Silverdale Slug

Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens). An old nemesis of mine.

Eight years ago, this spring, I was watching the plants unfold out of their winter dormancy for my first time. I knew I had a bed of strawberries coming up. Half of the bed was actually strawberries. Adjacent to them grew a similar plant who's leaves were only partially out. I presumed they were also strawberries.

I was wrong. It was an infestation of Creeping Buttercup. It has a root system similar to Ajuga (aka: Bugle Weed). It does not have a woody stem but many, many stringy runners.

Fortunately for me, this was mostly in a planter bed and not my lawn. I was successful pulling it with the aid of a cultivator and small hoe. I had to sift through the cultivated soil to ensure I removed all the roots I could locate. The roots are somewhat elastic, white and about 1/32" thick. From what I observed, any part of this root left in the soil would re-populate the bed.

I managed to remove the infestation from roughly a 10' X 10' area of this bed. The first year I took out most of it and kept after the volunteers all summer. The next year I had a couple dozen plants pop up weekly and promptly removed them. I think year three I only saw a half dozen and promptly removed them.

After that they were mostly gone. Every few years I seem to fine one plant in the bed that seems to sprout out of a dormant root though the previous year there were none to be seen.

This particular infestation took place amongst several gray ferns, false hinoki cypress, wild huckleberry, rhododendron, Japanese maple, all below some tall Douglas fir trees.

I am not sure how to eradicate CB from a lawn without cutting the grass at a short height. Gradually work your way down to a shorter height if it is something you want to try.

Since the root structure is very similar to the Ajuga plant, you may want to research how that particular plant has been successfully eradicated from lawns. And when you find out, please share it with us. I have several that keep popping up in my lawn from a previous owner's plantings.

One big difference between Ajuga and CB is the stem of the leaves. Ajuga grows successfully close to the ground and CB prefers longer leaf stems pushing upwards. That is why I thought you may be able to mow it out. I am sure raking with a stiff rake would bring up many but not all surface runners too.

Silverdale Slug

Health conscious individuals, beware of using PAM cooking spray and unsalted butter when "seasoning" your cast iron pan. They may contain the ingredient DIACETYL, which is the  ingredient in "Butter Flavoring"and butter stabilizer that is killing employees in popcorn manufacturing plants and potentially exposing cooks to lung disease.

ConAgra appears to be taking the PAM with DIACETYL in it off the shelves but it is still a stabilizer in some butter.

The following link is just one of the recent stories regarding this issue.

http://fooddemocracy.wordpress.com/2007/12/22/diacetyl-shows-up-in-more-foods-puts-cooks-at-risk/

Paul,

I think that every so often, you should remind these folks that, while trying to rid pests with materials that are not petro-chemical-pesticides, they should still exercise safe use of handling and application of these "safe" materials.

DE (Diatomaceous Earth) is comprised of the fossilized, microscopic, extremely sharp skeletal remains of water borne micro-organisms (Diatoms). You touched on it a little, but yet: These sharp little creatures are extremely abrasive. They cut into the tough little exoskeletons of insects, which causes them to dry out, just as if DE were finely ground particles of glass. This is the way DE kills insects. DE will not kill soft bodied insect larva effectively.

I noticed that our friends in your blog seem not to have read the packaging at times. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!

While I am fairly sure the packaging states that a person should wear respiratory protection, it is up to the user to choose the type and use it.

A dust-mask provides protection from large dust particles that could get into the lungs. A DUST-MASK DOES NOT PROTECT AGAINST HARMFUL IRRITANTS, POISONS, TOXINS, HEAVY METALS, ETC! Dust-masks have no sealing surface against the skin.  Dust will get in the lungs if it is not sealed out. A dust mask will work fairly well for Sawdust.  Sawdust, being relatively inert, could eventually clog your lungs, for they are sticky air filters of sorts, if exposed to enough of it over a period of time, but it will not cut like glass.

DE, if exposed to the unprotected internal cells of the human body, can become a major irritant and destroy cell walls, such as those of the esophagus or lungs.

This is why persons who use, even these natural remedies should educate themselves.

There are two major types of DE. The type used in swimming pools as a filter media component and the insect killing type. Please research this prior to using it yourself. DE should be used along baseboards, in unused basements, and generally where people do not get their noses close enough to ingest it. Insects will crawl in it and dessicate.

For fleas, one must look into the lifecycle of the flea in order to eradicate it. The remedy for fleas in the larval stage differs from the adult stage. An infestation has both types at the same time.

