Thanks everyone for the input. I sprayed them both with Murphys Oil soap diluted with water - hope that was the right thing to do. My county extension service said the treatment for mites was to spray with "horticultural soap," which I could buy at Lowe's or make my own. So I used Murphy's since I had read about others' using it. I have nothing to lose since they are quickly on their way out. I thought mites was a problem that the west coast/dry climates had to deal with and that it was not an issue in an extremely humid environment! Well, we'll see what happens. If I can salvage just one of them I will be happy. Oh, I think I could see the tiniest of specks on the undersides of leaves which came off when sprayed. If they were mites, they were really hard to see (didn't have a strong magnifying glass). And I see webs all the time, but thought thay was just spiders since they're everywhere. (I still wonder if there will be a worm in the tomato when I cut it open!) :-)

Ahh. Back to school. With only one of four left in HS, Back-to-School is dwindling. It is so much simpler now. There is only one child in one sport. And only one to track along on their school work. We will have time to deal with our overdue HOUZZ projects now that summer R&R is over. So let me weigh in on the controversial mamby-pamby comment. Hate to see name calling. It's negative and unnecessary. As for patience with the new traffic patterns, this is to the parents who take their children to their bus stops and feel compelled to chat with the bus driver. Please DON'T. It is really inconsiderate. The bus drivers are at work. They don't have time for social hour. It may brighten your day to "brighten their day" but it is not the time nor the place to "make a difference in the bus drivers' lives". I have been part of huge lines where the same parents do it daily. All the cars that are stuck behind the bus (and lawfully NOT passing the school bus) actually have somewhere to go. They sure do. Maybe it is an appointment. Or maybe, just maybe, they are trying to get to their job. Keep that in mind. Fortunately it is a small number of parents who want to chat it up. Unfortunately it has a big impact.

Depends on the product. The SUPER HIGH END stuff will have just as many plank visuals (6-8 plank variations is normal with better vinyl and higher end laminates). If you choose the product from only one retailer, then you could be minimizing your options. And yes, eventually you will come to realize a man-made visual (laminate or vinyl) is going to have a limited number of planks. Then they repeat. With 2500sf of man-made flooring, you are going to realize, very quickly, that you have the same 8 planks repeating several times in a single room. And it happens in every single room you have.

One other thought. Cement can raise the soil ph radically. This is another factor of a 'Hellstrip'. Not so much the installed cement of curb and sidewalk, although that alone can raise ph to alkaline levels over time. And as you mentioned L. Clark, that the other trees aren't having an issue. But while watching cement being poured, have you ever noticed when the job is done or when one truck has delivered its load and is ready to leave. The workers will rinse the chute on the cement truck with water, before leaving? Washing all that cementy water down the chute? And where does that sludge water go? Generally, they point the chute into a void or area between the curb and the sidewalk. Leaving that spot soaked with liquid rich with cement. Could it be possible that your P. Cembra, just so happened to be lucky enough to be sitting on top of one such area left by the crew that poured the cement? I suppose a ph test could be done in just that area, deep enough to see if something so remote like that could've happened.