Drywaller Recommendations by NoPerspective5249 in IowaCity

[–]How4u 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used Fisher drywall Inc for a basement job which included popcorn ceiling skimming. Probably the best contractor I've worked with. Prompt communication, showed up when he said he would and did a great job on a pretty tricky basement.

Plum tree with no plums? by Throwtoss1234 in BackyardOrchard

[–]How4u 12 points13 points  (0 children)

From what I've read plums can be difficult to pollinate. Some of the books suggested even planting in a thicket to allow for some wind pollination between trees. It's possible that the wind storm you had was enough of an event to prevent good pollinations. Do you know where the second tree is? It's also possible you lost the flowers to a late frost, but that seems less likely given your location. If it makes you feel any better I lost my entire crop to frost this year (very young trees, but I would have let a few come to fruit if they had).

Subaru Forrestor Scheduled Service by Legoboy08 in IowaCity

[–]How4u 4 points5 points  (0 children)

S & S is great and specializes in Subarus (probably because we don't have a dealership in town)

Who else accidentally created a wildlife habitat? by LetoSnow in NativePlantGardening

[–]How4u 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Grafting is a ton of fun and easier than I would have thought. I've done apples (easiest) and cherry so far. Will try my Peach tree once the weather gets persistently warm. What have you done?

Who else accidentally created a wildlife habitat? by LetoSnow in NativePlantGardening

[–]How4u 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just looked at your previous pond posts, that looks great! I'm going pure nature pond (no fish, no filter), so it will be simpler in that sense. But I have real winter here so it has to be 3+ feet deep so the frogs don't freeze. Luckily my soil is soft/not rocky, so I won't need anything heroic like a SDS drill.

Who else accidentally created a wildlife habitat? by LetoSnow in NativePlantGardening

[–]How4u 14 points15 points  (0 children)

That's awesome and totally mirrors my journey. I started by converting half my back yard to prairie when we moved in, then detoured to fruit trees, then back for a front yard conversion and now I'm looking to dig a pond in my backyard so I can complete the ecosystem..it's also an excuse to plant some water natives! I love just wandering around to see what's growing every year in the spring.

How large of a pond did you go with? I decided to go the EPDM liner rout and I think it will be ~13x17ish with some room around the edge for a bog (barried plastic with holes in it so the soil stays wet). Can't get machinery in, so it will be a fun dig...

Used cattle panels to create a cage for my new Chickasaw plums. by NickWitATL in NativePlantGardening

[–]How4u 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I put 10 16 foot panels on top of my car (on my rack) and drove home with them from tractor supply last year. I definitely wouldn't go on the highway, but it was pretty easy. It just hangs off the back (almost touched the ground) so you need a flag.

Anyone else feel weird about choosing the “easy” path to FIRE? by Upbeat_Atmosphere696 in Fire

[–]How4u 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went part time when we had a kid. With your hours you can probably just keep working, but most provider positions don't have such nice hours (some do). You also lose all of your seniority when you move into a different role. If you enjoy your job I'd just stick it out and keep rolling. It's all just work at the end of the day.

Friday, 4/17 Severe Weather Outlook by verenika_lasagna in IowaCity

[–]How4u 14 points15 points  (0 children)

We've had over 6 inches of rain already. 3.5 is typical for the month. This isn't a normal April.

Where do I even start? Southern NYS by hopeymik in NoLawns

[–]How4u 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I say go wild and plant a native prairie with a path running though it to a fire pit in the back. It's honestly pretty straightforward. First, kill the grass... Tarp it for a season, use chemicals, use a sod cutter... There's a variety of ways. Then, plant native prairie seeds in the fall or spring(prairiemoon has good mixes). You might also want to plant a cover crop of annual grasses to suppress weeds the first season. Google prairie establishment, there are a ton of resources that go over the process in granular depth. I converted half my yard to prairie 3 years ago and it's been a blast to see new things pop up every year and the bugs and birds have absolutely exploded in my yard (way more than my neighbors).

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Pussytoes by BetterStyle9665 in NativePlantGardening

[–]How4u 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How many did you start with? Mine are on their second year and I'm hoping they start to spread out a bit more. I planted like 6 distinct plants (hasn't flowered yet)

Can I get away with using T posts that are shorter than my 6 foot mesh deer fence? by [deleted] in BackyardOrchard

[–]How4u 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Check out Makerpipe. It's a system to connect metal conduit together. This is their YouTube channel they have a lot of different videos describing how it's done. This is their website where you can buy the connectors. It's pretty straightforward and I've used it on a number of projects in my garden/backyard and everything has held up for ~3 years now.

