Yellowthumb, I beg to differ..lol Actually, my denias are doing MUCH better in the gritty. If you use the mix properly, and practice good cultural needs for that plant, you should be able to even grow this plant where you are, even if you manipulate the roots! I can assure you it is not the fact that gardenias and the gritty mix don't work. Nor the fact that you due a hard pruning of the roots... I know a Bonsai expert out here that, well let's just say he is not to kind to his gardenia roots..His look awsome anyways.. I also did DRASTIC root work to mine before potting them in the gritty mix, AND gave them a nice period of warm weather when I transplanted. I would probably due a research everything that has to do with denia care, if you are still determined to spend so much money on them. If you are anything like me, you will not stop until you overcome this challange. It is a feel good thing, like growing a perfect lawn.... I currently have over 8, and all but two I over wintered indoors. My big plants in the mix were healthier and bug free all winter and still are. You have seen my pics and I have even told you they are in the gritty mix. Just call me, and I will help you... What else can I say...? Al's gritty mix has never failed me, unless I was not using it correctly, or not properly caring for the plant type....:-) Can I ask a personal question? Do let your plants rest in shade for a couple of weeks after a transplant as such?

lvannote, cure/leach your tufa, cause fresh tufa and crete can be caustic. Find some moss growing in an environment similar to the location for your tufa. Glue your moss to your tufa then regularly mist your tufa twice a day for about a month with rainwater or distilled. Make sure that moss gets no direct sun and plenty of shade for that month. Use 1/4 strength miracid fert or similar acidic fertilizer for acid loving plants every two to three weeks in Spring and Fall. Go to this website: http://www.britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk/ and download the Moss Grower's Handbook by Michael Fletcher. Page 18 tells of gluing moss to substrate, in your case your tufa. Southern Indiana, particularly sandstone areas that are shaded and frequently damp and have high humidity should have about 100 - 200 different species of moss. Look in shaded damp ravines. I have seen brachythecium growing on smooth brick. You could just pick the moss up off the brick. Only gravity and a sheltered location kept the moss in place. Generally moss needs a way to attach to a surface. In time it can atach to a rough surface, but almost never to a smooth surface. Moss found on rocks will do well on tufa. Moss found on logs or soil may not. Moss transplants best from similar surface to similar surface. Rick

It's even worse here. At least in NC you have humidity in the air (which is not good for cherries in another way) but in S. CA it's even harder because of the dry air. The cherry leaves tend to get baked, scorched, and desiccated. Shade cloth can really be helpful for young cherry trees in hot climates. That being said, it's still possible. I've seen a cherry tree growing out in the desert. It didn't look good but it looked like it had been surviving there for several years. Planting it in a spot with just a little partial shade will really help in the first few years, especially if that shade is in the latter half of the day. Make sure the soil is kept moist. I think one reason cherries are not more popular in many regions is because people tried planting a young tree and it did not seem to do well and finally died a year or two later. In hot climates cherry trees can need a lot of care the first few years of their life, they need adequate watering to prevent drying out in the heat and sun. Later on it will become easier when the trees are more mature. First two years are the hardest. Something else I've noticed, and it's true for many tropical plants as well, is that in this climate certain plants seem to thrive better when in close proximity to lots of other plants. They provide mutual protection to each other from too much direct exposure to sun and hot/cold wind. Just like in nature where the forest canopy creates its own microclimate. I think it also helps increase localized humidity levels a little bit to help prevent the plants from drying out. (obviously this may not be such a good thing in other parts of the country where the humidity levels are already really high, since cherries are prone to disease there)

In my experience the answer is no, citrus will not grow during the Winter at 55 degrees, although they will survive. You want them to put on any growth, a clear plastic covering may help during Spring and late Fall, will raise the temperature by about 5 degrees during the day. Warmer temperatures are better than sunlight, where you live. The trees are not going to be able to put on any growth anyway, so might as well overwinter. (when the tree is just overwintering, 50-60 degrees are fine, since it's in a semi-dormant state and isn't really growing) It's true citrus in the ground often does better than citrus in pots brought inside during the Winter season but that has more to do with the roots.