well pretty much there isn't anything we can do to protect against what nature throws at us, fruit farmers here net whole orchards but hail puts paid to the netting, all we can realy do is replant afer the damage some will grow back. if it was regular wind only then you could plant some windbreaks to help control it. len Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page

Brandon7, that sounds very condescending. I know a lot about gardening, but not trees. I took the best bits of info and put a reasonable idea on how to fix the tree. Also, currently I have two jobs and no time to take pictures and do research on what other info you think I should provide. That's why I asked here. If this tree didn't mean anything to me I wouldn't have taken the time to cut off every limb with a handsaw then roll the tree off the dogwood, and bruise up my legs so bad that people gave me funny looks at church. I did this in remembrance of Christ, I was taught growing up that this tree symbolized His crucifixion and after what the storm did to my family and I, I needed a personal resurrection of knowing I could actually do something about all the bad events that had happened. Thank you for the luck, but I've got a loving God that will teach me what I need to do to care for His creation.

The information below is taken from the Fine Gardening article by Dr. Ingham linked in the reply of Sep 26, 09 at 14:23. In addition, I believe that I have read that the brewing equipment should be well cleaned between batches with the use of some hydrogen peroxide. "Also, keep in mind that tea made using this bucket method needs to brew for two or three days and then be used immediately. If you work Monday through Friday, start the tea on Wednesday or Thursday, so it will be ready in time to apply it on the weekend." "After three days, turn off the pump and remove the equipment. If you leave the tea aerating longer than three days, you must add more molasses or the good organisms will start going to sleep because they don't have enough food to stay active. Let the brew sit until the compost is pretty much settled out, 10 to 20 minutes, then strain it into the other bucket or directly into your sprayer. You'll have about 2 1/2 gallons of tea. If you want, this is the time to add foliar micronutrients, like kelp or rock dust. Use the tea right away, within the hour if possible." "With any form of compost, solid or tea, bad smells mean bad business. Healthy, adequately oxygenated compost and compost tea should smell sweet and earthy. Never use a smelly compost tea on your plants. The true bugaboo is alcohol, a product of anaerobic decomposition that destroys cell walls. Roots tolerate only 1 part per million alcohol. That's a very small amount, and human noses aren't good at detecting it. Instead, we can detect all the other smelly compounds that go with anaerobic production of alcohol." Terran Here is a link that might be useful: Brewing Compost Tea by Dr. Elaine Ingham

mad gallica....I haven't started either. We have had snow cover in the yard all winter until 2 weeks ago and it's been too cold to work outside for long. jant....I rarely cut anything back in the fall. I think I would prefer to see everything neat going into the winter and I certainly think I would prefer to have it all done so that in the spring, everything is ready to go, but, I always think the weather will be so crazy, warming, freezing, no snow cover...I lost all my foxgloves the past three years in a row, for instance. But I suppose it had nothing to do with cutting them back. Just overly cautious I guess. Maybe I will try cutting more back next fall and see how it goes. Then I wait too long in the spring half the time and end up having to do just that, tediously try not to cut the new growth. I am always thinking about the late snow and cold that we always get. I am going to try to do it earlier this year. grow now....DEEP snow? Wow, you must have had a lot over the winter. When do you usually lose your snow cover? DtD....since you are a zone warmer than I am and two zones warmer than grownow, have you cut back because you are not expecting any further snow or late frosts? Or is that not a concern for you? I love gaura too and haven't had it winter over for me the few times I tried it. I am planning on trying it again this year. Why do you say, we are ahead of you, when you are zone 7? My problem this year, is that I have a ton to move and would like to start as early as I can, so is that when the ground is workable? Thanks .. :-) pm2