famartin, about 25 years ago I was at a local nursery and was given 4 Bradford whips that I took to be one year from cuttings. I planted them in different places with NO pruning. All grew exactly like Bradfords do, with a congested bunch of limbs at about 3 feet. Interestingly once they initially branched, they then grew straight up. I still have 3 in good shape after all those years. The nurseries don't have to 'prune' Bradfords' to get that green lollipop, they do it all by themselves!

sam_md No i did not get a chance to do that. But, i might actually look up information about the new atlas. This dwarf version i want is so small and cute, i cannot resist. It is just terribly hard to find and many nurseries i contact have never even heard of it. I found one company (baylaurelnursery.com) that might be able to get it as one of there local suppliers grows it but i would have to buy 5 trees. The wholesale company will not sale bay laurel nursery just one. My nurseries her in arkansas cannot get it or they also say it will be hard for them to get just one tree. But a mail order nursery out of PA said that they will have it in stock next spring so i am keeping my fingers crossed. I also wonder if it is grafted or if a cutting or seeds will also produce a dwarf version? If my yard was not so small i would have no problem planting the original bradford but i fear in time that if i do plant it, it might break and cause damage to my home. I just cannot get enough of the lolli-pop, oval-round shape of the tree. It is so uniform and pretty. But i dont think it is listed as invasive in Arkansas, although it is planted EVERYWHERE and 90% of them are broken and in terible ugly shape. My church has the nicest older one that i have seen. It has not fell apart yet. Im hoping that with the dwarf version there will be less chance of breakage since it will stay only 15-20ft.

why, with the enormous range of fabulous small trees available for our delight, would anyone choose to grow one species only? Lack of imagination or interest - most property owners are not hobbyist gardeners - and a belief that formal effects like shearing of trees and shrubs, planting rows of one kind are sophisticated. Also some are wary of plants they haven't already seen having been proven to be able to grow and persist in their area. I can see some basis for this as both warehouse store plant departments and independent garden centers in my area do stock a lot of marginally hardy or outright tender plants which are often displayed among more cold tolerant kinds, thereby seeming to imply that they are all suitable for year around outdoor use of indefinite duration. And speaking of warehouse store plant departments, with their tiny range of plant varieties - those operations now have a large percentage of the US nursery stock sales. I have seen post after post on the internet referring to these as "the nursery". Plus in the current market trees are moving so slowly I wonder why any of the large independent outlets here are bothering to stock any kind of a range or quantity of them. And in fact one of the bigger operations in the area did apparently cut way back on these, so that for at least a few years now their "tree line" has been this little area like is routinely seen at warehouse stores.

All the dissolved solids flushed from the soil are in the effluent - you don't want them making their way back into the soil, else why bother to water correctly in the first place? This is especially true when using fertilizers that have NPK %s significantly different than the ratio at which nutrients are used because nutrient concentrations in the soil solution and effluent quickly become badly skewed and create problems related to EC/TDS and antagonisms. And now the 'extra holes' are good for gas exchange? That's a switch from improved drainage. If we focus on providing plants with media that supports very little perched water, gas exchange won't be a problem. Gas exchange issues become significantly more limiting as water retention increases and air porosity decreases. Plants sitting in puddles, no matter how many holes in the container, is not conducive to good gas exchange or a well oxygenated rhizosphere. Something I wrote about using hydrogen peroxide several years ago: H2O2 has an extra O atom (compared to H2O) in an unstable arrangement. It's the extra atom that makes it useful in horticultural applications. Generally, we're not concerned with aerobic forms of bacteria normally occurring in container media or on roots. Since H2O2 is an unstable molecule, it breaks down easily. When it does, a single O- atom and a molecule of water is released. This O- atom is extremely reactive and will quickly attach itself to either another O- atom forming stable O2, or attack the nearest organic molecule. Reduced O levels and high temperatures encourage both anaerobic bacteria and fungi. Many disease causing organisms and spores are killed by O, and the free O- H2O2 releases is very effective at this. Additionally, when plants growing in water-retentive media are treated with H2O2 it will break down and release O into the area around the roots. This helps stop the O from being depleted in the water filled air soil air spaces until air can get back into them. High O levels in the rhizosphere can encourage rapid healthy root growth and discourage unwanted bacteria/fungi. . I know H2O2 comes in several different strengths, the most common of which are 3% and 35% solutions. Least expensive is the 35% product which you dilute (to an approximate 3% solution) by mixing 1:11 with water. I have used the 3% solution at 1-½ to 2 tbsp per gallon as a cutting dip/soak, and have mixed it into irrigation water for plants in extremely water retentive soils at up to 3 tbsp per gallon, both with good results and nothing adverse apparent. H2O2 in high concentration is a powerful oxidant and quickly oxidizes almost anything it contacts, so be careful with it if you use it. A solution that is too strong can destroy any organic molecule it contacts. I’ve seen this chart posted several times as suggested strength solutions for use in watering plants. You may wish to start at a lower concentration , such as I’ve used, and experiment. TO THIS AMOUNT OF WATER ADD THIS AMOUNT OF 3% HYDROGEN PEROXIDE --OR-- ADD THIS AMOUNT OF 35% HYDROGEN PEROXIDE 1 cup, 3% - add 1-1/2 teaspoons … 35% - 7 to 10 drops 1 quart, 3% - add 2 tablespoons … 35% - 1/2 teaspoon 1 gallon, 3% - add 1/2 cup … 35% - 2 teaspoons 5 gallons, 3% - add 2-1/2 cups … 35% - 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon 10 gallons, 3% - add 5 cups … 35% - 6 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons 20 gallons, 3% - add 10 cups … 35% - 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Al