Rosefolly, I'm so sorry I didn't get to meet you! I volunteer in the Rose Hotel, and we were pretty busy, but I still would love to meet the GW people who come to the cemetery. Anita posted here about a possible addition of 'GW' to the name tags of those of us who belong to GW, so that we can 'recognize' each other. Hope you come next year, too! Laura

Hi Christy, Mike is right. He has taken a lot of crap here. Mainly from one jerk who has mysteriously dissapeard. Hmm....wonder why he isn't here anymore? LOL...GOT WHAT HE DESERVED!!! I am glad you found a great organic fertilizer. I have to say that Mike has never steered me wrong and his fertilizer regimen has done tremendous things for me. IF you go thru the posts on the forum, you will find a post that I did on my new 'Dancy' tangerine tree. Not to many people looked at it. I think because they checked it once and realized there was no picture, so they never went back to that post. I also wanted to show people how the FP, white vinegar, and some liquid iron spray saved a sick dying tree. Since you want to go the organic route, can I still suggest one thing? Use the capfull of white vinegar! I have seen such a HUGE change in the health of my plants. I started the white vinegar treatment before I even had the FP. Good luck with your citrus. Your in the right place with this group of fantastic dedicated growers. Mike, Rhizzo, Josh, Al and Pug have all been extremely helpfull (There have also been others that have helped but this group has gone above and beyond being just helpfull!) Just one word of advice. If you are not trying to by more citrus trees, stay away from Meyer Mike's pics!! Since coming here and meeting him, he has been solely responsible for my buying my 6ft Improved Meyer lemon, and my Oro Blanco grapefruit tree! LOl. Love ya Mike! Andrew

Toni, it is so good to see your alright!! I am happy all is going well and that you have had plenty of reasons to to keep busy other than spend all your time on this site like me...LOL How are you? Hi theda-blue, Yours should be fine. My sisters sheds it leaves too this time of year, and gets loaded with blooms. She even says once the blooms are gone the poor thing looks pitiful..lol At least your tree hasn't been bare for over a year. If it stays that way, this post might help you.lol Hi everyone, I have had the tree since "LAST" year in December. I recieved it from a reputable citrus grower in full leaves then. It was beautiful and full. Once I potted it, about a month from then, it dropped most of its leaves,then the rest of what was left in the summer, and since then, over a year now, it has not grown one leaf, nor any growth... On the brite side, it has not lost one "branch" neither, suggesting to me root rot. So roots are fine. I have inspected them in the summer with this same problem then. The only thing that tree does is, stay bare for a bit, then grow blossoms and even fruit. Stay bare for a bit again then grow blossoms and fruit. It keeps repeating this process. why, once the blossoms have past, I take the fruit off to give the plant energy thinking to myself this will help it grow leaves, or strengthen roots if need be. BUt it keeps going bare and only grows blossoms and fruit, ever since last year. That is what is so intriguing about all this. I have some citrus in clay and some in plastic pots. All are fed regularly, treated the same way, put in full sun all summer, and in sunny windows with lots of grow lights all winter. All my citrus are doing awsome except for this bugger. Right now it is bare. I picked all the blossoms and fruit off again. I never heard of such a thing. It has been over a year like this. It has no bugs either. I would know that..lol I would love for someone to help me help it grow leaves and new branches...The poor thing..:-( I am positive it is a "ponderosa". It still has the tag on it, and it grows the same flowers as my others along with the same fruit. It is grafted to create a tree though Please help me with this one...Thanks alot everyone! Mike

Tootswisc, There are many plants you can grow beneath a Black Walnut. Do a search for "Black Walnut Tolerant Plants" or "Juglone Toxin" or any variation of this. There are a number of university reports and personal reports. There is even a nursery that has a short list. Be aware the lists vary, but if you find the same plant on two lists, it is likely tolerant. These are plants that have been observed growing beneath or near BW trees. The reason I am experimenting with roses is: 1. The multiflora species is on the list. No one in their right mind would plant this rose as it is an absolute bramble. However, there are many hybrids that are in commerce that have multiflora genes and are quite lovely and much "tamer"-- Hybrid musk roses, polyantha roses, and multiflora hybrid climbers. 2. The most important reason is that others on the Garden Web rose forum have reported they have these roses growing up a BW tree or within the drip line. As to what you should plant I can tell you what else I have beneath the tree and let you decide. shasta daisies, daylilies, phylox (paniculata), impatines, berginia, lobilia, campanula carpacta, hosta, astilbe, certain ferns (toothed wood fern, cinnamon fern, christmas fern)lambs ear, monada, tiarella, aruncus, hollyhock, ajuga and lamiam. These are planted according to the amount of sunlight in that particular spot. Some require more shade than others. This fall, if I get to it, or next spring, I plan to put purple leaf sand cherry and japanese maple. Also, I am going to try a hydrangea macrophilia. One good thing about the BW is they are among the last trees to leaf out in the spring and the first to loose their leaves in the fall (indead they drop leaves year around). This is good for light exposure. They generally do not have real dense shade most of the year. For once blooming roses like the multiflora hybrids, this is somewhat friendly as it gives the roses more sun. Roses generally need 6 hours of sun daily, year around. Hybrid musk roses will grow and bloom with somewhat less sunlight, say 4 to 5 hours daily. Some of the polyanthas are also shade tolerant, like Cecile Brunner. Also, quite by accident I discovered rugosa roses are tolerant, or so far anyway, of the Juglone Toxin. All I can say is try. That's what I have done. And good luck! It seems to help to have copious amounts of organic matter in the garden. This seems to break down the toxin much quicker and somewhat dilutes the affect.