Chris' Bootcamp Experience Log

I knew I was forgetting something as I left, thanks for grabbing the dehydrated stuff!!

Clay McGowen wrote:I knew I was forgetting something as I left, thanks for grabbing the dehydrated stuff!!

No worries!

I think they turned out beautifully :)

Sunday, September 8, 2024

Blitz cleaning day and nest labor!!

With Ben back here, things went really quickly in the cleaning blitz.  We were able to get to the library as well.

So glad the washing machine is back up and running again.

Paul has invited us all to watch "Uncle Buck" at 5PM  I'm enjoying the weekly Sunday evening movie tradition.

Back in a bit with details from the nest labor project I decided to work on.

Thanks for reading!

Sunday, September 8, 2024: Nest Labor


I decided to tackle getting the front passenger door of Toots to open as my nest labor today.

I saw it on the list that Stephen showed me, and said, "I'll give that a go!".

Since I had never been in Toots before, I went to assess the situation before grabbing tools.  The door, was indeed, stuck.

Since all the other doors opened freely, I decided to start the process by looking at the driver's side door first to see how everything worked.  Simple enough.

I went back to the classroom/shop and grabbed a socket set along with some screwdrivers.

I ended up going back to grab a small Allen wrench when I noticed that the window crank was attached using an Allen screw.

I removed the window crank, two screws on the arm rest to pop it loose, and then the door handle itself.  Then I was able to pop the door trim off of the inside of the door (as much as I could with the door shut).

After that, I sprayed the inside lock mechanism down with some PB Blaster and stuck my hand inside the door to try to pry the mechanism back and forth a bit.  After that, I was able to open the door from the outside!!  Success!!

I discovered that a plastic retaining clip inside has broken, which prevents the rod from staying attached to the inside door handle assembly.  

Luckily the outside handle is a slightly different mechanism, so it now works.  So it is "half-fixed" until I can figure a way to find that little clip (in pics below).  So I put the inside door handle and window crank back on, but left the door open for now.  I lubed everything up with PB Blaster, along with lubing all of the other doors.

So, it was a half-success.  I'll keep looking online, but I don't seem to be able to find any of these clips at auto parts stores so far.  Not surprising really, I used to work at NAPA for about 4 years right out of high school, and sometimes you just can't get parts to replace something.  I'll research other ways to secure it so that it can be opened from the inside.

Thanks for reading!  I'll be back tomorrow to kick off another week!

Sunday, September 8, 2024: Apple tree musings

So, you may have seen where I took pictures of a Prairie Spy apple tree at the lab earlier this week.

I've been trying to diagnose this tree so that I can try to save it before winter hits.

From what I have read, it could be:

pH and iron deficiency
If most or all of the leaves are yellowing, this could be due to a pH problem or iron deficiency. Applying a fertilizer with chelated iron can help, as can adding sulfur to the soil outside the tree's drip line.

Potassium deficiency
A lack of potassium can cause leaves to turn brown, especially later in the season. Apple trees use a lot of potassium to form apples.

Any thoughts about this?

I will repost the pictures below to possibly help with the differential diagnosis

Any chance sad apple was watered too much near the trunk and its roots rotted?

Jay Angler wrote:Any chance sad apple was watered too much near the trunk and its roots rotted?

That could be possible.  I will check on it tomorrow.

Any way to tell that without being too invasive?  We do generally hand water that tree, but it is in a very high sun area so it dries out fast.  It may just be getting too much sun.  It is completely by itself.

There is some chop and drop mulch that was put at the base that could be retaining too much water.  Possibly?

I think I will see if I can tell if the roots have started to rot tomorrow morning.  

I'll also bring some ash along for potassium, at the least.

Time will tell, but hopefully I can nurse it back to health before it goes dormant.

Monday, September 9, 2024: Morning

Hello all, and welcome to another week!

This morning we all met with Paul, and we discussed the tree that I have been posting about lately.  He advised me to take the advice that he received when he was gardening.  The advice is that deep mulching can fix most things (basically lol, I can't remember exactly!!)  We also discussed that Fred is arriving today, and we have some new short-term boots coming soon. We also have Harvest Week coming up!

This morning when we started at the lab, we gathered a bunch of mulch from near the Dances with Pigs Valley to take with us to the lab.

We set up some sprinklers and I went to work on the tree.  

As you can see in the pics below, the tree appears to have deteriorated even more.  I looked at the trunk close to the soil and did not notice and sliminess or anything there.  Of course, that doesn't rule out rot at all.

I created a "donut" of grass mulch around the tree, and attempted to get it pretty deep.  It may not be quite at 8" (as I think Paul said), but it's decently close.

Then we watered all over the lab area as much as possible, and wrapped things up for the first half.

I'll come back in a bit to delve into the afternoon's activities!

Thanks for reading!

Chris, from what I read about the Lab's ecosystem, would you consider getting lots more mulch and making the donut twice as wide as it currently is? It looks like there might be a path on one side, but the rest might benefit from even more protection. It would keep the roots cooler if your hot, sunny weather hasn't ended, and warmer this winter. With luck, the little tree will focus on root stretching/expanding over winter to give it and easier time next year?