I asked a question a few weeks ago about cutting off entire stems, and after a little research it's my understanding that: 1. The SVB does not need you to give him an opening. If he's around he'll get in there naturally. 2. Trimming a stem or two won't harm the plant (though certainly it won't help the yield any). I, too, had plans to train the squash up a stake or trellis, but discovered I have the bush (not vine) varieties. So that idea is out the window. I cut two stems off each of my squash plants. But they've still grown so much that they are on top of other veggies. I wound up putting a round protector made out of chicken wire around my eggplant, and the squash seems content to just grow around it. :-)

I have the following saved from a site called Evergreen Garden Works, which is a bonsai site, but it goes into some detail about the physics of soil, what goes on under the surface, the importance of pot size and of the type of soil we use - dense vs aerated. I hope it is ok to paste this here, as long as I have stated where it came from. Sight has provided drainage in her pot, and some people, like Sara, overpot successfully, but this is good info to be aware of. I also thought the info about shallow vs deeper pots was interesting, it is the opposite of what I originally thought. A Pot Isn't Like the Earth The major difference between a pot and the earth is that a pot has impermeable sides and bottom. This reduces air exchange in two ways. First is the obvious, air cannot pass through the plastic, thus we have a contained volume of soil encased 75% with air tight plastic (or high fired ceramic (low fire ceramic will breathe). This is why I design my soil mixes and other environmental factors to 'dry out' the pot once a day during the growing season. Each time the plant is thoroughly watered, it pulls a new charge of air in behind it as the water drains. Secondly, we have to visit our old pot size argument again. When a downward moving table of water reaches an impermeable layer (in this case the plastic pot bottom) it will not drain until the layer just above the impermeable layer (pot bottom) is saturated. Once this lower layer of soil is saturated, excess water will drain out, but a column of saturated soil will remain since the moving table of water has stopped at the impermeable layer. This means that the soil in the bottom of the pot remains saturated at this lowest level after watering, and stays saturated until something happens to change that condition. That 'something' is primarily absorption from the roots in the bottom of the pot, the secondary factor is (or should be) evaporation. You will probably want to read this paragraph again, and perhaps a third time, it is not obvious. Overpotting Most of the water in the pot is removed from the pot by absorption by the roots and not by evaporation. If you overpot, it will take a long time for roots to colonize the bottom of the container and consequently it will take much longer for the saturated layer to become fully aerated (the only factor at work is evaporation). Overpotting will generally lead to too wet conditions and eventually root rot. What About that Saturated Column Thing? Ok, just how high a column of saturated soil do you get in a container? The height of the column of water retained in the soil by an impermeable layer is related to size of the particles. Sound familiar? The denser the soil, the higher the column will be and the more water will be retained. Large particle, highly aerated soils will not support a large saturated volume. This is what we mean by 'well drained'. You can test this for yourself. Take a regular sponge, soak it with water. Rest it in your hand horizontally until the water stops running out. Then tilt the spronge upright. You are now increasing the saturated column. The sponge density won't support a column that high and water will drain out. This experiment also shows that pot shape is related to water retention. A broad shallow pot will retain more water than a tall narrow pot of equal volume. Although it is counterintuitive, a shallow pot will retain more water and 'dry out' more slowly than a tall narrow one (of equal volume).

then again .. i just moved about 20 clumps... and skipped the tape...i just didn't care ... and then got 8 inches of rain last week ... and none of them flopped ... go figure on that .. listen its September ... they are going to get ugly .. the move will speed that ... don't worry about it.. just get it done.. the best thing the tape will do .. is get the leaves out of the way while you dig... and give you leverage for lifting out the clump ... good luck ken

Stefanie ~ the Encore Azaleas are gorgeous, I must admit. I've never grown any encores. From what I've heard, the encore is a bit fussier than the gumpo...more work required to keep it healthy, especially during that all important first year after planting. However, you can get the encore in dwarf or standard sizes, plus you have all of those choices when it comes to blossom color, but not with a gumpo azalea..not much color choice there. The only good thing I can think of to recommend the gumpo over the encore is ease of care. I guess you have to ask yourself if you want a shrub with lots of blossom colors and sizes to choose from, which require some special care initially. Or do you simply want a nice looking flowering shrub that is fairly easy to establish and care for? I initially had 2 of the gumpo azaleas on the north side of my house. I dug out one of them last year (or so I thought) and do you know that it is now nearly a foot tall again, with lots of branches and leaves?!!! It's growing up through my ivy and lamiums which I planted in its place after I thought I had dug it all out. It's a pretty little shrub, but nothing amazing to look at if you're going for stunning flowers. If I had to choose, I think I'd choose the encore. Wow, long-winded post to answer that one simple question of yours, huh? LOL. Sorry. I'm a true southerner, and we do tend to 'go on'. Let us know what you decide. Renee