I don't have any expert advice for you, but I just wanted to say I feel really bad for you. I can just imagine her spraying the Roundup like she was putting out a fire. Roundup and weeds are all she knows. I love my trees. I've lived with them for many years and have an emotional attachment to them. As far as dealing with her - find out what the laws are first. Then read her the riot act, calmly but assertively, and tell her what the law requires. (Maybe give her a photocopy or a phone number to call if she has questions.) Give her a deadline to make the corrections, and tell her you will take further action with an impartial third party if she does not do so. If she makes any remarks other than "I'll take care of it immediately!" then just tell her clearly that she does not understand how serious a matter this is, and that her actions are a clear-cut violation of your property rights. The longer she ignores it, and the condition of your property continues to deteriorates, the more difficult it will be for her to resolve financially. If she gives you a hard time, tell her that her attitude is unacceptable, and forces you to put the matter into the hands of a third party immediately. And follow through, of course. This approach has worked for me, and I have never had to take legal recourse, because my no-nonsense attitude gets their attention. It is also civil discourse, and there have never been left over bad feelings. Good that she is moving, but you need to think and quickly if you want her to correct the damage that has been done, that you can at this point document, before she is gone and can ignore you. Good luck. Stick up for your trees!

I know this is an older thread but thought I would post my info. I have two,one was purchased at a local garden center and was labeled Abutilon pictum 'Thompsonii' (Wrong label I think) and the other was from cuttings sent to me from a hummer gardener in the Houston area. The one from Houston that I started from the cuttings is about 7ft. tall and is in a 10 inch container. The nursery purchased one is about 12 inches tall in a 10 inch container. I was advised not to put them in the ground and then dig them up because it is too stressful on these plants to dig them up AND bring them inside to adjust to lower light and drier air. I was also advised to only go up one pot size if I repot and to repot in spring. The taller one has adjustes perfectly to being indoors and continues to bloom. I keep it in front of my patio doors (west facing) in the kitchen where the humidity is a little higher from cooking than in the rest of the house. I need to prune out the top as it is really too tall right now but it is still full of blooms at the top also and I hate to lose them but I know it is inevitable. Penny

Hi drcindy. I have about 6 types of Abutilon, and they all came through the winter with just some minor leaf burn. I do realize winter is not over yet, but so far, so good. I am not home right now, but when I get over there, I will post a couple of pics, as well as the names of the varieties. Here is a link to some photos taken after the last freeze. I can't remember if there are any Abutilon or not. I do know there is a picture of Acacia dealbata seedlings, and Banksia marginata(from seed planted in yard in 1997) that have taken the weather with stride without any help from me. In fact I all the plants there are on thier own during the winters. Take care. -Brian Here is a link that might be useful: Some Yard Pics-Acacia, Eucalyptus, etc....

The burned leaf tips and margins arte usually attributable to a drought response, triggered by over-watering, a high level of salts in the soil, and sometimes but not often - under-watering. The 2/3:1/3 you mentioned doesn't hold as much water as it would if you'd left the perlite out, but the ht of the perched water is the same with or w/o the perlite. This means there is a soggy layer of soil (100% saturated) at the bottom of the pot after you water. If you're watering when only the top inch or so is saturated, you're watering while the bottom of the pot is still saturated. This kills roots and causes lots of physiological problems related to drought stress and impaired metabolism- so the first thing I'd concentrate on is root health. Put directly, you simply can't have a healthy plant unless it's on a healthy root system. Wilting is an indication of drought stress, and not a particularly desirable condition for the plant. Still, it can be employed as a useful gauge re how long the plant CAN go between waterings. The occasional slight wilt is a stress, but it's preferable to the extreme stress of a forever soggy rhizosphere. Note the day you water and the day you see wilt. Count the days & start watering a day or two before you expect the plant to wilt. A sharpened wood dowel or skewer stuck deep into the pot is an excellent way to test for how wet/dry your plants are, too. BTW - not sure where you live, but when temps allow, your plant would much rather be outdoors. Al