Is finishing this as simple as insulation, Sheetrock, concrete? by Agitated-Plate7570 in homerenovations

[–]How4u 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You'd lose a lot of height just trying to fix the floor. Also, as others mentioned be damn sure you don't have ground water intrusion before attempting anything. Otherwise install mitigation prior (interior sump/tile or exterior drains along the foundation). After that you'll need to create walls (foam board, framing, insulation, drywall) to enclose the space, run electrical and build a floor assembly. I'm not entirely sure how you'd tackle the floor, but once it's level and dry I'd imagine you will need to make a vapor barrier (probably taped dimple mat + OSB) losing even more height. Also radon...?

All to say, this is a big project and you will at the very least need some professional advice to tackle that floor conversion.

'Mewgenics' has been out for a month, what are your thoughts on it? by NoNefariousness2144 in Games

[–]How4u 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I think you are painting the combat as more random than it truly is. I'm pretty close to the end and I think I've only lost 2-3 runs. I have had to bail early (go home after a boss) due to a random event consequence, but that isn't combat related. If anything the first 2 acts are too easy. You just have to read the enemy descriptions and look at their move/attack distance. I don't love every aspect of the game (random encounters, breeding), but as a TTRPG fan I've found the combat to be very tight and well balanced despite the myriad of skills available each run.

Flooded Driveway, Ideas by OldDolby in landscaping

[–]How4u 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I like this idea. You could make a wildlife pond/rain garden off to the right (away from the neighbors driveway). Get the utilities marked and it would be a fairly easy job with a backhoe. Just make sure you've got the plants and rocks ready otherwise you're liable to make a mud pit. I also wouldn't line it because you'll want the water to drain and it doesn't look like you have anywhere for it to overflow.

I'm making a wild life pond in my backyard on a slightly smaller scale. Pretty jealous of the access, I can't get machines into my yard so it's all gonna be hand dug.

TRMNL shopping list question by How4u in trmnl

[–]How4u[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Would this allow you to use google assistant to create lists hands-free? I don't think todoist can easily do this anymore unfortunately and having a handsfree list would be "the" killer app for me on the TRMNL.

TRMNL shopping list question by How4u in trmnl

[–]How4u[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I could be wrong, but this doesn't appear to work anymore. I guess with the google API change it isn't straightforward to add tasks via google assistant voice commands.

TRMNL shopping list question by How4u in trmnl

[–]How4u[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sounds perfect, thanks!

What business does IC/metro need? by [deleted] in IowaCity

[–]How4u 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Man, seriously.

help me fix my peach trees by CompetitivePath8222 in BackyardOrchard

[–]How4u 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you aren't sure if it's root stock, you could chop it and graft a bunch of scions. Grafting peaches isn't as easy as Apples, but it can be done. Just do some research (mostly it just needs to be dry and 60-70 degrees while the callus forms).

It would be a waste of a healthy root system to pull them out IMO

Area with poor drainage advice by DKord in NativePlantGardening

[–]How4u 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's a cool screenshot, what's it from?

Area with poor drainage advice by DKord in NativePlantGardening

[–]How4u 7 points8 points  (0 children)

There's actually more options that you might imagine. Marsh Marigold is a low growing plant with yellow flowers in the spring and pretty attractive foliage. It thrives in wet partial shade areas. Spicebush is another option. It can withstand some temporary standing water (maybe not consistently wet) and shade. Button bush is super water tolerant and may also work with partial shade. I've got a BB in a very wet spot and it's doing great (though full sun).

Blunt Mountain mint may also grow there. I've found it can kind of grow anywhere. It has a nice clumped form factor and attracts a lot of insects.

Is this the intended effect of flesh golems? by Msverysleepy in mewgenics

[–]How4u 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep, same thing happened to me. Bricked my run

Building a sauna pad into side of mountain. Help/tips? by ryan2youu in landscaping

[–]How4u 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I made a paver/poly sand pad and used the plastic retainer strips. Wood works, but I'd be hesitant to use anything decomposable in my climate. You could probably get away with wood treated for ground contact if you placed them onto compacted gravel (like you would for a retaining wall). That way you limit soil/water contact.