Thanks for your replies.I'm hoping the tree will get through this without too much trouble. weatherman, Is your recommendation to use Epsom salt to help the plant produce chlorophyll and aid in absorbing phosphorus and nitrogen?From what I've read,it contains magnesium and sulfur.I've never had a soil test.Is there a chance of overdoing it,if there is already enough present? I also read about different fungicides to use.One mentioned was wettable sulfur,which I have and another effective chemical listed was Captan. From reading,I may have missed some times to apply these.Will there be any benefit to spraying into the growing season? Thanks,Brady

Since I am one of the ones (many, I think) who objected somewhat to this whole post, I would like to add a couple of thoughts, myself. First of all, for those of you who are personal friends of Ricky's (and I know there are a lot of you who have enjoyed his hospitality and knowledge of plants), I just want to say that I don't think ANYONE on this forum doubts his credentials or his expertise. From the pictures I have seen, he has an amazing looking garden, and he obviously knows a lot about plants and landscaping. (I'm speaking in the third person because his last post in this thread makes it sound like he has left the group.) In my opinion, this whole brouhaha got started because of the way an OPINION was presented as if it were a FACT. There's a lot of difference. If you are going to state flatly, as a FACT rather than a personal opinion, that half of the people who post on this forum do not have gardens, you are going to cause hurt feelings and/or anger. Do I think Ricky did it to stir the pot, as some have suggested? Possibly. He obviously knew it would upset people, or he wouldn't have started out by saying he debated whether or not to even post. And ended by warning us that he would not respond if we DID get upset. So, it's pretty plain that he knew the post would cause problems for people, but he still chose to phrase his personal opinions as though they were fact. And in doing so, he definitely hurt a lot of feelings, as you can see from the responses to the post, which people made regardless of the request for them not to bother if they weren't happy with what he said. In my opinion, and it's ONLY an opinion, that is a very counter-productive way of making a point, or helping people to improve the overall look of their own gardens. (And yes, I think anyone who sticks a plant in dirt is gardening at some level or another, and every yard with plants in it is a GARDEN, whether or not it meets everyone's idea of beauty.) So I do not understand the reason for the whole post, because I do not understand intentionally hurting feelings or making people mad. Yes, I know we have all unintentionally said things that didn't come out like we meant (or didn't READ the way were saying them in our minds) and as a result, may have accidentally hurt feelings along the way. But most of us wouldn't do it on purpose. So again, I'm mystified by the whole tone of this post. But I am certainly NOT mystified by people's reactions to it. The second thing I'd like to comment on is in response to remarks about the tenor of this forum. We are only human, and at TIMES, feelings do get hurt and words might be exchanged. But overall, this is one of the friendliest and nicest groups of people I've ever seen online. (And I've belonged to a LOT of groups over the years, believe me.) I've never belonged to one where such a large group of people try so hard to be helpful to each other, and where they share so willingly of advice, ideas, and fun. I'm sorry to hear that anyone has felt the need to leave the forum or to merely lurk due to any unpleasantness. I know how that feels, as I have drawn back once or twice when things got testy. But I don't stay away very long because overall, this forum is one of the best out there. Usually differences get resolved, and people move on. And most of the time, people DO allow for differences of opinion on various issues. I hope those who have felt uncomfortable due to any past discussions will give it another try and join in the fun that is the normal fare here. Again, both of these points above are only my own personal opinions, and I understand that others might feel differently. Marcia

Sorry to hear about your heat problems. My parents called me yesterday, however, and told me they are expecting a cool front to come in. I asked DF how cool, and he said that instead of 106° (like the past few days), it was supposed to cool down to 95°. They only use the air conditioner in one room, and so one of them was watching TV while I was trying to talk with the other one. I guess they are trying to cut down on electric bill. Are you going to get the same cool front? In my new house I have to A/C (although I have a unit from my old house that I could install), and so far I haven't needed it. The new house has windows on all four sides, and with the open plan, cool breezes easily find their way through the whole house - plus the bedrooms all have ceiling fans. I can't handle Texas in the summer after living here. I expect relatives to come to visit by early August to escape some of the heat. We're on water rationing here also, but can have the sprinklers on two days a week and no restrictions on watering by hand with a hose. I discovered yesterday that my back yard faucet needs to have a part replaced, but it's minor. I have a much nicer lawn now than I did before but not as nice trees. There's one that I really want to replace, but that will have to wait. Did you ever get the heliconia seeds I sent you to grow? They can handle heat and don't need that much water, unlike ginger, which needs lots of water. I've been to New Orleans in June (What was I thinking?) and know how oppressive the heat is in southern Louisiana - it's pretty much the same climate as Houston with severe humidity. If you can swing it, take a trip up to Canada - it's quite lovely this time of year and I miss it! Lars

Just some FYI to consider: MLS is only as good as the agents that put in the info. That means the listing agents need to update it, and various MLS have their own rules about the # of days that a listing has to be updated. For example, we are supposed to put at least one picture up on a new listing within 3 days, and change from "active" to "under contract" within 24 hours, etc. Our MLS does not contain financing/cash details, just final sale amount and date. So while the listing might offer 3% to the buyer's agent, and that is probably what happened, there possibly may have been changes in the contract that nobody except the parties involved would know about. For example, when I purchased a condo, I rolled my 3% as a price reduction on my contract offer. Someone who went back and looked at the MLS listing would see that the sold price was less than the asking price, but not necessarily know why. It is not really normal, unless you have a friendly relationship with the other agent, for one to call another one to get the specifics on a contract. It's just not really professionally a normal thing to do. It may not hurt to ask, but I've had to do it and it's uncomfortable, and you stand the chance to look bad. Example, I called during contract to find out the sale price on another condo because I knew it would affect my appraisal because it would close prior to mine. (Otherwise I would've had to wait until they closed, and I was in a time crunch) The other agent, whom I didn't know, was reluctant to discuss, but after some schmoozing I learned that the contract was about to fall apart because their appraisal came in $25K low (on an under $300K condo) and did learn the contract price, too. Unless it is stated in the listing "seller will help with closing costs" then unless you see the HUD-1 or contract, you can't know the financial details, including whether is it financed or cash (NC might be different). Again, while it is possible for one of the agents or seller or buyer to tell you, remember the agents may be dealing with many clients and contracts and listings and won't necessarily take the time to help you or your agent. After the deed is recorded, your agent should have quick access to the public record (here, via MLS) to see the buyers names and amount of financing and who holds the lien, etc. Around here, we have a problem with estates. It is not normal for an appraiser to study the title status, so when heirs are selling low-ball to get out of a property, it seriously affects our comps. Short sales and foreclosures are adjusted for (or not used as comps), but estate sales don't have a special designation so the rest of us are screwed. But taking your OP at face value, there is no "discount" for cash around here. It's just that all things being equal, two identical offers, the cash would be accepted over the financed offer. Slide the cash offer lower, and it might still be accepted over having the home off the market while awaiting financing that might fall through on closing day. At some point, that cash offer would be considered too low and the financed offer would be more attractive. Where that transition is, is up to an individual seller.