Btw, what kinds of non peat based potting soils are out there? I had been using Vigaro with a good bit of luck, BUT, what else is out there in big box stores? I tried "Miracle grow" because I had THOUGHT it was "the best" because of it being sold everywhere, and it sure isn't cheap. I'll be sticking with "Vigaro" from now on. It's cheaper than MG too. It DOES have a LOT of "forest products" in it, and THAT is why I switched to MG. I had seen a Youtube video that had spoken badly about potting soils with lots of "forest products" in it, meaning wood fines, and other organic matter in it, BUT, it works quite well, I should have never tried the MG. It seems that the Vigaro had held onto moisture more than the peat based MG potting soil. that's just MY experience though. BTW, I did NOT use a giant pot though, so, that will surely make a lot of difference. Vigaro is cheaper too. About $8 a bag, BUT, the ounces or square feet, I have NO idea. And MG is about $12-$15 bucks a bag, ABOUT the same size. I get mine at Home Depot at that price of $8 a bag for the Vigaro, BUT, to each their own. The Vigaro would surely be TOO moisture holding for a tree in a pot THAT size.

Move it now. Temps are cool but not terribly freezing so the ground should be very workable and we're in a dry-stretch, great for working and the rains to come before Spring will help it establish well. Dig a nice sized rootball if you can, the bigger the better. The one suffering some leaf burn I'd recommend leaving it there IF the damage is not severe each year. Eventually the burn will lessen some and the color will be greatest in this situation, especially if you can provide it with quite a bit of water. If the damage is severe, move it to a spot that gets shade from about 3pm on in Summer. A rootball for the trees should be something at least similar to the size of the pot you bought them in, or if you didn't buy them, to roughly the size pot you see similar trees in at a local nursery. A 2'x2' 'circle sounds right here. Goodluck! -Will

yep all gone now pretty quickly realy little hiss n wind like the barbers cat not much of anything else wet wise, nothing for the over the range crwod. now all we gotta do is hope that it may go down toward nz then say hey it's way too cold down here and turn back and come into the southern south pacific spin up and cross the coast around the mackay area, now that one gave the whole state below the over drenched north a good soaking. anyone recal what year that was, all i can recal is it happend in the past 5 or 6 year period sometime. len Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page

I live just inland from Cairns. We had major frosts a couple of weeks ago. My thermometer is situated 2m off the ground and under an overhang of the house, so it didnt record the coldest temperatures that others did. All the grass and many garden plants and trees have died from the frost. Some of the tropical plants have succumbed incredibly from the sudden cold weather we had. As you may have heard, places received down to -10 degrees on the Atherton Tablelands. We, where I'm living recorded closer to 1 degree on a couple of mornings with other mornings also recording 2-5 a few times. It is still mild with only last Tuesday morning we recorded 6 and two nights ago 5.4. As mentioned my thermometer is situated 2m above the ground and within a sheltered site, none of my plants located near the thermometer were at all affected by the cold however outside without the roof/awning of the house to protect them, they were scorched. Many Spathodea's 20m tall had their crowns burnt, Large mature Schefflera actinophylla's lost all their leaves, a Schefflera bractescens up the road seems to have died all together. Many restoration plantings in the area have been dealt a serious blow (frost). I have seen mature Elaeocarpus grandis, 20m tall killed by the frost. There is a planting of over 2000 Blue Quandongs, for timber, just up the road from here. They all were standing proud at about 3-5 m tall and at least 75% of them have been totally killed by the frost. There is a frost band where all of the plants died and then another band on the highest side of the planting where they have mostly survived. There are mature Wodyetia which have all their leaves burnt to black however seem green in the centre's. Mature Coconuts in Malanda seem to be fine- surprisingly. Mature Cyathea cooperi's growing along the creeks on the tablelands - have no leaves left...this is predictable though. I was in Cairns a couple of weeks ago, doing some work on a hillside and looked at the ground to notice the Praxelis clematidea had brown leaves as a result of the cold...I was standing at 60m asl at the most. I was staying at the Daintree village the night of the worst frost and a local told us that it had got down to 6 degrees that morning. A friend at Whyanbeel, just north of Mossman recorded cold (not frost) damage there. Trees which are very susceptible to frost: at least up here. Elaeocarpus grandis, Ficus septica, Ficus hispida, Delonix regia, Cassia javanica, Acmenosperma claviflorum, Homalanthus novo-guineensis, Alphitonia petrei, Cyathea cooperi, Schinus molle, Syzygium malaccense, Alocasia macrorhiza (exotic one), Pandanus species- especially oceanic species, Spathodea campanulata, Scindapsus, Pawpaw, Banana's, Dracaena fragrans, Allamanda cathartica, Euphorbia pulcherimma........Duranta had burnt tips and the ground covering Lantana totally died (possibly a good thing). There are lots of species I have seen with burnt leaves.and also alot...