The poor dear who wore a dust-mask and then later a face sealing respirator, probably never gave thought to her hair and clothing being covered in dust after vacuuming. Upon removal of the respirator had her breathing dust from herself for three hours. A quick shower may have remedied that. She was so stressed, she certainly took more years off her life agonizing over this than if she did not panic. Bless her heart.

A flea comb and a bowl of soapy water to dunk the fleas in terminates them. Vacuuming every day sucks up their eggs. Removing clutter from everywhere removes places for them to hide. Please refer to Consumer Reports for an article on vacuum cleaner testing. Seldom does a HEPA vac actually do the job. A good tip for canister vac fans is to have a piece of duct tape ready to seal the hole as soon as they remove the filter for disposal. There are disposable filter bags for many vacuums that are near HEPA Filter quality.

I resided in So-Cal for years and the fleas there are terrible. They only go dormant in the winter. They can get huge. I noticed that I ate more spicy foods than my wife at the time. She always got bites. Seldom did I. You can start eating more garlic or take in a roomate who tends to get more bites than yourself. 

Anecdotally, I recall that people used to keep swine in the room with them  to keep from being bitten by insects. I just cannot recall if it was for fleas during the black plague or mosquitoes to prevent from contracting malaria. But how do you get rid of the pigs? Bacon anyone?

This whole saga reminds me of the story of the Mouse and the Elephant.

Silverdale Slug

John M.

Soil and compost blends are available in my area. They are of varying quality. The vendor closest to my residence does carry several blends. I hand checked  the temperature of two compost products. The name brand was somewhat warm to the touch, the unnamed product was actually rather hot (about 115 F.)while the ambient temperature that morning was 50 F. That tells me that they were both excessive in N for finished compost. Would you agree?

I purchased some compost from another local vendor 6 years ago, as a lawn top-dressing. It had an excessive amount of bark and wood chips dyed brown or dark gray. The finished part of the product worked its way into the soil but I observed the wood and bark for at least 2 seasons.

Due to the local vendor's habits of dying their "top soil" products in order to seem like soil, I am leaning away from the blended mixes. Since it has been so long since I purchased any, I will have to revisit the two closest vendors and perhaps reconsider.

Like everyone else, I resent paying $30+ per yard for what is represented as finished compost and receive halfway composted, dyed bark and woodchips. Especially when, local tree service will bring by truckloads of fresh woodchips for free and dump them on my lot if they are working in the area. Unfortunately, I have neither the space or time to compost that much OM myself.

Do you think it is important to mix different layers into the previous layer? I will be starting with a fill dirt layer. Do you think I should at least somewhat mix in the compost layer in with the existing to foster downward rooting? I hear that due to a plant desiring the best condition possible, the roots may stop their downward progression when they encounter a less than desirable soil and grow horizontal?

Silverdale Slug

Paul,

You bring up some good points.

I saw some Class B straight trucks on the internet that were hybrids. I believe it was in England. I only remember that they were a bright green. Also, I recall a comment that the solar charger worked even in England. Class B trucks spend much of their time in traffic or at a delivery location where they could be charging their solar powered system.

Some things to consider:
Keep in mind that my knowledge from a practical standpoint, not an engineer's. I tried the occupation a couple times and racked up about 4 years experience driving mostly Iowa to Seattle and back on I-90. My dad did it for 48 years and only retired last March due to an accident.

Engine speeds are constantly changing to address the grade of the roadway. These trucks don't only just get up to speed, they are continually struggling to maintain their speed.

There is the concern that much of the drag on a semi-truck is actually from side wind. Most people only consider the frontal area when addressing this. Aerodynamic adjustments can overcome some of this, to the point where they create other problems or cause issues due to the system's complexity.

As a hybrid, using wheel motors that charge batteries while braking would be a great first step. Trucks generate a tremendous amount of resistance to deceleration. The engine retarders and "Jake-Brakes" really waste much of the forward energy.

Equipment failure is common, mostly in the current drive-train and the braking systems. The DOT is forever inspecting braking systems due to the concern of wear, neglect, and failure. It would be wonderful if the heavy trucking industry could get away from friction brakes.

Considerations as to weight of components and their distribution are a big factor. Also, how they perform on ice, snow, rain, and in the mountain passes must be considered. It would be difficult to charge the system if there were snow on top of the solar collectors. There are times when there is 1/4" of ice on a semi due to freezing fog. I would estimate 21 days per year or more for a truck on northern routes.

