Thank you so very much. I know my squash has powdery mildew and I think you're right. This is definitely a learning experience. I planted too much and watered too much. I thought since I live in FL the plants would need more water. Nope. Thanks again.

Hey, Billy Rae! Go for it! You have nothing to fear! My only advice, up front, is this: Don't buy a braided group of plants. In my opinion, the braided plants are doomed to failure. Now, onto the story of how I came by my Pachira: My brother has a Pachira that used to be braided...slowly, all but one of the trunks died. The remaining trunk had been the largest/healthiest from the start, which is why I always suggest that a buyer simply purchase a full, healthy, single-trunked specimen. Anyhow, my brother is rough on plants. During one of his "moods," he broke several leaves off his Pachira...I can't remember if he bit them off, or if he was swinging his glow-sticks around the room like weapons. Long story short, he placed one of those leaves in the bottom of a plastic cup, filled with generic peat-based potting soil. The soil was constantly moist/wet because there were no drainage holes in the cup. He handed me the cup, and said here, take it. So I did. I brought the leaf from Sacramento to Auburn, where it sat from February to May on a warm Eastern window-sill. Surprisingly, it grew into a full-sized plant! Now, I summer my Pachira on the front deck (western exposure), beneath a large maple tree. One year, I put my Pachira out before the maple had leafed-out...big mistake! Nearly every Pachira leaf was sunburned white. New leaves grew when the dead leaves dropped, but now I know to wait until I can offer filtered sunlight. After a period of acclimation, Pachira can handle quite a bit of sun. Josh

:) You guys, you cut me to the quick! It's my Charlie Brown tree. It was wonky and absolutely pitiful when i brought it home last year. By October, it had developed these wierd, gangly lower branches that were as wide as the tree was tall. So late winter/early spring, i sort of chopped those lower ones off a bit, in the hopes that it would assume a more balanced shape. It just hasn't leafed out yet. It will look better soon ... Do you think it's doomed? I'm determined not to give up on this tree. It was the only Tomcot in the nursery, and i just had to have it. Now, i'm going to love it tall. I have so much to learn. But overall, i'm pleased with the way the fruit trees are coming along. Am i just being overly optimistic? Blind to obvious problems? Anyway, thanks for your feedback everyone. It looks like two slightly opposing opinions about the pruning cuts so far. I hope i can save this tree ... :)

well .... in my neck of the woods.. catalpa is a fully deciduous tree in winter ... IT IS SUPPOSED TO LOSE ITS LEAVES WHEN the LIGHT AND TEMP levels of fall tell it to go to sleep ... most plants that go dormant.. need to go dormant .. so HOPEFULLY the one of yours that went dormant.. will come back out of dormancy ... and it wouldnt surprise me if the other went into dormancy ... i am not an ID expert ... other will come by and give you the latin name of your plant... use that to google CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS ... of the latin name ... if these peeps fail .. there is a NAME THAT PLANT FORUM ... you may have to free them to the great outdoors.. if they can survive indoors the rest of this winter ... unless its still possible to put them outside in your zone ... i am not clear what DC means, zone wise ... if you love them as pets ... you are borderline on KILLING THEM WITH TOO MUCH LOVE ... be careful with that.. they are trees... we plant them in mother earth.. and given just a LITTLE care.. they can live for centuries... try to raise them in the house... and you are in for no end of trouble ... get the ID ... and we can go from there. .. happy holidays.. ken