What non automotive projects and repairs are you doing?

[xHeart]

There are nine Sarah Bernhardt Peony clusters in our garden. The last two seasons, these fully grown 20 year strong bushes were covered with leaves that were brownish, spotted and stained, and blooms smaller short lived.

Some three weeks ago, early May, about 12-16 inch tall, their leaves had curled inward, but the leaves were looking nice and green - no sign of decolorization or spots. Three week later, the bushes are looking great once again -- bloom time is near.

The suspects and care: Cold weather, under-watering, disease, and sucking insects are the main causes of peony leaves curling. To fix curled leaves, water the peony when the soil is 2 inches dry and make sure it is in a place protected from cold winds. Provide the plant with good air movement and spray it with horticultural oil.

[abscate]

I have changing my brake fluid on my 2007 BMW R1200GSA on my to do list, did a valve check earlier this year. Most motorcycle manufacturers push to replace the fluid every two years to keep moisture out. My main thought is that and keeping the ABS pump alive too.

I find it curious though as most domestic cars rarely worry about brake fluid changes...you guys have a set interval for brake fluid changes on your Volvos?

This is one of the most neglected service items in the US , imho. I often see cars 6-7 years old where the fluid cap has never been removed. The first brake job on a car is usually 30-40k miles, at which point the fluid is already 4 years old and is at 2x it’s life. Dot5 silicone Fluid, which does not absorb water is used more in later models though

[volvolugnut]

I have not been working on any repair or maintenance projects lately. I am battling green growth of grass, weeds, and bamboo. I want to keep the bamboo cut down in the area I cleared this spring. It keeps sending up new shoots and I cut them down. I think there may be a 'best' growth size to cut it down. It may be when the root system has expended more energy to grow the sprout, but the new growth has not started to gather sunlight energy to replenish the root system. So I try to cut it before it forms full leaves.
It does not create new sprouts all year, so this will stop some time.
volvolugnut

[gnalan]

I have not been working on any repair or maintenance projects lately. I am battling green growth of grass, weeds, and bamboo. I want to keep the bamboo cut down in the area I cleared this spring. It keeps sending up new shoots and I cut them down. I think there may be a 'best' growth size to cut it down. It may be when the root system has expended more energy to grow the sprout, but the new growth has not started to gather sunlight energy to replenish the root system. So I try to cut it before it forms full leaves.
It does not create new sprouts all year, so this will stop some time.
volvolugnut

Do you have a pet Panda? How/why do you grow bamboo? (Just curious. I've never seen it growing anywhere, or even know anyone that grows it until now. You continue to amaze me.)

[volvolugnut]

No pet pandas, although that may solve my problem.
A next door neighbor planted the bamboo. It is native to some areas in the south. There are many varieties, but they are all very invasive. It crossed to our property and kept expanding. It grows from root runners and sends up new shoots in the spring. This type can get to 15-18 feet tall here and stalks at ground 2 inches in diameter.
I only want to get rid of it. I have written about it before in this thread (I think). It will die back with a freeze below -10 degrees, but we seldom get that here. Clearing it to the ground for several years will kill that area. Usual herbicides do not kill it.
volvolugnut

[BlackBart]

That stuff is hard to control. We had a neighbor (10' away!) in Seattle who planted this beautiful black bamboo. 15' high, pure black, bright green leaves. My wife said, Ohh, I wouldn't do that, it'll take over. He said, It'll be fine. It was also above his sewer line. You could watch a start come out of the ground and by the time you came home from work, it was out of the ground 6", insane. Luckily we were 2-3' higher than his lot and had a stone retaining wall and sidewalk there. It couldn't get through it. But on his side it did take over and started wrapping around his house. He finally got his buddies over and they spend a weekend with pickaxes, shovels, and power tools, and hauled a truckfull of it away.

The only thing that really works is a deep sheet metal "dam" buried a couple of feet down. The roots travel horizontally and won't dive under it.

[gnalan]

That's interesting. I didn't know there's black bamboo came in black. Just think of all the interesting things you could build with the bamboo. You'd have another supply by the time the next project rolled around.

I wonder what a bamboo sided Volvo wagon would look like compared to the older woodgrain panelling Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth liked to use.

[Sveedy]

It makes a really nice floor.

And back in the 60's I seem to remember a certain smoking apparatus......

[gnalan]

And back in the 60's I seem to remember a certain smoking apparatus......

Did it get you... bamboozled?

[Sveedy]

I'm sorry - what did you say ? Were you talking to me ? What were we talking about ? Hey, look at that cloud.....