Actually, John, this is the latest theory here, at least in my neck of the woods - do NOT amend soil. It is better to top dress than to amend. I just attended a seminar through the San Diego Horticultural Society. One of the most renowned urban foresters in the country, Robin Rivet, happens to live in San Diego county. She spoke about how to correctly plant a tree, and did confirm this is the latest recommendations. UC Riverside also recommends the exact same thing, based on my class I just attended there, "Citrus in the Garden" taught by Tom Shea and Dr. Tracy Kahn. So, my information is coming from pretty substantial sources. Our chicken manure in bags is well cooked. Actually, your best, best manure is chicken, then horse, then cow. At least, this was the information I received at my Master Gardener's classes through Purdue University. Here's the info from Center for Urban Forestry: "Do not amend the soil. Adding soil amendments to the backfill is another discredited practice. Some bagged soil products advertise adding one bag (3 cu ft) per tree. The tree roots need to get into the native soil as soon as possible in order to encourage them to grow beyond the dug hole. Amended backfill soil, while encouraging of root growth for a short distance, stunts further growth." You can access this document here: http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/datastore/391-272.pdf So, this is the current thinking. It is new, John, and based on some recent research. So, sharing what I've learned recently from some very astute and well-experienced sources. So, perhaps the gurus in Texas might want to confer with the gurus in California! I think the logic prevails with planting in native soil. You can't possibly amend soil in a large enough hole to assure proper root growth. And, your amended soil will eventually revert to native soil, so that's a huge amount of effort that will not assure solid root growth. The thinking now is to try to replicate what nature does - provide good organic materials that support excellent microorganisms in the top soil by top dressing, that will percolate down to the feeder roots. It makes much more sense to me. I respect the folks in Texas, they're great and do a wonderful job with their citrus. But in this, I respectfully disagree with them :-) Patty S. And from UC Davis', "Questions and Answers to Citrus Management" by Tom Shea and Dr. Peggy Mauk: 2. When should I plant, how deep should I plant and how big a tree should I plant? The best planting time is after frost danger (after February 15 in the Riverside area) and before the onset of hot weather. Although fall planting can be successful it is generally better to wait until spring. Always choose a location that has full sun throughout the day. It is best to plant in well-drained soil (see Q. 3). Dig the planting hole as deep as the root ball and as wide or wider than the root ball. Be certain that the tree is not buried below the graft union. The graft union (slight dogleg shape in the trunk) should be located several inches above the soil level. Trees buried too deep may not survive. It is always best to fill the planting hole with the same soil that was removed when digging the hole. Do not add any mulch or potting soil into the tree hole. These materials retain more water and may increase the chances of root rot." I understand that the citrus gurus in Texas are great folks. But perhaps they might want to confer with the citrus gurus in California who are espousing an updated philosophy about amending versus top dressing. This is supported by some fairly significant research, John. If I can dig up the research, I'd be happy to send it to you. But I'm sticking to this. It just makes more sense to me, and the research backs this up. Patty s. Here is a link that might be useful: Center for Urban Forestry, San Diego County Trees: Proper Planting

Okay I got the response from the local extension office and here is the diagnosis: "The pictures of actual fruit are showing symptoms of bird damage. Grackles and Starlings will visit the fruit when about the size of a dime and peck, scratch and scar the fruit to cover themselves with citrus oil which serves as a mite repellent. Unless you cover the tree at that time of the year with a bird netting, there is not much you can do. See: http://www.plantanswers.com/citrus_damaged.htm . The brown spots on your apple leaves are caused by a fungus of some sort. Most any fruit tree can be sprayed with Captan fungicide solution. Follow the label directions. Also, even some of the healthy leaves are yellowing, which indicates nutrient deficiency. Several things can cause the symptoms: 1) lack of enough nutrients in the soil; or 2) a root system that is not pulling in the available nutrients because of drought stress, too much water, and competition from weeds/turf grass. Even the fungal spots on the leaves may be worsened by a nutrient-stress issue. First, you may want to check the soil pH and nutrient level by submitting a soil test. Second, remove all weeds/turf grass 18" to 24" out from the main trunk and apply a light layer of an organic mulch such as leaves, dried grass clipping (from grass that hasn�t been sprayed with a broad-leaf weed killer). Third, monitor soil moisture to make sure that the trees are not too dry, nor too wet. Also, dried leaves on a living stem is a good indication of soil/moisture stress. Dried/dead leaves on a dead stem may indicate a canker or gall or wood boring beetle issue. Call my office at 281-342-3034, and ask for ext. 7029 for a soil test bag and form. -Vincent Mannino" The link to the pictures still works if you want a visual summary of my issues. Thanks for the advice....

I'm not sure if my experience will help, but I'll try. I have dwarf cavendish outdoors in a shaded location and they can stand shade in lieu of full sun, but they grow slower, and pup less frequently. I know you read that bananas feed a lot, and they do, but not as much as you plan. When I moved in they were neglected for a year (bank foreclosure) and were fruiting so they were neglected on watering and food. Now that they get irrigated at least weekly whether by rain or hose and are fed more regularly they are still slower to pup and fruit than other cultivars I have that get the same attention but more sunlight. So my advice would be to mulch them, don't let them dry out, feed "regularly" but vary the food source. Bananas also like clean wood ash, but don't use ash from paper or cardboard. As far as pups go, once the korm grows and spreads I think you'll have to find bigger buckets too. I also think you'll do better with multiple pots of bananas rather than one. I find that on occasion my pups will outperform the parent in fruit growth and pup production just by being in a different location. I hace some 8 or 9 different bananas and find very different growth habits based mostly on light.

That has kind of a complicated answer. The majority of mandarin varieties do not produce "true to seed", or at least they are not genetic clones. However, there are several varieties that do produce true to seed. For Satsuma, 90% of its seeds are identical (i.e. genetic clones). Typically the more "orange-like" mandarin varieties are going to be the ones that produce mostly seeds identical to the fruit parent. However, of the mandarins that do not produce "true to seed", in all likelihood it is very likely that that the seeds will still be extremely similar to the parent (perhaps almost indifferentiable), if the blossoms weren't pollinated by a different citrus variety. Something else important to realize is that trees that are grafted onto rootstock (like the normal ones sold at a nursery) behave differently from trees growing on their own roots. (I'm not going to waste effort further explaining this here)