Over-the-road heavy trucks see some of the harshest environments. Electrical and pneumatic equipment fails often at sub-zero temperatures. Diesel fuel systems begin to fail if the fuel temperature gets below 28 degrees F. The source of keeping the fuel warm is the heat of the engine. This can be augmented by the use of electrical resistance heaters on the fuel lines.

I have been in blinding snowstorms, just trying to get off the highway to somewhere safe, and having to drive very slowly. This caused my engine temperature to drop to about 100 degrees, which would not warm my fuel enough to burn correctly.

Some trucks are driven 20 hours per day.

Constraints
To properly evaluate this topic, one would have to work within the constraints of the subject vehicle.

From memory, a standard class A semi truck is limited to 102 inches wide maximum (not including mirrors) and 65 feet in length.

It can have up to 12,000 lbs. on the steering axle, and up to 20,000 lbs. on a dual wheeled single axle, or 34,000 lbs. on a pair of axles less than 10 feet from eachother, not to exceed 80,000 combined configuration. To simplify, use an example of a standard semi with a steer axle, two dual drive axles close to each other and two trailer axles close to eachother.

You should be able to load 12,000 on the steer, 34,000 on the drive, and 34,000 on the trailer axles maximum, respectively. It is quite a chore to make it come out correctly when loading a trailer. Mess it up and you get to pay a fine at the scale house and get workout in having to move it by hand to correct it.

A wonderful aspect of reducing the fuel consumption would be not having to carry the weight of the fuel. My trucks had a 275 gallon capacity at about 8 lbs per gallon. That is 2200 pounds one could reduce in tare and apply to net.

A crude guideline for making this technology profitable:
The trick is that a current technology semi, say hauling perishables, would need to be able to haul a net load of 42,000 pounds almost 5 days a week for up to 48 weeks per year in order to turn a profit.

Silverdale Slug

Kelda,

Thanks for your input.

I do have several critters that already paw through my compost materials when they are not covered, raccoons and "mountain beavers."

One concern I am trying to avoid is the settling effect of actively composting OM. One goal is to finish grade the area. Additionally, the grade slopes away from my house, in the direction of the retaining wall and on toward the street. I cannot risk any of the lightweight composting OM, which would be much higher than the finished grade elevation, washing over the top of the retaining wall, onto the landscaping below and working its way onto the pavement.

I need to rent or borrow the equipment to move and grade the bulk materials, and it's not much more trouble to rent a tractor with a tiller on the back. There is the concern of compaction using the equipment but I am willing to deal with that.

I need the material I intend to use, to be a finished compost and mix it with a soil component so there is a minimum of reduction in volume of the final grade.

There were two main goals in mind when I started this project: 1.) Lessen the slope to prevent water run-off; 2.) Incorporate organic material into the soil (since I have to bring in bulk product anyway) to a.) reduce watering, and b.) foster an environment for our little friends, the soil biota.

My original slope was 6.5% (55" elev. over 70'), which was causing the original lawn to lay down and have the water run off. Installing a 36 inch high retaining wall and altering the grade allowed me to reduce the slope to 2.25% (19" over 70'). Granted, that is average. It will be more near the building and less elsewhere, yet reversed near the wall with a raised bed adjacent to the wall.

The local climate usually causes homeowners to water their plants and lawns until the most severe part of the summer drought, which lasts 6 to 8 weeks. If a homeowner has a lawn, it is best to allow it to go dormant until the rains return, before resuming watering. My old dormant lawn, on my old slope, would shed much of the water after the drought.

From my reading, altering the slope to <5%, yet >1% and amending the soil to create an environment for water absorption/retention, and fostering a home for soil biota, could, quite possibly, eliminate all but perhaps one watering during the drought once the new plants and some grass are established.

Politics aside, Puget Sound residents are advised to do what they can to prevent water run-off and keep all nitrogen out of the streams and storm drains, in order to protect the salmon environment. My old configuration did the opposite.

It is great to hear of other concerns and other solutions. Thank you.

Silverdale Slug

John M.,

Thank you for the input.  While not born there, I was raised in Rutland, VT. My sister, her family, and my mom live in Milton.

The house I grew up in there had the blackest soil I have ever seen. What I would do for soil like that in my present home.

The information you provided along with Paul's enlightened me in my quest to do my project the right way. I can see how things can get anaerobic at certain depths. This is just the type of information I am trying to glean.

Soil and subsoil in my area differ greatly from the native soils in Vermont.  The part of my yard I am landscaping, is void of topsoil. It all came up with the "de-thatching" job and is in a heap with the composting "sod."

To avoid water run-off, I rented a bobcat and leveled my subsoil. I started a retaining wall which is 95% complete on the lower end. I will be bringing in bulk materials in to bring the landscape up to the desired grade. All the grade will be sloped away from the house, of course.

