What did you do today non-detailing related?

This evening I said “Nope, nope & NOPE” to an octopus tentacle:
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Big Dave said:
The metal panels pop and bang when it's windy, which should stop now, and when it's hot outside the metal panels act like radiators, I'm not sure how much difference it will make on cold days, but we don't get below freezing much. It'll also be quieter when I'm using power tools.

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Smart...
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The start of the winter bare root season this year has been slower than usual. The first delivery from Flemings's arrived at 7am yesterday, of which 600 assorted ornamental and fruiting trees were sorted, labeled, orders pulled and then lined up and buried in sand. A process that took just on 8 hours to complete.

Circa 9am.......................



Eight hours later.....................



A number of varieties were not sent in that initial Fleming's delivery, so there will be a couple of follow up deliveries to follow. The majority of our fruit tree assortment will arrive next week from a secondary supplier. Roses and our yearly allocation of citrus trees typically arrive late June or early July.
 
I oiled the posts at the front of our house, it's a 6 monthly chore, my calendar reminder came up last week and I had to wait for some fine weather.

And I checked the tread depth on my tyres, they're down to between 5.6 and 5.2mm, they started at 9.5mm, so with the wear markers at 1.5 that means they're about half worn at just over 35,000km after 4 years. Yeah, sorry, I keep a spreadsheet. I need to keep my Excel skills up.

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DFB said:
The start of the winter bare root season this year has been slower than usual. The first delivery from Flemings's arrived at 7am yesterday, of which 600 assorted ornamental and fruiting trees were sorted, labeled, orders pulled and then lined up and buried in sand. A process that took just on 8 hours to complete.

Circa 9am.......................



Eight hours later.....................



A number of varieties were not sent in that initial Fleming's delivery, so there will be a couple of follow up deliveries to follow. The majority of our fruit tree assortment will arrive next week from a secondary supplier. Roses and our yearly allocation of citrus trees typically arrive late June or early July.
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I am afraid I am losing a very expensive spruce tree we planted last August, it did not do well over the winter

The maple trees and larch trees are fine, but the spruce is struggling and I don't have enough expertise to know why
 
5 hours of mowing, weed eating, and clean up

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Because I was a good boy I’m rewarding myself with a chuck roast on the grill

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chilly said:
5 hours of mowing, weed eating, and clean up

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Because I was a good boy I’m rewarding myself with a chuck roast on the grill

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The funny thing, that lawn would still need mowing in Australia. Scalp or go home is the norm here. :laughing:
 
chilly said:
I am afraid I am losing a very expensive spruce tree we planted last August, it did not do well over the winter

The maple trees and larch trees are fine, but the spruce is struggling and I don't have enough expertise to know why
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Are other plants around this spruce growing well, or struggling too? If so, then I would have the soil pH tested. This is pretty easy to do via a kit or take a sample to a local nursery and is easy to correct if the soil is excessively high or low. Research suggests spruce like a slightly acidic soil, between 5.5 to 7.0 and can be slow to grow with pH levels above 8.0.

Important to note - if the pH is incorrect, no amount of fertilizer will get the plant to respond, the soil locks up the nutrients and prevents the plant from accessing these nutrients. This is usually witnessed by the plant slowly going backwards over a period of time. You must correct the pH beforehand. This is something a lot of customers don't understand or can't comprehend, even after having this explained to them. :bash:

(I have a lot of cross-over in terms of pH with my day job and hobby. Knowing what acidic-neutral-alkaline does to plants is just as important as what that will do in terms of cleaning abilities.)

If the pH tests ok, then I would say that the root system has not developed as it should. This could be from being root bound when purchased and the plant has stayed where it's happy rather than developing a root system beyond the potting mix it was initially grown in. Again, you don't want to excessively feed the plant as it's clearly stressed, same thing when a human is sick, so mild applications of a root stimulant (we have a product called "Plant Starter" for this, which is an indole acetic acid) but you can also use a seaweed type product. Think of either as a multi-vitamin for plants, they are a supplement for overall plant heath. Once the plant improves in colour or shows sign of new growth, then go in with a heavy feed.

If the plant fails to respond, then put the axe next to it! Sometime a little fright will get a response! :laughing: Seriously though, sometimes you get a dud plant from the beginning. Considering you are in summer, I would do the above treatments and see what happens. By the end of summer/early fall, if they plant has not responded, pull it out and start fresh, in other words don't waste years reviving a plant that compromised from the start.
 
DFB said:
The funny thing, that lawn would still need mowing in Australia. Scalp or go home is the norm here. :laughing:
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All the lawns around here were done by the same hydro seeding company and all use the same Alaskan grown seed mix

The other houses look like hell because they scalp their lawns and this mix is meant to be cut 3”-4” tall, so that’s what I do

Plus I haven’t seen anyone else fertilize either


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DFB said:
Are other plants around this spruce growing well, or struggling too? If so, then I would have the soil pH tested. This is pretty easy to do via a kit or take a sample to a local nursery and is easy to correct if the soil is excessively high or low. Research suggests spruce like a slightly acidic soil, between 5.5 to 7.0 and can be slow to grow with pH levels above 8.0.

Important to note - if the pH is incorrect, no amount of fertilizer will get the plant to respond, the soil locks up the nutrients and prevents the plant from accessing these nutrients. This is usually witnessed by the plant slowly going backwards over a period of time. You must correct the pH beforehand. This is something a lot of customers don't understand or can't comprehend, even after having this explained to them. :bash:

(I have a lot of cross-over in terms of pH with my day job and hobby. Knowing what acidic-neutral-alkaline does to plants is just as important as what that will do in terms of cleaning abilities.)

