Actually - I was wondering why the dog cracks were necessary - where they even came from?? Seeing that 'light' come on is very gratifying to anyone trying to teach someone else something. I give a lot of talks to gardening groups about various aspects of growing, and I get to see that light whenever I explain how water behaves in soils, about the importance of root maintenance to long term plant health, about fertilizers .... There are knucklehead dogs and knucklehead people. Fortunately, you can usually ignore the knuckleheads you're not related to, but you can't ignore your knucklehead dog. The point was, the stick to it attitude when it comes to the dog makes the difference between a dog's lifetime of frustration and teeth gnashing (by the owner) vs a companion that rarely tries your patience and loves you without reservation. It takes effort to raise a dog right, and it takes an effort to grow well. It doesn't come naturally, it has to be learned. Your gardenias shouldn't be all that tough. You're already most of the way there. Al

A few days ago, after finding a large limb of one of our 'Lady Clare' camellias broken by a pine branch that had fallen during a storm, I spent a few minutes reading the chapter on propagation in one of my old Sunset publications entitled _Growing Camellias_. That chapter advises against moving rooted camellia cuttings except when they are in active growth. It says that if you move them when they are not in active growth, you will lose a high percentage of them.

I rooted mine in perlite. In standard sized gritty mix I found it can be challenging. Don't keep it too wet in whatever mix you use because they can still rot. Aerial roots are usually indicative of watering/root/soil issues. However, plant offsets will naturally grow aerial roots. When I don't water my plants enough, my aerial roots get bigger.

Well... Minneola Tangelo on Carrizo, and Clementine on unknown rootstock both DIED. I was extremely disappointed because I thought they were beautifully grafted (lol), everything mated so well and clean. Root system were bushy and healthy. Sadly I think I killed them with too much love (a.k.a. watering them too much). I dug them up and their once healthy roots weren't bushy anymore, but small (shrunk) and limpy. Root rot perhaps. Rio Red on Carrizo by whip grafting was an experiment and new to me. It died too, but I didn't care. It was my first time at whip grafting, and now I know I hate the process. Or maybe I was too ambitious the first time around by trying to mate a bud stick with a root system. LOL. Anyway, one root graft did survived - Okitsu satsuma mandarin on Carrizo. A Carrizo root sucker (left side) decided to show itself as well. I don't know what to do with it yet - let it grow and compete with the Okitsu bud, or just pluck it off now. Or let it grow bigger, then hack it off and graft another variety onto it, thus getting a citrus two headed monster. Suggestion? The life of the Okitsu satsuma mandarin on a cut-off piece of Carrizo root: May 19, 2018: July 10, 2018: July 19, 2018: August 8, 2018: I'm surprised the big leaf didn't fall off yet.