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Post by ironhold on Dec 5, 2013 13:37:34 GMT
Any more gardening myths you can think of that MB could test? I though of the old technique for getting rid of ants, which involves pouring a flammable liquid down the hole and igniting it. First how effective is this, and second how dangerous is it? There are more than a few accounts of people ending up in hospital (or dead) from doing this, and I even seem to half recall a story about a man who either managed to set fire to his entire garden and/or his house. How about "soapy water" or "boiling water" instead of flammable liquids? |
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Post by the light works on Dec 5, 2013 14:37:38 GMT
But that is the joy of a pedestrian controlled vehicle... You can walk it down any path and mow the lawn of choice... Thats just Devils-advocate sales talk there, and yes, you have a point, but I mow from one side of the lawn to the other away from the plug-in point, that way I have less chance of mowing the lead?... Then I mow the edge of the lawn back to the plug in point, being careful NOT to mow the lead. and the joy of mine is it no longer takes 4 hours and some "motivational speaking" to mow my lawn. |
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Post by the light works on Dec 5, 2013 14:38:50 GMT
Any more gardening myths you can think of that MB could test? I though of the old technique for getting rid of ants, which involves pouring a flammable liquid down the hole and igniting it. First how effective is this, and second how dangerous is it? There are more than a few accounts of people ending up in hospital (or dead) from doing this, and I even seem to half recall a story about a man who either managed to set fire to his entire garden and/or his house. that would be a logistical challenge - but it would be quite impressive TV. |
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Post by ponytail61 on Dec 5, 2013 18:34:28 GMT
One that could be tested even though it may take awhile is scarecrows as bird deterrents. You could pit scarecrows against noise makers and those whirly type apparatuses. I saw an article last week where a vineyard is now using those inflatable wavy tube man things because everything else was failing. Here's an article on it. online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304337404579210132891841764 |
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Post by silverdragon on Dec 6, 2013 7:51:37 GMT
I had a wasp nest, or hornet nest, in my garden once.
Underground, under a tall grass plant... I didnt like that plant much anyway?...
I did the petrol down the hole and set fire to it....
I can see the problem.
It was rather hard to get it alight?....
The petrol soaks in, or disappears down the hole rather quickly...
So MORE petrol?...
I can see people after a Darwin award ending up putting a gallon or two down that hole and getting more of an explosion?...
I got thinking, and set my Blow torch on the problem....
That got a light.
After I was sure it was done, crispy fried critters, I then got a Rotavator on the patch of ground and planted a tree with hard roots... I didnt want them coming back again.
No I did not loose an eyebrow... I had cut off the grass plant above ground and cordoned off the area... to keep the dog away...
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Post by the light works on Dec 6, 2013 7:55:51 GMT
we had one, we took the backhoe and tamped it down a bit. left a hollow about 3 feet across and a good 8 inches deep. had a couple I dropped a can of liquid diazanon on the hole on the way by, and picked up the empty can the next day (at the time it was illegal to sell, but not illegal to apply existing stock)
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Post by silverdragon on Dec 6, 2013 8:01:27 GMT
I would have gone the poison route, 'cept I have a pond rather too close for comfort there, and Dogs, so I try to go for a non-poison method?...
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Post by the light works on Dec 6, 2013 8:04:56 GMT
I would have gone the poison route, 'cept I have a pond rather too close for comfort there, and Dogs, so I try to go for a non-poison method?... In general I maintain a live and let live policy - but wasps are an exception. they get terminated with extreme prejudice. |
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Post by silverdragon on Dec 6, 2013 8:41:56 GMT
They dont do much except territoriality sting ANYTHING that gets near?...
So they have to go.
