Kent, Pretty much what Dave said: Get as many roots as possible, place in a large nursery tub with good free draining soil. Another thing I do when I collect..and this may make no difference at all, but I have good luck with collecting...I take about 1/2 clay soil conditioner (what I use %100 of to pot my bonsai) and 1/2 soil from the empty hole that I dug. I put the tree in the pot, fill soil around it...and you should let this tree grow unrestricted for 2 season..no prunning at all. I never collected spruces late, but have collected junipers from peoples landscapes at ALL times of the year with the same success as in the spring...I just used a lot extra precautions when collecting late. Depends greatly on the species and condition of the plant also. Matt

Thanks!:D They've been grown on a 1:1 ratio of peat and sand.

Miracle grow means they are probably too wet, not too dry, that is not a good mix. Can you replant in the garden but first amend the soil with something like the miracle grow, but then mix with your native soil? You can try to make al's gritty mix. But, I think they like the ground better if you have a some shade in Texas. I have a box with with a fern sand clay compost and peat moss, but in a pot you don't want any compost. Birds nest ferns may be hard to grow, I had one once it did not make it. They do well in green houses. This is just general advice. In the house could be too dry if the air conditioning is drying things out.

Includes about 200 perennials some tropical's,Ferns, annuals and herbs. I prefer larger trades such as at least 12+. I grow about 350 variaties of hostas and these seeds are some of the companion plants. Here is the link http://www.geocities.com/smckinneyplantsman/