If we buy anything, before it's able to work, the low life junkies cruising the country lookin for stuff to steal for dope money, they haul it off, and the electricity is off at the farm, so the well is down, has been for a couple of years.

 

I'd be tempted to set up a practical joke on the thieves - like go find a totally tore up lawn tractor (Blown engine, froze transaxle, the works) and paint it up like new. Tire shine the wasted old tires on it also.

Then see if there is some kind of hornet attractant that can be sprayed all through it, and leave it under an open shed like it was going to be used out there.

BEE-otchezzz...

 

Love to set something over a yellow jacket nest, tied to a string thats threaded into the ground in the nest.

 

It has been a long standing observation of mine that the only limit to "BOOBY TRAPS" is the greed and over-confidence of the "BOOB" in question...

On the "BEE" thing though - while some people are highly allergic to bee stings, it can not be proven that you attracted bees to a thing like that purposely.

Therefore, if such a thing were suspected and reported, the question then becomes:
"And what were YOU doing there, sir?"

FROM: "ASK.com"


Sweet drinks, protein foods and water will attract wasps in the summer. If you are trying to attract wasps they will find a muddy spot in dirt if it is dry out as they need to mud to make a house. Also, chemical wasp attractants are sold. You can find more information here: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/wasp-...repellent.html

 

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

 

~ and overconfidence the best exploit I have ever used

(quote me)

 

ON Lemon Grass and CITRONELLA plants (they are not the same at all)
They seem to have a rough time in blazing hot weather - leading me to believe they are more tropical than (Errr, ummm...) DUST BOWL type plants by habit.

They like heat, they like humidity (*Lots of), but they don't seem to tolerate being blasted by the at times laser-like noon day sun 'round hereabouts.

That having been said, they are both excellent porch and houseplants. I have my Citronella in the office here with me.

It got a bit crispy around the edges, so I have it by the window and mist it with my other green houseguests a few times per day. I consider it to be in intensive care for the time being


CENTIPEDE GRASS is the choice I made for the lawn upgrade project - and it has quite a few benefits.
Instead of re-writing what got my attention you should visit this lawn and garden link so I don't have to repeat it all:
http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=7439

That discussion right there was extremely informative, and was POINT BLANK centered on my own concerns.
"WHAT IS THE BEST GRASS FOR THE MEMPHIS AREA?"

I'm finding that Centipede grass is not only brilliant looking - but is also excellent natural weed control, helps hold water down in the soil (it's a thick leafed grass, that curls over to form better shade for the ground), and the seed heads (I call them "Aerials" because they look like old fashioned TV antennas) come out at a lower height than other grasses (much less weeds).

*If you grow it to an average depth of three to four inches, it forms a thick mat which crowds everything else out.
*At any time, you can let it grow a bit taller, and COLLECT GRASS SEED FROM THEM!

I was doing that earlier today - I took a wide tray out to the yard, held the long edge just below the seed head height of the plants (I might as well - I'm waiting for new mower blades) and swatted the seed heads, causing them to dump their load of new seed into the tray...

It worked out absolutely DIAMOND!!!

The seeds are so tiny they resemble pollen, or fine dirt. It seemed obvious they could drift a long way in even a moderate breeze, so the best place to start a few is on the prevailingly UPWIND edge of any property.
A single row planted along the windward side should (if it is let go to seed) cause the whole works to march across the lawn like Patton on his way to Berlin... In a few short weeks or months transforming the entire lawn.

MAC! I expect to gather quite a bit more seed for bare patch recovery if nothing else. I still have your address, so would you like to try a starter patch of it? A pound of fertilizer coated seed (most of the weight being the encapsulation) was $30. Finding out how it can be proliferated like this with hardly any effort at all means you can have the most amazing and expensive looking lawn in your entire area...

Besides, I owe you a good one for the book on HERBS!!!
It is by far the most expensive grass seed I have ever heard of, but it doesn't have to be among friends who know how to garden

~Wolfman Dutch

* As in the link above - the only better looking grass in North America is Saint Augustine Grass, but S.A.G. is prone to disease and other problems. Looking around the web, this grass got ratings of at least 4 stars everywhere ECLIPSING BERMUDA ENTIRELY!!!

* NEVER CUT IT SHORT. This grass does it's best job at three to four inches deep. Bermuda, as I recall, can tend to look blotchy at that height - this won't

* There is an additional benefit to setting your mower blades higher - they don't get ruined nearly as fast! Most things lost in the lawn are shorter than that

* You CAN get nature to work right beside you!

 

What I find as impossible for people to believe is Grass flourishes at 4+ inches, the roots are only as long as the blade if grass, and it allows it to smother out weeds, dads neighbor graduated horticulture and does landscaping. You should have seen my yard back where I lived, so thick I had a difficult time rolling through it in my chair.
I potted my Leek cutting the other day, you cut the rooted bottom off when using it for cooking, don't throw it out, just put in water, plant when roots are established.

