you dont use soil.. mother earth ... in pots .... too hard to control .... peat based potting media is usually high in peat .. which holds too much water for trees ... so a lot of tree peeps cut it half and half with mini chunks .... little bark pieces the size of your thumbnail ... that way.. when you water the top .... it seems like it all runs out the bottom.. but the peat catches just enough water ... for a tree ... and you tend to let the pots NEARLY dry in between watering .. that is a VERY superficial explanation ... but you start with pot size.. and you are probably going to need at least a 10 to 20 gallon pot ... smaller might work.. but it might not hold up the tree in wind .... i actually had a 6 ft tri color in a half barrel ... to give you some perspective .... and the movers agreed to move it ... i did exactly what you are talking about .... my native soil was nice sandy peat [old house] .... and i just put the potted trees .. pot and all .... into the ground.. since mother earth had high drainage ... and i was not worried about standing water down in the pot ... all that said .... if you do everything perfect.. the trees will overcome the potting in about 2 years.. then you will move them.. and then.. set them back with a new transplant... not to mention figuring out how to move the giant pots and trees ... its totally up to you.. but you might be better off.. just waiting ... for your future forest also.. make sure black pots are NEVER in the sun.. you can cook the roots ... both trees ought to do good in bright shade .... this is another reason i buried the pots ... trees like cool roots .... and rather dry soil .... damp.. but not sodden is what i mean ... they are not like annuals and perennials that like a lot of water good luck ken

Hi Shovelslave, I see a number of problems. First, if the grass band is growing up next to the older azaleas, the grass is competing with the azalea roots which is a very bad situation. But don't cultivate, just mulch to keep the grass and weeds back. Mulching is not just a good idea, it is essential to grow healthy azaleas. Second, the pine straw is about the best mulch you can get for azaleas. You don't need to compost it. Spread about 2 inches of pine straw under your azaleas. This will prevent the grass and weeds from competing with the roots and also provide a slow steady source of nutrients as the pine straw decays in place. You will need to add more pine straw each year to make up for the naturally decaying of the existing pine straw. It is a crime to destroy pine straw and not mulch shrubs and other plants. Even trees can benefit from pine straw mulch. Third, some shade is good, but to much shade tends to make azaleas tall and gangly and not bloom. The best thing to do is to remove the lower branches on the trees near the azaleas so they don't shade the azaleas. Then thin out the taller branches if you still have too much shade. Fourth, drought is a problem. The best precaution is shade and mulch. A properly mulched azalea with afternoon shade can take drought much better than an azalea with no mulch in full sun. I would recommend watering thoroughly about every 2 weeks in a drought, especially in your area where summer drought is not natural like it is in the Pacific Northwest. Fifth, a properly mulched planting not only is much easier to maintain and has healthier plants, but also looks much better. Commercial plantings have people come in to top off the mulch for these very reasons. It is much easier and safer to edge near a mulched bed than near a tree or other plant. One precaution, it is a good idea to pull the pine straw back from the stems of woody plants like azaleas and trees. Voles can tunnel under the mulch and chew on the stems and bark. This is mainly a problem in the north when snow is on the ground. I am not sure how much of a problem this would be in Georgia. Good Luck!

There aren`t any studies that say it does hurt them but there are also no studies that say it doesn`t hurt them. Because these little birds ingest so much nectar in the course of a day, any additives to the nectar could have a cumulative effect. Given that most hummingbird feeders have enough red on them to attract the birds it`s actually less hassle to forgo the additives and just stick with straight cane sugar and water.

Very well put Kristin! I was the hummingbird keeper at the San Diego Zoo for many years and have always stressed the potential harm of adding red food coloring to hummingbird nectar. When I started working in the Zoo's Hummingbird Exhibit in the Spring of 1976, they weren't using the red dye and I was told that it was because studies had shown the detrimental effects to hummingbirds. Over the years I have written several hummingbird articles and never found evidence of any studies. I came to the conclusion that the Zoo's orginal decision not to use the red dye probably came about because of the Red Dye #2 situation. Thank goodness somebody had the foresight way back then to realize the potential harm to the hummingbirds even in the absence of a formal study. Since then I raised hundreds of baby hummingbirds, and I was always very distressed at the droppings of those babies whose mothers were drinking from feeders which contained colored nectar. Their droppings were virtually black due to the concentrated dye in their systems! That only served to make me more fearful about what effect it was having in those tiny little bodies! As you said Kristin, if it's not necessary, why use it? One thing that really bothers me is the article regarding Perky Pet's justification for using the dye. It upsets me that they used Wayne Schulenburg to bolster their position. Wayne was a very dear friend of mine, as well as my former brother-in-law, and knew more about birds than anyone I've ever known. (Sadly he died a couple of years ago.) Although he did agree that there was no record of any study done on the subject, he would never have recommended the use of red dye! He not only worked in the Zoo's Bird Department for many years, but he also had a very impressive private collection of birds at home, which included exotic hummingbirds. I can say unequivocally that he never used food coloring in his feeders! It bothers me that Perky Pet is using his reply to their inquiry (taken out of context, I'm sure) to justify their continued use of the dye. In fact he was adamant about NOT using it. How sad that they should use him to mislead people about the safety of their product. Fortunately, I think that people are becoming educated about the situation because I see very few feeders with colored nectar here in Southern California. When I do, I try to approach the homeowners in a nice way and let them know of the potential dangers of the dye. They always take it quite well and are pleased to learn about the simple sugar/ water mixture they can make themselves. Let's hope that we can make enough of an impact to the point that the PP nectar becomes obsolete!