maple grove and Rina: thank you both for your responses. Maple grove, thanks for the hosta link. I had read numerous threads in that forum which provided varying suggestions. In most cases, however, it was unclear as to whether they were using regular (very water-retentive) potting mix or a bark-based mix like 5-1-1 (very little water retention). Also, many of the suggestions were in opposition to each other; for example, some suggested leaving the pots out all winter, regardless of rainfall, while others kept theirs protected from rain. (I'm really not complaining. After all, the purpose of the forum embraces the sharing of ideas. Guess I had just reached a point where I needed a strong hand to offer some hard core guidance based on science.) I mixed a batch of 5-1-2, using twice as much perlite compared with the original 5-1-1. Common sense should have made me realize it would drain more than usual. I usually, and carefully, slide a finger inside the perimeter of the pot to check for moisture. I'll definitely try the skewer. Now that the weather is getting cooler, there may not be as much loss of water. Rina, thanks for your advice about woody plants. As mentioned, I want to use knowledge gleaned from these posts when I repot those Japanese maples in the spring and didn't know the winter watering/feeding requirements. What makes it worse, I'm having to keep these trees in the soil they were in when they arrived from the nursery in September_ not the most free-draining! I'll be sure to keep them out of the rain over the winter. Again, thanks to both of you.

My friends and I grow them. It turned out that a buddy of mine had tens of Trident-leafed maple seedlings sprouting in his yard every year. So I collected one in July of 2008 - and simply slipped the little tree into a black nursery pot full of Bark with a bit of Perlite (I didn't have the fancy grit back then). My collection was successful, so last July we collected five more seedlings. I kept another, my buddy gave one to his dad and to a friend of ours, and then he himself kept two nice trees. This Spring, when I pruned my second tree, I stuck the cutting back into the pot. It rooted, too, and is even now changing color - a bright, champagne pink. My trees are growing at least 3 feet a season, even with much pruning throughout. My trees are probably not the best "type" of Trident maple - they have largish leaves.... but they're probably not the worst, either. To answer your question, yes, there are particular types of Trident that make better container trees, bonsai, or yardscape trees. In the past, Al (Tapla) has posted on the varieties and their attributes (positive and negative). Josh

The plastic containers won't do it. Heavy duty hard plastic with screw tight lids might work, and the same for glass. A friend of mine had a major pantry infestation and we found the larvae in her peanut butter!!!! With the lid on tight. Place your teas in a zip lock bag and observe for signs of the adults or larvae. Personally, I think that tea would not be safe. Clean out any pet food, bird seed, spices, even potpourri and craft supplies, pine cones, etc. Do a major cleaning to get rid of the little cocoons that you will find in the nooks and crannies of the house...and not just in the kitchen! I found an infestation in my bedroom closet, where I kept a couple of (closed and not used) bags of that fancy potpourri that had been given me. I had been planning on 're-gifting', lol!!! I've heard good things about pantry pest traps (non chemical), and suggest you investigate them. Once you get rid of the adults, freeze food items for a few days before introducing them back into the pantry. And storage in the 'fridge is a good idea, too.

One piece of wisdom I would like to add for those who are building a house, completely gutting a first floor, or adding an addition... Design the entire area together as one piece. Don't wait too long to plan the Kitchen...including the layout. (Door styles, etc. can wait 'til later, layout cannot.) You really should be planning the entire first floor (or addition) at once along with the Kitchen layout so you won't end up w/a Kitchen area that's difficult to make work properly. I've seen so many people who are building, etc. who just draw in a quick area and say, "that'll be the kitchen...details later." Then, when later comes, it's difficult to fit the kitchen they want in the space they've allocated for it. We've seen many posts where people say...our kitchen will be here w/these dimensions...but what I want won't fit, so how do I make it work??? (Or they go into denial and say, "It will be OK with these narrow aisles or dysfunctional layout.") They usually tell us they've either finalized all windows/doors/walls or that they've already installed/built those windows/doors/walls so nothing can be changed...and then want us to come up with some "miracle" layout that will still allow them to have what they want. The placement of those windows/doors/walls is important to all rooms, but especially the Kitchen, so do it all together. People forget that in many respects, the Kitchen is the most important room in the house. So don't treat it like it's the least important by putting it off until later & "making do" with what you're stuck with! Plan it up-front! (If we ever build again, the Kitchen layout will be one of the first things planned...not the last!)