saccharum: No offense--I am a natural exaggerater, but do my best to restrain myself. As for the copper fungicide's toxicity. I have noted in these forums before my suspicion that it has some toxicity to sapwood if it soaks down inside a tree and gets at it from the inside. I have not reported all the things I have tried with this, but I did try applying this stuff to real extremes, and at what I would call almost ridiculous over applications I suspect some marginal toxicity. One pine tree that I poured this stuff on in amounts I cannot accurately document had a portion of the side of the trunk under the application zone die. But this was a tree that a storm broke half of off, the broken part being about 14 inches in diameter, and where it broke there was a sunken area where I could actually pool this stuff. But in my experience, the part of the trunk under this really huge broken area may have died anyway. In another instance where I applied it very, very liberally I noticed some bleeding beneath the cut, which was a cut to remove half of a forked tree and the cut was about 5 inches across. I did this experimental overapplication on this tree, a Norway spruce, because it was a weak tree growing in the shade of other spruces and a white pine. A stronger tree growing in full sun may not have shown the same symptom. The tree, however, is still alive and has not shown any loss of vigor. It is in substantial shade but is "plugging along" nicely considering that. Both of these instances were cases where the cut or the break was across the grain and the cut or break faced upwards and absorbed all the rain that fell also. I noticed no other instance of anything I would suspect was a toxic effect, and for a while--until I learned better, I applied more than needed. So I think it is in all probability safe. As for research--I have been talking to people for at least 20 years in several universities trying to get someone interested, but no luck so far. This liquid copper fungicide is the third thing I tried--it seemed obvious very soon that it was working, so I have tried nothing else since. But of course there are other things one could try. Part of my reason for trying this liquid copper fungicide is that it was my understanding that the copper itself was the active agent, and I thought that the copper would have some stability in the outdoor environment and would not break down so fast as other fungicidal compounds. Also, it is my understanding that the "liquid" copper fungicide is, in fact, a true liquid solution, and as such it would soak into the wood in a way that a wettable powder would not. A great many trees get fungal infections through injuries to the trunk or from pruning cuts made to remove very large limbs. It pains me to see this and I am convinced (I understand research needs to be done, if only to convince others) that it can be easily prevented. Many of the trees are trees loved by their owners, and in many cases these trees have a monetary value that would exceed several thousands of dollars. What a waste! Oh, I must note--even though I admit to a frequent tendency to exaggerate, I am not exaggerating about the ability of this liquid copper fungicide to stop fungal infections. Just to be clear--over the last 20 years, I have probably used this stuff on 200 trees. About 60 or 70 of these were spruce and pine trees (Norway spruce, white pine, red pine) that were forked. I cut half the fork off, leaving big ugly cuts, mostly sloping, but not always. Some of these cuts were at least 6" across. Many took 10 to 15 years to occlude, and some, after 20 years have not yet occluded. I have seen no evidence that I could recognize of any fungal infection whatsoever. And the wood at the surface of these cuts is as fresh and hard as a board in a lumber yard. I am not exaggerating this one tiny, tiny bit. I have also used this stuff on logging bumps and scrapes, some really huge, on various species of hardwood trees and hemlock, and as I reported above--no trace of fungal infection that I could detect. I have tried to renew this stuff every year--in some cases I missed a year or two, especially on the logging wounds which require a lot of walking to get to every year. One thing I would like research to show is how often it is necessary to reapply this stuff. I have wanted to be on the safe side, hence my reapplication every year, as far as I have had time and energy. Getting to all the treated trees over the 300 acres I have is a four day job, and an exhausting one at that. --Spruce

Thanks for the input, gardenercindy. I don't have a coldframe outside. I'm considering a couple options. Once the cuttings are adequately calloused/rooted, I can pack them in damp rooting medium in a container and hold them in the frige (~35-40F)until spring and then plant them out in the spring when the soil is workable. Alternatively, once the cuttings are adequately calloused/rooted, I could just turn off the bottom heat in the rooting bin (or transfer the bundles of cuttings to pots filled with rooting medium) and keep them in the garage until spring. For the latter, I'm worried about lack of temperature control and untimely budbreak. Do either of these options sound plausible? Is light an issue during holding? Also, do you have any suggestions for determining when cuttings are "adequately calloused/rooted"? Thanks again for the feedback!

You can check for callus and roots any time you want, as long as you don't allow them to dry out while you check. Usually, two weeks is the optimum time, but sometimes they might take a little longer. In my conditions and experience, more than three weeks usually means failure, but YMMV. Good luck! Kim

Hi again azzalea, I am sorry to hear of the trouble that you've been carrying for so long. It's not only a hassle ... that goes on and on ... ... but it's the heartache that goes along with coping with the feelings when someone betrays you - (and themselves?)! How true it is that some people get diverted from their regular path of life - by the smell of money. As for the miscreants getting their just deserts in return - sometimes it happens, but often not. As quite a number have said, "Who ever said that everything's fair in life?". Quite often it's anything but. Thank you for what you did to support your MIL. Thank you for your persistence in being faithful to your vision of integrity. I pray that things may go smoothly for you as you move into a new phase of your life ... your lives together. I'm so thankful that brother, who dealt with Dad's estate over 20 years ago, treated everyone fairly ... and paid a high dollar for some land that was to go to him, but for which he was to compensate by deceased brother's kids and me. I think that he chose not to accept the trustee's fee, or took only part of the amount to which he was entitled. Plus - having lived modestly and now retired from his farm ... he sends each of his nieces and nephews a cheque for several hundred dollars each Christmas. Would that there were more people in the world like him! ole joyful