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Post by the light works on Dec 12, 2013 2:18:38 GMT
Busted. As in the chain is Busted. I had an anti-kick, it was slower than the one I changed to, created more burning, was infuriatingly slow, took longer to cut, was slow, and how many other ways can I say it just was SLOW at cutting?... You ended up putting undue pressure on the blade trying to get it to cut... I now have a "{person of questionable parentage}" blade (Thats the local term for it.... as it is THAT sharp...) that cuts very quickly, very cleanly, doesnt "catch", because it doesnt spend that much time in the wood?... Anti-Kick is useless. a properly designed anti-kick chain should not cut any worse than a standard chain, since the anti-kick bits only stick out at the tip. they may be slower than a commercial grade chain, because they have shallower teeth, but that's a matter of not being in such a rush. you're supposed to let the teeth do the cutting. it's a saw, not an axe. mine runs a semi-skip chain so I don't bog it down cutting the big stuff. that means it'll occasionally throw the little stuff; but I can bury the bar to the tip, and just let the weight of the motor feed it through the wood. most of our bigger saws run a full skip chain (a skip chain is one that is missing teeth. semi skip is missing every third, and full skip is missing every other tooth - that puts less teeth in the wood and cuts slower, but requires less horsepower to drag it through the wood.) this is the saw in question. |
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Post by paulsee on Dec 14, 2013 13:44:44 GMT
Not exactly myths but hope they are ok.
1. Do Aireator shoes/sandals really work or would golf shoes with metal spikes be ok ?
2. Is Salt or Vinegar good weedkillers?
3. Soap Suds of the dishwasher or washing machine help keep bugs away from plants.
4. Bees are attracted to colorful hats, so best to wear non colorful hats. Also, would flower patterns in
hats attract bees?
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Post by the light works on Dec 14, 2013 18:22:53 GMT
Not exactly myths but hope they are ok. 1. Do Aireator shoes/sandals really work or would golf shoes with metal spikes be ok ? 2. Is Salt or Vinegar good weedkillers? 3. Soap Suds of the dishwasher or washing machine help keep bugs away from plants. 4. Bees are attracted to colorful hats, so best to wear non colorful hats. Also, would flower patterns in hats attract bees? it would probably take a while to test - but do aerator shoes make a difference at all? I have heard people say to use old golf shoes with metal spikes. personally, other than trying to punch drain holes through the sod we misguidedly used in the dog run, I have NEVER aerated a lawn - but then I am less picky about my lawn than some. 2: both kill weeds - whether they do it better with less side effects than commercial weed killers is testable. 3: besides household soaps there is also a grade of "Insecticidal soap" sold in most garden centers - again, testable. 4: bees will check out bright colors to see if they are flowers. |
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Post by silverdragon on Dec 15, 2013 10:46:58 GMT
You want free from Greenfly, get Box hedge.
Take a few leaves from Box hedge, and steep them in water for a while.
Grab a whole handful from Hedge clippings and put them in a bucket of water.....
Maybe a day or two...
Then filter the bits out and use the water as a spray....
Greenfly HATE the smell and chemicals in Box hedge... you dont get greenfly on Box hedge.
(You may get them using it as shelter, but they do not eat or stick to it...)
I have been using this instead of commercial greenfly spray for the last [x] years, I dont need to use it as frequently, and I know its not poisonous to anything else....
Especially the increase of garden birds that go through my roses looking for bugs to eat?...
Otherwise,
Salt kills weeds, but then makes the soil too poisonous for anything else to grow.
Bees and other insects are attracted to anything that has a high ultra-violet reflection.
Get your hat under a UV camera to see if it will attract insects.
This is how commercial bug killers work, strong UV lamp under a network of zappers.
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Post by Lex Of Sydney Australia on Dec 28, 2013 13:37:46 GMT
Has anyone ever heard the one about the psycho weed wacker that the weed wacker blades came off of at high speed & sliced up some poor guys legs? I also heard a myth about vodka being used as a weed killer.