The subsoil is coarse sand populated with rock "potatoes," with less than .05% organic matter and less of silt.  It drains excessively well. Of course it can dessicate a lawn or garden in a heartbeat.

Needless to say, the current subsoil needs to be amended and I intend to do this as I bring the last 18" of elevation up to grade. Tilling in the OM should not be a problem.

I purchased a 15 yd. load of soil that was much higher in clay content than my native subsoil. I do believe it was, as you mentioned, ditch dredging. I separated the larger balls of clay before using it. I do have concerns of what might be lurking in the dredged soil. It seems to smell alright, not swampy or low-tide-ish.

I was wondering if I should/could somehow improve the clay content of my soil ever so slightly during this project due to the complete lack of clay in my soil.  I have heard that you should not add sand to clay-soil but what about adding clay to sand-soil?

If it is best not to use clay soil, I will have to hunt for a source of brown dirt fill. Also, I do not want to spend much time raking rocks out of the final layer of the mix, so I will have to purchase some screened brown fill dirt to complete the upper layers.

Locating an OM component for the mix is going to be my most difficult problem due to my geographically isolated location. No matter how it gets here, it will be a "long way around" if it comes from a Seattle area vendor.

The locally available composted materials vary in quality. Good quaility OM is not always available and not cheap. I can't compost 30 yds of OM on my small residential lot, so I will have to pay what the market demands.

Silverdale Slug

Paul,

Since posting the original, I have located your richsoil link and see you noted a friend who had 18" inches of OM amended soil and used long fescue for her lawn.

That is similar to what I am shooting for in my lawn area. I also note the 2/3 soil and 1/3 OM suggestion.

I will also be amending for landscape beds that will contain minimal maintenance shrubs and ornamentals. Nothing exotic.

I am still open to suggestions.

Thanks.

Silverdale Slug

Paul,

If these solar cars weigh about 300 pounds (est.) driver included and they average 15" in length, completely covered in solar cells, then how long would a solar vehicle have to be in order to carry the average net/gross load of a class A semi?

A direct proportion would not take into consideration the net load of the semi or any increase in power required to power a vehicle of this length but as Bill Nye says, Consider the following:
15 foot solar car/300 pounds=0.05
38,000 empty semi truck with referigerated trailer x .05=1900 foot long solar powered semi without load.

Again, this is not even considering the larger solar truck needing more solar cells for it's mass.

You began with an optimum milage rate. Most full sized semi's only get about4 to 5 mpg, loaded or empty.

You have a good point though. I think solar, combined with wind would be excellent for sea going vessels though.

In the days of sail, a schooner, employing 15 to 30 sailors would only carry the equilivant of one semi's net payload, and this took months to make oceanic crossings.

SS

I started making compost about 7 years ago. It can be most satisfying. I have a series of laural hedges that get pruned every year. I purchased a chipper-shredder and compost the renderings of the hedge and all the limbs that fall from the trees on my 1/3 acre residence.

My first compost bin was too small and nothing composted. My second composter was a Seattle Composter. It holds at least a cubic yard of contents. It is yet again too small to handle what I like to compost. I only use it to compost my kitchen scraps (no spices, meat or fats).

I put yard debris in it and put the kitchen scraps in the center of the composter and cover it with leaves. It works well at keeping the critters out and lets the worms in. By the way, worms love coffee filters full of used grounds. In my composter, they seem to breed and nest in them. The worms are local residents.

I bag my kitchen scraps which get stored in the freezer part of my beer fridge in the garage. Once a month or so I put them in the wheelbarrow and take them to the compost bin.  I turn the existing compost with a five tined hay fork, dig a cubby in the center and empyt my bags of frozen scraps, then cover them up with more clippings or compost. I don't get this compost hot. It is more of a worm composter. I have also put shredded paper and leaves in this mix.

My favorite composting system is the heap. I am not growing edibles so, I have my neighbor's  lawn care dude bring his weekend clippings by and dump them in my composting area.

I lay out shredded leaves and wood ships about 6" deep and fork about 3" of grass clippings on top and stir it. Then I soak the layer. I repeat this until it is about 5' high, then cover it with black plastic. Usually within 3 days it climbs to 125 degrees F. The temperature then climbs. When it cools again (when I get around to it), I scrape off the outer 6" and pile it up. I use that as the beginning of my next pile. I usually move the inner, decomposed matter to another pile for finnishing compost.

Compost happens.

Silverdale Slug