Q: Branches that are touching the ground can soak up water and other disease from the ground. Sometimes this can cause rot in the trunk of the tree. Walk around your tree and look for any branches that are partially or fully touching the ground. Once you've identified the branches on the ground, you'll need to remove them completely. Follow the edge of the branch all the way in to the trunk. Using a pair of pruning shears, cut the branch at the base of the trunk. Removing the tree "skirt" helps keep the guava trees healthy and looking good. You can use whatever pruning shears you want, but the best are anvil pruners or bypass pruners rated for branches up to 2.5 in (6.4 cm) thick.
A: Look for branches that are touching the ground. Follow the branch to the trunk. Cut each branch off about 0.25 in (0.64 cm) from the base of the tree.

Q: Be compassionate and remember the other person’s feelings. Take time to listen to and validate his response. Let him know you appreciate his vulnerability and value his feelings.  You can say, “I know you must be feeling hurt or confused right now. I appreciate you asking me out. That takes a lot of courage and I can’t imagine how hard that is.” You might ask, “Is there anything you need to feel more comfortable? I know it might be weird since we still have to go to school together.” If you trust or like the person who asked you out, but don’t want to date her, you might be able to offer your help in other ways. Suggest other options for how the two of you could have a relationship.  Suggest a friend who might be a good fit for her to date. Get your friend’s permission first. Ask if the two of you could just be friends, if you aren’t already. Ask for more time if you’re unsure of your decision or can’t agree to a date right now, but are interested in dating her in the future. Suggest spending more time with her one-on-one if you don’t know her well, but would like to get to know her better before formally dating her. Beware of people who persist to ask you out or refuse to accept your refusal. Watch out for reactions of anger or abusive language. If something about the person is disturbing, offensive, or inappropriate when you refuse him, you can ensure your safety by:  Letting someone know where you are, if you’re alone with him. Leaving the situation immediately and going to where there are other people. Blocking him on any social media applications or dating websites where you talk to him. Avoiding responding to his phone, email, or text messages. Avoiding being alone with him in person in the future. While you may be graceful in your refusal, the other person may not take it so well and have a strong negative reaction. This may lead you to feel guilty — maybe you should have said yes, just to be nice? — or the person may try to outright guilt-trip you,  but you don't need to feel bad or guilty about being honest and genuine to what you are feeling and thinking. You can't force yourself to feel a certain way, and if you're not connecting with that person on a romantic level, you can't talk or trick yourself into feeling that connection. The person's reaction is her own, and if she reacts poorly, you are not responsible for that.
A: Show empathy. Suggest alternatives. Be safe. Deal with feelings of guilt.

Q: Pick something you think is a passion, and talk to a friend about it. When you’re done talking, ask them if you seemed intense or casual about it. If you talk for a long time and they say you were intense about it, that’s a sign it’s a passion.  When you are talking about your passion, you will probably speak louder, faster, and more. You’ll get worked up talking about it. You’ll sound excited and won’t want to stop talking. If they say you didn’t seem to know very much, or you kept a pretty even tone, it’s a hobby. You’ll feel much more excitement talking about a passion than you will talking about a hobby. Choose something you do every week, or every few days, and stop doing it. If you think about it daily, miss it, and don’t feel like doing anything else, you’ve found something that’s a passion. If it doesn’t bother you to stop doing it, it’s likely to be a hobby.  If you typically play ultimate frisbee every Wednesday, skip it this week. If you fill the time with something else and barely think about it, it’s a hobby. Take a break from editing the film footage you are always shooting. If after two days you can’t think straight because you want to be at the computer, you know it’s a passion. Get an opinion besides your own from a set of standardized questions. Be honest about your feelings on the activity. You’ll be able to learn how much it means to you from a set of questions and not just your own thoughts.  A quiz like this can’t tell you without a doubt whether something is a passion or a hobby. However, it forces you to be more objective about the activity than you are on your own. The websites of Clarity on Fire, Goodnet, and Paid to Exist offer different types of quizzes that help you gain a better idea of what hobbies could be passions.
A:
Tell someone about the potential passion, and ask for their reaction. Take a break from the activity for a week. Use a quiz as an objective guide.