Great advice...and great news, I hope. (BTW- yes, we brought in the 'big guns', a 150W heater that has the water at 88 degrees). As of tonight , the 2 ich spots are gone (there were never any more than that). We also reduced the current. I was underestimating how that was negatively affecting her by lightly pushing her into things. She does seem more active now, actually swimming around a bit, using her fins. Before, she was only floating in the current. I will keep watching and will leave the water as is for 14 days. I am concerned about her swim bladder issues. But, one thing at a time I suppose. I will get some medicated food. We have thought about doing a random antibacterial treatment, knowing that something is amiss, but read many articles that state you should really only treat if you know what is wrong, and we don't. Thank agian for all your advice!

These are all great ideas! I wish I could plant a double hedge, as suggested by mauirose, but there are set back restrictions where I live. I don't have enough room. I never thought of Perle d'Or. I'll have to think about that one.... I love both Louis Philippe and Mutabilis. LaMarne also does very well here, but I do know that the flowers bleach white almost instantly here. Maybe I shouldn't care about that. Our sun, heat, and humidity are brutal here, and becoming more so with global warming. Whatever I pick will have to be able to withstand all that, and maybe a hurricaine too. My very favorite roses are tea roses, and there are some that do stay "smaller". However, with most I am just not sure how long they will thrive here unless grafted on fortuniana. People are just recently trying them on their own roots (I'm one of them). Mrs BR Cant is one that seems to live a long time here. I'd hate to have to start over with a privacy type of hedge if they started to decline in a few years. That said, it is still a consideration, for sure! The rose I end up using can get as tall as it wants. The issue is it would be best if I can keep it at an 8 ft. diameter relatively easy. I don't mind pruning a bush back once a year, MAYBE twice a year, but I prefer to not have to do it every month to keep it off the screen. Ehann, I haven't figured out what to do with all the Mrs. BRs yet. I don't know how well she transplants, but if I make a change, then I'll have to see if anyone wants any Mrs BRs. I had actually had second thoughts after I had ordered the Mrs Brs, because of her massive size and the screen damage concern, but when I tried to cancel my order they had already been shipped out. Then I thought I could control her. ha! Ha! Roses like me and grow well, so I don't know where I came up with the idea that I could control her when so many others before me could not. As far as hedgetrimmers go, I usually hand prune everything, but with this "hedge" they may be a necessity. Sandy

you can also find this at uc davis. CopperThere are many copper compounds that are used as fungicides. The most common is Bordeaux mix which is a combination of copper sulphate and hydrated lime. It is accepted in organic farming provided that the number of applications is strictly followed and a proper soil amendment is observed to prevent copper accumulation in the soil. Bordeaux mix sprayMaterials needed to make a gallon mixture �3 1/2 tbsp of copper sulphate �10 tbsp of hydrated lime �1 gallon of water (4 liters of water) �Wooden stick �Plastic bucket How to prepare? 1.Add copper sulphate and hydrated lime in water. Make sure to use plastic container. 2.Stir well using a wooden sick or ladle. 3.Protect self from direct contact with the solution. How to use? 1.Spray plants thoroughly preferably early in the morning, in a dry and sunny day. In this way, the plants have the time to dry and the solution can not penetrate into the leaves' tissues 2.Constantly shake the sprayer while in the process of application to prevent the solution from clogging Pest controlled 1.Flea beetles on tomatoes and potatoes 2.Anthracnose 3.Bacterial blight 4.Bacterial wilt 5.Black spot 6.Downy mildew 7.Late blight on solanaceous crops 8.Powdery mildew 9.Rust 10.and many other disease causing pathogens Standard procedures for the preparation and application of homemade extracts 1.Read and follow the label instructions carefully. Ask for assistance from your local agriculturist office when using copper for the first time. 2.Monitor plants regularly and spray only when necessary as copper can accumulate into the soil. 3.Spray in the early morning or late afternoon. 4.Use utensils for the extract preparation that are not use for your food preparation and for drinking and cooking water containers. Clean properly all the utensils every time after using them. 5.Do not have a direct contact with the crude extract while in the process of the preparation and during the application. 6.Make sure that you place the extract out of reach of children and house pets while leaving it overnight. 7.Harvest all the mature and ripe fruits before extract application. 8.Always test the extract formulation on a few infected plants first before going into large scale spraying. When adding soap as an emulsifier, use a potash-based one. 9.Wear protective clothing while applying the extract. 10.Wash your hands after handling the extract.

I came across a strange little patch of completely and perfectly white bluebells years ago. They were surrounded by the usual blue variety so they really made a statement! I carried an old washtub down there and carefully dug several large clumps to transplant here and after all these years they still haven't spread too much. And yes, they still bloom snow-white. Naturally, I refer to them as my whitebells... Speaking of native blooms, I read that tradescantia (spiderwort) is notoriously hardy and easily propogated but they have been a large disappointment so far for me. Maybe this is because I initially relied on stock that I bought from a dealer instead of simply relocating some from the woods around here. I didn't think I wanted to dig up any of the stuff right here because most things do best right where they are without some human trying to 'improve' things, but maybe I should stick with a strictly local variety. If I dig a few tradescantia plants for my native bed here closer to the house, will they recover soon enough as I have read? And I'm talking about my own property and not just going about willy-nilly digging up stuff all across the county...