I also just want to call out a thanks to the hard work WC8 has put into this - I think sweetcicely put it really nicely. Cj - that's a really good point. I really do try, but I sometimes forget to append "I think that..." or "From my limited experience..." to the beginnings of my post, which I think is important in ensuring that the reader knows that any advice being given is a guess or at least from limited experience. Even if it's neither these two things, anyone not growing in my conditions should take any information I give with a grain of salt, and so that little "I'm not sure, but this is what I think" really serves as a nice reminder to the reader. Sometimes I see it as a liability waiver! Re the nature of people visiting the forum - with the invention of the internet, people tend to 'ask' more than research. It's gone from going to the library to checking out a book, to going to google and searching for a key word, to just posting questions on forums and waiting for answers. I think the welcome draft is fantastically detailed and has so much great advice and information, but as others have said, may not be efficient, keeping in mind the mentality of the people who come here asking for questions. Is it possible to have a single line at the top of the page in a very prominent place saying: "Thanks for visiting the forum! If you have some time before posting your question, please READ THIS" and link to the page you've drafted? That way people who do click on the link will expect to be presented with something they need to read - if they do read all of it, they'll be that much wiser and if they don't, then there's no hurt feelings since it's not the first thing that jumps into their face when they visit the site, so it's less....foreboding.

Briandl, Please consider that different contributors have different styles. Just as some of them may be hard pressed to understand your initial post in light of what you eventually presented, you may not really understand their intentions or writing style. Many of the regulars in this forum have a style that those unfamiliar with daily life in this forum may not fully appreciate at first. Sometimes it's easy to think you got your point across, even when you didn't, because you knew what you meant. Keep in mind that others don't start out knowing what you have in mind, and their understanding may be different than yours. Believe me, I have fallen into this trap many many many times. When I saw the pictures of your tree, I went back and reread the initial post and just kind of chuckled. The initial description was just not sufficient to start to describe the entire situation. Also, some of the things you suggested in your first post (like filling the holes with concrete) are so "old-school" that many of us almost assume that people know better these days. We might shouldn't assume that, but often do anyway. Sometimes, a knowledge gap makes communications more difficult than one might expect. All this boils down to...please know that sometimes people that seem to have a "sorry ... attitude" are really just trying to help in their own way and may not understand your point any more than you understand theirs. ______________________________________ Now, my 2 cents on your tree. I understand your desire to hold on to the trees you have left, but if it were me, I'd scrap this tree in a heartbeat and put in something new. The tree is in decline. It may be unsafe and has pretty much no chance of any real improvement. If it were me, I'd cut my losses and invest my efforts on something that will amount to something in the future (just think of the wonderful opportunities!)

Thank you, JOhnmerr and Rhizo 1 for your replies. I have never had this problem before. The grapefruit tree is 8 years old and the lemon tree is 2 years old. Can these "wooly aphids" kill our trees? I will look up how to treat unless you have suggestions. The grapefruit tree is way too big for me to sponge off with water and soap. It's about 15 ft. tall Ants have been very bad herein Texas this year due to the drought last year and the past warm winter then lots of rain in the early part of the year. Geeez...ants have been everywhere. I have been treating them with orange oil and molasses. Should I prune back some of the branch's to allow more airflow or is that not an issue? Thank you again ;)

Thanks David, I took some sample cuttings down to my local nursery, and they identified it as Wooly Aphids. I think I caught it early enough and I've given the tree a good washing. I'll wait and see...