I'd avoid any mulch made from whole trees ground down for mulch. That's the problem with the cypress, the swamps are being logged specifically to grind the trees into mulch. I was just reading about Louisiana allowing private landowners to clearcut their cypress stands at the same time the state is asking for billions of federal tax dollars to restore wetlands. It's positively insane; cypress swamps are known to protect against storms surges and presumably would be some of what would be restored at great expense to us federal taxpayers, while private landowners are profiting from creating the problem. But, any other wood mulch created from whole trees will be just as bad, like the cedar listed. Why cut down a perfectly good tree just to make mulch out of it?? Mulches created from mill waste are fine; mulches from ground up trimmings are fine; mulches from bark are fine so long as the tree was being cut primarily for the wood and the bark is a byproduct. What species of tree will be best depends on what grows locally. Cypress mulch might be fine if you live right next to a cypress mill. I live in Doug-fir and western hemlock territory, so that's what I get. In California, redwood bark and eucalyptus mulch are readily available, but it would be silly to ship them elsewhere. Texas has lots of oak and pine, which we don't have here. Texas should have lots of local pecans too I would think. If I lived in pecan growing territory, I'd use it. I used to live in California, and I used mulches made from rice hulls as it's one of the major crops in NorCal, and makes a good cheap mulch. As far as helping the soil, you want something that will break down and add organic matter - compost, leaf mold, tree trimmings. Barks and woods don't really add much, they're used where people don't want it breaking down.

The fungus is Petal Blight If you are getting petal blight, then deadheading is very important. All spent flowers should be destroyed. The best way is to toss them in the trash. Petal blight is a disease that hits some rhododendrons and azaleas that bloom later in the spring. It causes the flower to turn mushy before it naturally wilts. If you look closely it forms unsightly brown spots on the flowers. Petal Blight, Ovulinia azaleae: This fungal disease, caused by Ovulinia azaleae, primarily affects the flowers of azaleas, but mountain laurel and rhododendron flowers can also be infected. Indian and Kurume azaleas are especially susceptible. The disease starts on the flower petals as tiny, irregularly-shaped spots, giving a "freckled" appearance. On colored flowers the spots are white, and on white flowers the spots are brown. The spots quickly enlarge and become soft and watery. Flowers rot and stick to the leaves. Infection is easily spread from flower to flower by wind, rain and insects. The fungus survives the winter in the soil. The most important things that you can do to control this disease in the home landscape are to pick and destroy infected flowers and avoid overhead watering. This fungus survives in the soil, so it is important to replace the ground litter with uncontaminated mulches. Rake and remove flower debris from beneath plants and, if possible, remove old flowers still attached to plants. Apply new mulch around the base of plants to serve as a barrier to new infection. On large azalea plantings, where it is not practical to remove infected flowers, make weekly fungicide applications beginning just before bloom and continue until the last buds open. The best fungicides are a combination of chlorothalonil and benomyl or Mancozeb or Bayleton or triadimefon. During moist seasons, control may be difficult for late blooming varieties. Sanitation practices such as deadheading and removal of diseased material my improve control. In the northwestern US, Ovulinia is present, but similar symptoms can also be caused by Botrytis cinerea which is less damaging to the flowers and easier to control. It is important to remove diseased material from the vicinity of a planting. This means removing dead material that harbors spores of fungal disease and dying material that contains eggs of insects. Dying portions of a plant should be cut off and removed. The ground should be cleaned of dead leaves or flower parts. Pruned parts should be removed. Deadheading flowers involves removing the structure left after blooming before seedpods form. A rhododendron or azalea flower is composed of several florets connected to the stem by a base that is easy to break. When deadheading just grab the flower near this base area and twist the flower sideways and break it off in this spongy area. Try not to break any of the buds that are around the base of the flower.

Sounds like you're having fun with it. I also remembered how people make fruit trees with several different fruits. That might be something to look into. Red maples and American sycamores are not closely related since they part ways at the "family" level. The easiest way I know to find info like that is USDA plants database, where the linked words go. You get the genetic classification at the bottom, and the map shows where it is known to grow. At the top, to the left of the pic (if there is one,) it gives the status of native vs. introduced for North America, broken down into Canada vs. L48 (lower 48 US states.) Wiki is hit-or-miss for plant info, but for some plants they do have great, in-depth articles. If both of these trees are growing in your yard, there are surely some baby trees sprouting up also. Have you considered potting up some of those to grow bigger for future experiments? Just dig up the biggest chunk of dirt around the roots that you can fit in the pot, add extra soil as needed to fill. This might be a good time to mention that potted trees can't be set directly on the ground for extended periods. The roots will grow right through the drain holes and into the ground. I don't blame you for not wanting to graft cactus - OUCH! I think the cacti at all of the stores are the same ones that have always been there since they opened. I know there are folks who love these, I'm j/k 'cuz I'm just not a bit interested in them and slopfrog is right. No matter what plants you were looking for - which they don't usually have - those prickly green blobs are sitting there, taking up so much of the plant display space... where you know the plants you *did* want would be if those darn cacti weren't in the way... You don't say where you are, slopfrog, so can't advise when clearance plants are likely to be found in your area.

The gloss is obscured and when I tried to dab on a little polish to smooth the paint, it removed the paint and exposed the gloss and color loss. I put a little wax on top which removed a little of the paint, but restored some gloss. Of course this is nothing I could charge for and therefore have my name associated with, but she's pleased that if someone moves their plate, the top won't scream at them. I bought some toilet bowl cleaner and I have an experiment underway as I type. I'll keep you posted.