 

10-4, but bermuda is kindergarten.

Centipede Grass is the best looking stuff I have ever seen...

Treating it like a real plant is key to a successful effort, and cutting anything so short that it cannot complete it's natural growth cycle is disasterous - resuting in bare brown patches and all the rest...

One of the most important jobs of grass on hilly yards is to prevent soil washout, or "EROSION"

You HAVE TO let it get tall enough to properly do it's job!

(THANK YOU Mark)



And once again:
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOUR BLADES BEEN TRASHED BECAUSE YOU SET THEM TO GROUND ZERO?

~Don't do that anymore, it's expensive...


The only reason to cut grass is so that it looks even

It looks ten times better when it is even but much deeper

DO NOT cut down to the level of low spots, it's a FOOLS TEMPTATION!!!
(Mark my words well)

Instead let them grow taller - or take plugs of good growing grass and set them into those places. Water better -
Whatever you have to do.

But a problem spot in a lawn is no good reason to BUTCHER the whole works

~Greywolf sendzzz


PS: All of the above may require a great deal of patience on your part. Do not allow your frustration to rule you - else you may well ruin the entire yard.

If a spot exists that just will not grow grass well - it needs to be looked at to figure out why.

DON'T ruin the rest to match it - or it will ALL look like it...

Make the most of what grows well

* If it comes to it - you may have to replace the soil in a spot that was contaminated by something like oil dumping

~on that note~

"NEVER PARK A '58 PANHEAD ON YOUR LAWN"

 

Housing mowed/scalped it and never came back, was in August, during the drought, since the big commercial mower couldn't maneuver the front, they used weedeaters, cutting it down near to the dirt, I gave up after that. I had argued for over a year with them, they congratulated me on my beautiful lawn, and then would tell me it needed cut, refused to believe that the reason I had the only lush green lawn was due to being left to grow. I would use time release lime, or spray nitrogen on it, Scotts Turf Builder II before spring to prevent weeds, it was a dark green, but after their butchering, all I had was weeds, cost was too high to fix it, so I quit, it takes time and a lot of money to get established. Mom and dad in 93 had to get the lawn killed out, then some soil brought in, fertilized, resewn, been years since then.

 

I would love to try some of that centipede grass----looks intriguing. Thank you, Wolf.

 

Gettin close to fall, when you plant greens, and put something on the yards, can't recall what goes out tho.

 

Mac - I'll make an effort to harves some extra seed and send it your way.

Mark -
It's amazing that a commercial outfit of any kind would murder a good job like that, when IF you look at most commercial operations (if their landscape crew is in the know) what you find is tall grass, maintained just like we have discussed.

The bonuses are right there, look at the equipment savings alone just from blades not bent up and worn out, belt damage from sharp, sudden stoppages, pulley spindle wear from hard stoppages, and etc...

Then there is the overall appearance - especially after it all turns (F)ing brown and DIES...

The good outfits let NATURE WORK FOR THEM, they don't work against it.

Examples of well maintained commercial properties are:
Hospitals
Business complexes and Office Building grounds
Apartments and Condominiums or Townhouses
Luxury Hotels
Tourist Attractions
GOLF COURSES especially...

~All of these kinds of places have something in common, they hire professionals who know how to get results - and if you go to some of these types of places or stop on the way to somewhere, the depth of their good looking lawns is immediately apparent. They NEVER EVER SHORT CUT the turf.

It is the fastest way to ruin it all, and your equipment and lawn maintenance budget besides

I suppose the topper of them all is just this: That old saying "Consider the Source"
When you see a really nice lawn, go look at it. CLOSELY!

You will find it is DEEP and GREEN

Mark II:
Lettuce
Cabbage
Brussels Sprouts
Spinach

~All of those love cold weather, even snow

PROOF of CONCEPT:

Mixed lettuce, Italian Blend. In summer all of these plants BOLT and don't produce broad salad worthy leaves...

In the winter they huddle together and form solid "HEADS" excellent for the table

They are the best thing of all to grow at the end of the regular growing season!
*Pic taken just after brushing a covering of snow off of them, they continued to grow on until spring

Lettuce can also be grown indoors in low-light conditions and cooled by house air conditioning - which most plants don't like.
All of these cause the leaves to become bigger, they "COMPENSATE" for it...

CABBAGE especially only grows well in the winter.


Think now about the name: "ICEBERG LETTUCE"

 

Don't forget that PEAS also love cooler weather.

 

'll have to consider that - and thanx.

I got two varieties of Venus Flytrap in the mail - and I thought it would be a package I would find in an area I designate for the drivers. I have no idea how long they were in my mailbox in bad heat...

They are recovering now in the terrariums I set up (two of) and when they stand Up I will post pix.

I also got a "BONUS" plant that looks like some sort of staghorn.

Updates to follow