Hey, Lee! Sorry for the late reply....I only stop by this Forum every few days or so. Anyhow, you'll have to forgive me but I know very little about moss species. I certainly love moss-habitats, though. As to your question regarding moss companions, I must recommend ferns! Since we are in a similar zone (7/8), I imagine that some of my fern species would work well for you, provided that these ferns are available. My favorite fern is Woodwardia fimbriata, the Giant Chainfern. Yes, it does consume a fair amount of water, but it is a fantastic plant that will help create a moist micro-climate in its immediate vicinity. As the name implies, this fern is a GIANT within four or five years. Three year-old plants are typically three feet tall by three feet wide. Under perfect conditions, Chainferns can grow to nine feet!!! (More often, six feet by six feet). So, if you have a big focal point, you might consider Woodwardia fimbriata. My next two suggestions are drought-tolerant ferns, which do quite well for me in northern California. Western sword fern, Polystichum munitum, is excellent for most applications. It grows into a nice, three by three foot mound, with attractive fronds most of the year. It will look ratty for a time, while the old fronds dry up and the new fronds unfurl. I have MANY sword ferns in my yard - I rely on them to fill spaces where other more sensitive plants might fail. The second drought-tolerant fern I recommend is known as Wood fern, or Dryopteris. I'm not sure of the exact species, but these grow superbly in dry oak woods (thus, wood fern, *dryops* meaning 'oak'). This fern is lighter green in color than the sword fern, and the fronds are more delicate. Generally, this fern only grows to about two to three feet. I grow them along the edge of the lawn, staggered with sword ferns, and as focal-pieces beside mossy oak-trunks/stumps or nice rocks. I also have several staged beneath redwoods and birches. I have about twenty of them, I'd guess (last time I went out to count, I was side-tracked by something or the other). In direct sunlight, they might stay rather compact for the first few years. To counter this, you might consider growing them in partial shade until they've sized up - either in-ground, or in containers. There are TONS of Dryopteris species, so you'll have to search around. I think mine *might be* Dryopteris spinulosa, but I could be wrong. Lastly, I'll recommend a fern that is new to me: the Alaskan fern, Polystichum setiferum. While this fern looks incredibly feathery and delicate, it is quite hardy....down to zone 5, I think. I have one in a container on my front deck, where it receives only post-noon sunlight. Mine has fronds approximately two feet long. In the summer, it is protected from direct sunlight by a large maple tree. I still haven't found the right place for it in the yard. I'll probably buy several of them this spring, as they are incredibly attractive. Josh

Josh: I don't even know which one to pick? I love them ALL Josh..I think that your weather is very "moss" friendly compared to mine..:(:).. I only wish we had moss like that around here.. Thank God no though..You would of had me on another journey to another addiction..lol I would spend the whole year looking for moss through caves, mountains, along streams, people's yards, the forest and so on... I love that last picture..My goodness.The next time I take a ride to the top of Mt. Washington, I will remember to take some nice pictures for you.. There is very rare moss that only grows up there..Very beautiful and against the law to take.. Thank you for inviting me to this site Josh..Very thoughtful and you knew that I would like it.. Enjoy what is now the VERY moss weather.. Hi Pug!!:-)))) Mike:-)))))))

Hi Mike, congratulations on your beautiful orange tree. You certainly get results and you're one of the pillars of this citrus forum. I continue to learn a lot from you. Anyway, based on your recommendation, I have order Dyno gro Foliage Pro and will start to use on my citrus. Like you, I also plant my citrus as well as all my other houseplants in terra cotta pots... they work the best for me as I have a tendency to overwater. Mike, in another thread where you had pictures of your citrus protected in a small homemade greenhouse, there was a lime citrus on a standard and I wondered where you got it. I want to move from bush-shaped plants to small tree-shaped plants, which I think will work better in my small townhouse. Anyway you were going to check where you got that lime tree, but I haven't heard back from you. If you can recall where you ordered that citrus, that would be great. Also, I contacted Anna, one of the owners of Brite Leaf Nursery in Florida, to find out if the ban on shipping citrus plants out of Florida is ever going to be lifted. She said that hopefully this next spring citrus plants will be allowed to be shipped to customers who live east of the Mississippi River, which includes us. If that happens, I will definitely order from Brite Leaf as their prices seems quite reasonable. Jerry

I just wanted to post an update: The lemon tree seems to be in a stage of stasis. The leaves are not getting any greener, or yellower. I had started as Josh suggested on the 5ML dose. But that doesnt seem to be making any difference. I hated the nursery soil it came in. Last week, I decided what the heck and just repotted it into the gritty mix. I have repotted other plants before without any negative effects on the plants. So that gave me a bit of confidence. I barerooted the lemon tree. Rinsed up pretty much all of the previous soil mix. I didnt notice any roots coming off or getting damaged. So hopefully it will be okay. its been 5 days now since the repot. I guess this tree just wont react to anything I do to it. haha Still the same. Didnt get better, not getting worse. Certainly no leaf loss or yellowing. No new foilage either. Lastly, I decided to just remove all the lemons that had formed on it. There must have been 30 or more. Hopefully this will also help it. (okay I left one. The biggest one). =) I will update again in a while. This post was edited by TorontoNick on Tue, Jan 20, 15 at 23:14