Hi! I would really appreciate any tips on growing papaya plants from seed. I'm in zone 10b in a pocket of So Cal where it never gets below 40 even on the coldest winter night and days are generally warm most of the year. In both 5 gal pots and in prepared spots in the ground, I had both Hawaiian and Mexican seeds sprout like crazy. But after a month or two, they would start to wither and die and never get over an inch or two. I don’t think I overwatered or underwatered and just to be sure, I watered some plants more than others but they all basically shriveled up after a couple months. They get plenty of sun but not 100 plus degree sun. I’m basically trying to grow them in the same conditions that my father had huge and healthy plants when I was growing up but I can't replicate his success. I planted them in cactus soil for good drainage and mixed in some potting soil after a couple of attempts in order to mix it up but no luck. Super frustrating! Any tips? Thanks! Gerry

Contact your local UC Cooperative Extension Services agent. They are trained to advise you on what will and will not grow in your area and the advice is free. Here are 2 addresses and numbers you can call. Central Coast & South Region San Diego County Cooperative Extension 5555 Overland Ave. Suite 4101, Bldg 4 San Diego, CA 92123-1219 Phone: (858) 694-2845 Fax: (858) 694-2849 e-mail: 1. cesandiego@ucdavis.edu San Diego North County Office 334 Via Vera Cruz Suite 4101, Bldg 4 San Marcos, CA 92078 phone: (760) 752-4724 fax: (760) 752-4725

15' is more a medium or large-ish shrub than a tree. Many shrubs can be limbed up as small trees and will be a more appropriate size for a smaller, beach-city garden. A "small" tree is in the 25' range. Check the section of "patio trees" list in the Sunset Western Garden Book. Other ideas would be Pittosporum 'Marjorie Channon', Metrosideros 'Springfire', Eriobotrya deflexa, Magnolia x soulangiana 'Black Tulip' or similar. Magnolia 'Teddy Bear' or Magnolia 'Little Gem' are a standard recommendation in Southern California, but they will eventually get much larger than 15' if allowed to (though it takes time) and can eventually develop quite a root system. They are "dwarf", yes, but keep in mind the non-dwarf version can get 60-80' feet tall. 30' is "dwarf" only by comparison. 'Marjorie Channon' is always described as 6'-8', but mine made it to 12' pretty quickly and without much care. At its very best near the ocean.

Morph??? What the hell? Okay your grass is badly diseased. Since cornmeal does not seem to work on fescue, I would suggest getting a recommendation from the people who installed it. Take one of those blades that is covered in black lesions (first picture) and yellow lesions (second picture) to them. They have probably seen it before. The reason the grass looks bad after a few days is due to the disease preventing or slowing the uptake of moisture. There's moisture in the soil, but the roots aren't working right. If this was St Augustine I would say the problem was from watering too frequently. You're so close to the coastal breeze, I really think you can back way off on the watering frequency. Rachio is not the best system unless you insist on watering more frequently than the online lawn community is recommending. Are you getting fog?