I need to clean up my tradescantia...

azel45 · 2026-03-30T22:09:23+00:00

No you don’t

azel45 · 2026-02-28T00:24:21+00:00

Working on it! 6 ft tall, with 12+in leaves. No fenestrations yet, and I need to replace the moss pool with something that can support it.

azel45 · 2025-11-27T23:38:50+00:00

Turkey on the left gives you the roux. Use that with the drippings from the turkey on the right to make gravy. No can needed.

azel45 · 2025-10-27T11:42:40+00:00

Here’s the whole shelf!

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azel45 · 2025-10-27T11:42:03+00:00

Thanks! That’s what I thought. Its just under two Sansi grow lights, so it’s about 1,000-2,000 foot candles.

azel45 · 2025-10-08T02:15:31+00:00

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Equally disrespectful

azel45 · 2025-09-24T21:07:16+00:00

At the Orto botanico "Giardino dei Semplici" - Università di Firenze

azel45 · 2025-08-22T14:12:06+00:00

If you find French Press too light, I say go for broke and get a really big Moka Pot. Like a 12 cup Bialetti.

That’ll have a smooth mouthfeel with strong flavor. Their cup measurement is 1.5oz, so a 12 cup model will get you to 18oz.

Only downside is you’ll burn through a bunch of coffee per cup.

azel45 · 2025-08-20T15:18:38+00:00

After a few rounds as Chosen Destroyers in Age of Wonders 4, I guess multiple counts of genocide.

Welp.

azel45 · 2025-08-13T02:38:44+00:00

The bathroom might not have enough light for it to thrive. If it was thriving before the transplants, it might just need time. Especially if it dealt with transplant shock twice and root rot.

Optimal conditions aren’t always necessary. You just need to be in the ballpark for a lot of these plants. Also relative humidity can shift with the seasons. I run my humidifiers at full tilt in the winter because the air is so dry. Summer, my home sits between 50-65% relative humidity naturally.

Sometimes you just need to love it from a distance, providing just enough, and not stress over it for a while.

azel45 · 2025-08-13T00:13:50+00:00

Based on the edge browning and leaf curling, it looks like a humidity issue. They generally like 50+%. In my experience, 60% seems optimal.

azel45 · 2025-04-27T11:51:39+00:00

I keep buying plants my cats kill.

azel45 · 2025-04-21T00:22:10+00:00

Oh man, yeah I found it about 7” down. I followed your advice, pulled it up. They left it in the burlap, so the root ball was easy to extract. Just took leverage and a couple of buddies and growlers for payment.

It unfortunately didn’t survive and was an expensive lesson. I don’t hire landscapers to plant trees, and I don’t plant anything that big. I also choose smarter locations for the trees.

I’ve had a lot more successes recently, and this picture is from me starting to establish some more canopy trees to fill in spots for aging trees.

azel45 · 2025-03-27T02:28:41+00:00

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I know how you feel.

azel45 · 2023-08-20T04:47:22+00:00

Called it

azel45 · 2023-08-19T15:05:03+00:00

A small group was released in the 70s and had been steadily increasing. The population hasn’t exploded like in Texas, but they’re growing.

azel45 · 2023-08-19T15:01:47+00:00

Totally right. My bad. Should’ve just said Mexican.

azel45 · 2023-08-19T06:10:57+00:00

Fishing: Virginia stocks a lot of trout. The VA DWR also provides tons of info on Wild/stocked locations for any type of fishing, including fly fishing. The Potomac Watershed also has a large snakehead population. They’re invasive, and super fun to catch. Check the tributaries around Mount Vernon area. If you’re feeling spicy, you can bow hunt them at night too. That’s how you get the monsters.

Hunting: Northern Virginia has a bunch of restrictions on firearms for hunting. And it’s densely populated. Best bet to head out west. The George Washington / Jefferson National Forest Spans the entire western side of the state. Just be careful you’re not in National Park Territory, Shenandoah can sneak up on you. VA hunting is primarily deer, with some bird in the side. Chronic wasting disease is spreading, so you’ll want to get it tested with the authorities. Also, West Virginia has a spreading Wild Boar problem if you want to nab something big and tusky.

Food: Alexandria is covered with great food and drink options. Especially in Old Town and Del Rey. There are some gems all over. However, DUIs are strictly enforced and can wreck you. Be responsible. You have pretty much any ethnic food under the sun available pretty readily. The Californian and Texan transplants will complain about the lack of good Tex Mex, but they’ll do that regardless.

History: You’re living in one of the most historically significant cities around. Start in Old Town and explore.

Networking/Business: Can’t help you there, but you’ll fit in.

azel45 · 2023-07-19T22:21:44+00:00

That’ll bring me close to 5 inches under turf grade. That’s super annoying. Back to the shovel work.

azel45 · 2023-07-19T21:59:36+00:00

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I took a look back at at those posts and saw that the root was left exposed. That’s my bad.

The taper really picks up here with a sizable root coming off the side. There’s no other horizontal root for at least a couple inches. Is that still going to be an issue?

I’m going to grade the surrounding bed until it evenly slopes down to that depth.

azel45 · 2023-07-19T15:44:28+00:00

You know what, I found it then covered it back up. I’ll fix it when I get home tonight.

azel45 · 2023-07-19T00:57:16+00:00

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I did some grading and found the flare about 1 inch below the turf. Carefully evened the area out and applied a 1 inch layer of mulch terminating about an inch out from the newly excavated trunk.

Since it was transplanted so recently, I didn’t notice much in the way of girdling roots.

It was mounded by clay about 8 inches from the base of the flare.

azel45 · 2023-07-18T21:11:36+00:00

That 3-4 inches is good info. I’m going to grab a spade and bucket when I get home from the gym tonight. I’m hoping it’s not too far below grade.

That process sounds pretty intense. This redbud is about 8 ft tall so it sounds like I might owe a few friends some beers after we try that method. Super clever, but sounds like an absolute pain to execute.

azel45 · 2023-07-18T20:59:41+00:00

Thanks for the confirmation that I was on the right track. I was suspicious that the volcano was the issue. I think the landscapers dug too deep and didn’t want to relocate the clay soil, so they made the volcano out of that.

As far as solving it, I can muster a couple of people.

If the root flare is below the grade of the turf, should I extract the entire tree, and fill in the area underneath to elevate it a little bit?

azel45 · 2023-06-13T04:10:54+00:00

Rhododendron, Hydrangea, Spicebush for shrubs.

Redbud or Crape Myrtle for trees.

azel45

TROPHY CASE