If the pH tests ok, then I would say that the root system has not developed as it should. This could be from being root bound when purchased and the plant has stayed where it's happy rather than developing a root system beyond the potting mix it was initially grown in. Again, you don't want to excessively feed the plant as it's clearly stressed, same thing when a human is sick, so mild applications of a root stimulant (we have a product called "Plant Starter" for this, which is an indole acetic acid) but you can also use a seaweed type product. Think of either as a multi-vitamin for plants, they are a supplement for overall plant heath. Once the plant improves in colour or shows sign of new growth, then go in with a heavy feed.

If the plant fails to respond, then put the axe next to it! Sometime a little fright will get a response! :laughing: Seriously though, sometimes you get a dud plant from the beginning. Considering you are in summer, I would do the above treatments and see what happens. By the end of summer/early fall, if they plant has not responded, pull it out and start fresh, in other words don't waste years reviving a plant that compromised from the start.
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There are Larch trees flanking the spruce on both sides and they look great

Alaska soil is known to be a bit acidic but I will get a test kit and let you know what I find

Thanks for the comprehensive write up
 
We had a new employee start on trial this past Friday and Saturday. I struggle meeting new people, so I was somewhat on edge.

The new girl got thrown in the deep end owing to a shipment of 600 bare rooted trees to process, label and put into stock on the Friday, then a relatively busy Saturday shift. It was fantastic having another set of hands on deck, both dealing with customers in the shop, but also helping to get through a massive workload. On both counts, she proved very capable despite limited experience.

The Friday workload meant that the two deliveries of potted stock that also arrived ended up sitting out back while we prioritized the bare rooted plants. Normally, Saturday is all about selling rather than restocking, however Saturday mornings in winter are usually pretty slow customer wise, so it wasn't really an issue on this occasion.

I'm actually a bit anal about stock placement, mainly because I've been corrected just enough over the years to know what is expected (it's funny how negative feedback is always remembered). I'm a very literal type of person, so if I'm corrected on something, it should apply to EVERYONE. I therefore despise laziness when it comes to putting stock out, I would rather the time be taken to get it right from the beginning, rather than just dumping it with no thought and then me having to go back and fix it. If the stock looks good and is displayed nicely, then it makes it easy for customers to shop and buy, which in turn, keeps everyone employed.

Unexpectedly, the new girl was paired up with me to help put the stock out, in theory for me to set the bar for how I/we like things done. I always think it's crucial to not only explain how to do something, but why. It's all too easy to just say do this or do that, but explaining why we do things gives much greater context and purpose to the task.

After a general how and why word-up, I set her up with a blank canvas and 40 plants to arrange/display and left her to it while I worked close by. Pleasingly, the end result was absolutely fantastic, to the point where I didn't feel the need to tweak or critique the display. What I liked most was that when the display wasn't working, she rearranged the plants until the display was perfect. Exactly what I wanted, an eye for detail and the ability to self-assess.

It's been a very long time since I have had to train someone new, but its very rewarding to see the end result of your tutelage producing a high-quality result. This might come across as selfish, but I hope this new staff member stays on, it might just give me a new purpose in my own role.
 
chilly said:
All the lawns around here were done by the same hydro seeding company and all use the same Alaskan grown seed mix

The other houses look like hell because they scalp their lawns and this mix is meant to be cut 3”-4” tall, so that’s what I do

Plus I haven’t seen anyone else fertilize either


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To be clear, you are certainly doing it the correct way. Keeping the grass taller reduces water consumption and, contrary to what you would think, actually slows down the regrowth compared to a heavy cut. Fight or flight sort of thing.

In Australia, the average Aussie male thinks that if you cut the grass as short as possible, it will lengthen the time between cuts. The reality is actually the opposite.
 
Went with some friends to a Little Big concert. Not my cup of tea but was actually pretty entertaining.

Think I’m done with concerts. Feet and back didn’t like all that standing around.

Went a couple days ago to see Furiosa in D Box (seats move and vibrate with movie. Car scenes were cool).

Movie was good and action scenes were great…. Chris Hemsworth did a good villain.


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Coatingsarecrack said:
Went with some friends to a Little Big concert. Not my cup of tea but was actually pretty entertaining.

Think I’m done with concerts. Feet and back didn’t like all that standing around.

Went a couple days ago to see Furiosa in D Box (seats move and vibrate with movie. Car scenes were cool).

Movie was good and action scenes were great…. Chris Hemsworth did a good villain.


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If you like seeing Chris Hemsworth not playing the hero you should check this out. It's one of those films where you don't really know where it's going to end up.

https://youtu.be/TWJhIs5zEJ8?si=TkcY41lbRaKWxy7K



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I replaced the rubber molding at the base of my antenna, for the second time. I ordered it off Amazon for $15 delivered, ordered last night and delivered this afternoon by the Amazon ninja. I waited and watched, and at some point , while I was looking out the front window, they walked up and left it at the front door, then sent me an email to say it was delivered, and I didn't hear or see anything.

I used Dodo Juice Lime Prime on the scuff marks before installing the new molding, wiped with Eraser, and coated the panel with TWHS Graphene Infused Max Wax as it was already dark outside and a dew was forming.

I also ordered a watch opening tool, I'm sick of paying $50 a pop to have someone replace a $10 battery in less than 5 minutes. At least G-Shocks you can generally do yourself.
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Big Dave said:
I also ordered a watch opening tool, I'm sick of paying $50 a pop to have someone replace a $10 battery in less than 5 minutes. At least G-Shocks you can generally do yourself.
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I ordered one of those a while ago along with a tool to remove watch links. It's about time to buy a new watch battery to have on hand. I wear my dress watch so infrequently and it has a habit of being dead when something comes up. Thanks for the reminder.
 
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