some milk left over give it a whirl and make our grandmothers smile:) Laceyvail, that's a good idea. Cathy in SWPA