Gonebananas: When you spray with streptomycin for fireblight, you are targeting the blossom clusters, not the leaves. Strep has no systemic action, but I believe use of a sticker/spreader helps it stay on and protect longer, as well as giving you better coverage. This has been a tough spring for spraying against fireblight and also cedar apple rust because of the cool weather and frequent blowing rains. In between the rains, breezy conditions have prevented timely spraying for these diseases. I have fairly extensive CAR damage to the apples, and numerous small fireblight strikes in spite of spraying, when I could, with strep and ferbam. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Rhoni, "Why should we pay a professional?" There are a number of reasons including leaking pipe from the old system undermining the pool decking and compromising the integrity of the concrete decking and/or the gunite shell of the pool. (Concrete breakout and repair is expensiveÂIÂd say it probably starts around $2500 or maybe more.) A professional irrigator would provide you a design which provides some semblance of distribution uniformity, professional grade products, (unlike the "material" sold at the big box stores) and a warranty, not to mention insurance in case of an accident or mishap. IÂm sure there is no warranty from your "professional" CPA on your taxes, much less on the work he did on your system. I donÂt profess to be a CPA, so I have a CPA do my TAXES. You see Rhoni, a professional irrigator is going to access the damage done to the existing system and give you his professional opinion on how best to rectify the situation. This not only includes the integrity of the plumbing servicing the system, but heÂll also recommend changes to the design/layout of the system to best cover the "new" areas created when you plopped a pool in the middle of the existing system/design. ItÂs not just a matter of reconnecting pipe and eureka, and itÂs as good as a "new" 1 ½ year old sprinkler system. It sounds as if you had 2 different IRRIGATION professionals tell you that the system needed to be renovated for similar amounts of money. But you chose to essentially call both of them ripoff artists and tackle the job yourself. If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. So go ahead and hook up your pipe again. Let it water your pool, decking, summer kitchen, house, fencing ect. all the while leaving dry areas which cant be covered short of adding heads or complete zones. When it doesnÂt cover properly, I DARE you to call those same 2 contractors whose time you wasted previously and bid the "repair" work. I bet they give you a bid of $2500 or probably more. But please, please, PLEASE donÂt call ME to come repair it. As I have told people in the past, "I can put spinners on your Yugo, but I cant wave a wand and turn your Yugo into a Cadillac". IÂve been a licensed IRRIGATOR for 24 years, but IÂve never been much of a magician.

I have two huge hosta beds under black walnut trees that have been there for many years. They are not sensitive to the juglone that these trees produce. Hostas are one of the plants that do very well under black walnuts. My guess is that they are just not up yet. I have many hostas that have been up for weeks and many that haven't even shown an eye yet--and the funny part is, I can dig around where I know those plants are, and not find a thing--and the next week, there they are all along, right where I was digging......I've quit looking for them until I actually see spears coming up. If they never come up at all (in another couple of weeks) you might start looking for signs of voles as they will eat hostas from under the ground. You will see tunnels if you have them. Squirrels sometimes will dig around them but seldom dig them up, and if they accidentally do, they don't eat them.

Nest change is done. I am happy to report that all 5 babies look great. No evidence of parasites on them, no peck marks, they are well. Pop has accepted the nest change and has allowed the last bunch of babies to continue to help feed. Don't know if the new Female is still around but Pop not calling anymore, hope he has put her in her place. I can find no evidence on what happened to Mom. I just know she died with her babies. I believe she died on the night of Friday the 29th. I don't know if it means anything but that is the night they started shooting big fireworks off. Sweet beautiful girl...RIP. Prayers for your babies!