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Post by the light works on Dec 28, 2013 14:25:57 GMT
Has anyone ever heard the one about the psycho weed wacker that the weed wacker blades came off of at high speed & sliced up some poor guys legs? I also heard a myth about vodka being used as a weed killer. I have never heard of it, but with the blade I use, it would be worth a test. the challenge would be coming up with the release. (point for consideration - my weed eater spins its blade faster than a circular saw does.) |
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Post by Lex Of Sydney Australia on Dec 29, 2013 0:48:10 GMT
Has anyone ever heard the one about the psycho weed wacker that the weed wacker blades came off of at high speed & sliced up some poor guys legs? I also heard a myth about vodka being used as a weed killer. I have never heard of it, but with the blade I use, it would be worth a test. the challenge would be coming up with the release. (point for consideration - my weed eater spins its blade faster than a circular saw does.) The myth I heard was that guy hadn't maintained his weed wacker properly & some of the nuts & other bits were loose damaged/rusty/corroded & that when he started it up it all basically just shook loose & then shot apart at warp speed slicing his leg apart. He nearly lost his leg it was so messed up & needed something like 100 or so stiches to hold it all together.  I don't know how they would do it either, but if they do test it I see one mangled human analog in the future. |
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Post by ponytail61 on Dec 29, 2013 2:25:13 GMT
I have never heard of it, but with the blade I use, it would be worth a test. the challenge would be coming up with the release. (point for consideration - my weed eater spins its blade faster than a circular saw does.) The myth I heard was that guy hadn't maintained his weed wacker properly & some of the nuts & other bits were loose damaged/rusty/corroded & that when he started it up it all basically just shook loose & then shot apart at warp speed slicing his leg apart. He nearly lost his leg it was so messed up & needed something like 100 or so stiches to hold it all together. I don't know how they would do it either, but if they do test it I see one mangled human analog in the future. It was probably this guy. It was back in 1998 so I couldn't find any news articles but there are plenty of law pages on it since he won over $5 mil. in a lawsuit. www.kentuckytrial.net/Articles/Man-who-was-injured-while-using-trimmer-awarded-5-78-million.shtml This is probably the type of head that caused the damage. |
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Post by wvengineer on Dec 29, 2013 5:35:28 GMT
One that could be tested even though it may take awhile is scarecrows as bird deterrents. You could pit scarecrows against noise makers and those whirly type apparatuses. I saw an article last week where a vineyard is now using those inflatable wavy tube man things because everything else was failing. Here's an article on it. online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304337404579210132891841764To add to this, how effective are fake owls? Several stores in my area have plastic owls in their plant section. Also, where I work, we have a few balloons that vaguely resemble owls in some of our warehouse and staging areas. You can compare those to the other deterrents. |
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Post by the light works on Dec 29, 2013 14:27:42 GMT
The myth I heard was that guy hadn't maintained his weed wacker properly & some of the nuts & other bits were loose damaged/rusty/corroded & that when he started it up it all basically just shook loose & then shot apart at warp speed slicing his leg apart. He nearly lost his leg it was so messed up & needed something like 100 or so stiches to hold it all together. I don't know how they would do it either, but if they do test it I see one mangled human analog in the future. It was probably this guy. It was back in 1998 so I couldn't find any news articles but there are plenty of law pages on it since he won over $5 mil. in a lawsuit. www.kentuckytrial.net/Articles/Man-who-was-injured-while-using-trimmer-awarded-5-78-million.shtmlThis is probably the type of head that caused the damage. I have a cutter that is of a similar style, and it is pretty routine to break teeth off of it. they are plastic, so if you hit something too hard with it, the teeth can shatter. they are also very lightweight, such that without the motor driving it, it loses kinetic energy very rapidly. a quick search failed to turn up a picture of the trimmer head in question, but it sounded like in his case, the claim was that the entire entire trimmer head broke away. on mine, I use a flat steel blade, and if I hit something with it too hard, it can force the blade off center; but the main bolt is reverse threaded, so any normal cutting impact on the edge will tighten the bolt - and if it loosens at all, the blade slips off center, making it essentially unusable. personally, I suspect the guy in the article hit himself in the leg and broke the trimmer to shift the blame; but I am willing to consider a defective machine might be able to cause injury. again, though - I am drawing a blank on how the mythbusters can make their test rig to spin the blade up and release it. |
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Post by Cybermortis on Dec 29, 2013 17:12:14 GMT
And electromagnetic 'lock' that is contained entirely in the centre of the head might work. Power cables would therefore pass through the centre and not need to rotate. Turn the power off and the lock would release the blades - or alternatively a similar system could work to release the entire head.
They'd probably want some extra safety here, in which case the system could be reversed to have bolts holding the blades/head in place, and which are pulled back to release the blades or head when the electromagnet is powered up.
****
Note; I was kind of hoping for the more spectacular types of garden mythhaps, such as the one posted above or setting fire to the garden and so on. The sort of things that make for good visuals and which you REALLY couldn't test safely at home or wouldn't see on a gardening show.
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I don't know how they would do it either, but if they do test it I see one mangled human analog in the future.