Sandi,
Thank you for passing that along. To be honest, I hadn't even thought about fertilizer because I've been told that doing so isn't good so late in the growing season. I'm getting a kick out of how much I'm learning! And most of it comes from all of you experts, so thank you! My black thumb is starting to lighten up a little.
In terms of the weather, I feel for you! I was stationed at Dyess AFB in Abilene for almost 5 years, and don't miss it!
Dawg, I haven't checked the root ball on this but I will this weekend or maybe tomorrow evening. I'll keep you "posted"..no pun intended.