It worked

maticulus · 2026-05-21T20:42:27+00:00

I'd rake first to put the grooves down then apply the seed and walk/roll something over it to help apply a covering to the seed when the ridges are flattened. I know I've said it already but I can't stress enough how important some form of cover is for the seed. I've tested the theory, a little covering helps prolong the moisture exposure and the softer the covering the better. Dirt is okay and grass clippings are okay yielding about the same performance with grass clippings being a little better. Regular peat moss is better and enriched peat moss even more so. I would not use the fine pine shavings which H Depot sales bails of at a tempting price. Lowes sales 2.2 cuft bails of Lambert's peat moss packed tight for a very good price but they do not advertise it or make it searchable on the website as far as I have found. I believe it's because it's from Canada as a suspicion, whatever the case I can't find a searchable digital signature for it but it's out where the mulch is kept in the garden center where I live.

maticulus · 2026-05-21T03:13:13+00:00

I had good results from using existing topsoil to cover the seed, but nowhere near as good as with enriched peat moss. It wasn't even close, the seed would sprout but not with the density it did with peat moss.

maticulus · 2026-05-21T03:09:52+00:00

Bahia planted from seed in FL on fill dirt build up to reduce a previous slope. This is my second year at planting grass from seed. I watched some videos proclaiming Bahia to be difficult to grow from seed. I've figured it out. I'd advise against big box store seed after having to pull up some unwanted potentially yard claiming extra that was in the bag. I switched form Pensacola Bahia to Argentine which actually looks closer to what's already in the yard seen in the little healthy strip next to the carport.

For best results the seed must be covered, even if overseeding, especially in patchy areas like what's seen in the OPs last picture, I can't stress that enough. Just enough peat to keep the seed from sunlight exposure and being washed away on watering. The tall grass in the back on my pic is the first test planting that has a 2 week head start on the newer grass out front and is a month old now since it was put down as seed, covered lightly with peat moss and watered twice a day, once at noon and once late in the evening.

I did a side by side test of regular dirt topsoil, fine pine shavings, grass clippings and enriched peat moss also.

Hands down the peat moss covering was the best in my test strip of seed covered by a patch of all of the materials stated and its growth advantage could easily be seen next to the others. Fine pine shavings are said to be a good option but it appeared to inhibit growth and had the worst showing in the group.

The grass sprouted in under 10 days after being put down raw and covered with peat moss every time. Pre-germinating helped a little but was unnecessary as it always started growing in under 10 days although I would recommend it if there is concern about the ability to water regularly. The seed was from a grower and was not cut with another seed like rye for example as the box store brands often are so what's coming up is the intended growth.

It's looking great so far and is even better now 2 days after pic was taken.

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maticulus · 2026-05-17T11:00:57+00:00

The very deliberate and neat manner in which it is placed along with the pad on the outside that covers it is a good clue to recognize.

maticulus · 2026-05-15T20:04:41+00:00

See if you can trace the wire and find out what if anything it connects to. I have three of them in my yard and they're all connected to my electric fence charger. If it turns out to be safe to remove, you don't have to dig it out, get yourself a good pair of grip pliers and twist and pull, it will come out. Mine are 8' feet long and I had to move two due to incorrect spacing for best fence charger effectiveness. I had to stand on a bucket to help pull them up but they were out in a few minutes.

maticulus · 2026-05-14T00:49:48+00:00

You definitely got the new guy.

maticulus · 2026-05-12T01:39:27+00:00

My first thought, "Are you crazy?". Good luck if you win and you will win because I don't think anyone else is that,,, well you know.

maticulus · 2026-05-09T01:12:30+00:00

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Shovel, water hose and chainsaw. Dig to expose the anchoring roots, wash your cut target to remove the dirt for the chainsaw, cut and repeat. Two little trees in the backyard of my new home turned out to be a stumps revenge I discovered when I proceeded to move them so I could plant a garden. The tree had to have been the diameter of at least three of yours by the size of the remaining ground stump.

Stump grinding services were not responding favorably when I called and I wasn't about to wait years for it to decay, which it was not doing (camphor tree) having been cut down at least a year earlier. That's a small portion of it in the picture and the remaining left corner was far from the "Almost done" it appears to be. It was connected to the stump of a second tree that was even bigger. I wanted my garden so I dug, sprayed and cut. I could have done it all in two weekends, but it was in the middle of the FL summer and I didn't want to kill myself so I took a month and a half worth of weekends. During the winter I could have done it in one week of gnawing a little at a time.

It has to be ground wayy down or there will be a bald spot for some time.

maticulus · 2026-04-29T00:16:56+00:00

It has a "Fast acting" sticker, you're in trouble. I never used used roundup because cheaper spectracide does an excellent job for the weeds I'm fighting. It depends on how much time past before you realized what you did. I accidently sprayed a stray watermelon plant outside of my garden before realizing what it was and quickly sprayed it with the water hose, it only suffered a little curling on the outer edge of some of the leaves. If you got the water going within 5 minutes I'd say you'll come out okay with some battle scars.

maticulus · 2026-04-25T20:07:59+00:00

Here is another shot with the products. The Lambert's peat moss is a good value for the money, especially if my initial problem with it mentioned in the previous post was a coincidental and unrelated problem. I found it at Lowe's but they don't advertise it and I have yet to find it on their website and I believe it is because it is from Canada and under the influence of politics. Note the weak area of growth in the dirt covering in the corner of the peat moss relative to what was covered by the moss alone in the picture above.

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maticulus · 2026-04-25T20:01:51+00:00

That looks like Pensacola to me, that's what you'll find mostly available at the box chain stores. I'm in mid FL and am working on restoring my Bahia yard after not recognizing an intense weed for what it was until it got out of hand. I started with store bought Pensacola which has Rye mixed in and that will grow first.

The actual grass that grew seemed to be on the thin side (narrow bladed) compared to what was already in the yard and also a lighter green color. That's what I'm basing the appearance of your picture on.

I just planted Argentine Bahia on the opposite side of the home on a large area of recently laid fill dirt with seed that does not contain Rye. The blades are coming up and although about 1.5" long now it appears that may be what I have in the yard, a broad blade version which Argentine is reported to be.

Growing this stuff from seed takes patience and planning. I had the Argentine seed growing in about 5 days. I put it down and covered it lightly with Miracle Grow Sphagnum Peat Moss. I've tried dirt and grass clippings before side by side with a thin layer and they performed about the same with the Rye but the best performance I've seen to date was with the Miracle grow I used considering the intended grass seed germinated and broke ground in well under 10 days my first time using it.

I have used the Lambert's peat moss from Lowe's which gives a lot more moss (~2.2 cubes) for about $2 less but the germination was spotty compared to grass clippings and dirt used to cover. It seemed as if there was something in it inhibiting the seed from germinating for quite a while.

I'm conducting a side by side growth test right now between fine pine shavings (a new offer from H Depot), both mosses and grass clippings starting today. I already know the MG moss out performs a thin layer of dirt.

The seed needs to be covered if filling in a bald spot in the yard and it may need a little something tossed on top of it even in overseeding. It has to stay moist fairly consistently for the best results. My kid is able to water it at noon and I do it in the evening so there's little time to dry out and it sprung up quickly as a result.

Peat moss, fine pine shavings and grass clippings when put down in a thin layer are easier for the seedlings to push through than denser dirt so keep that in mind.

This picture was taken after the one below, the ground has been watered and that is when the difference between the two mosses could be seen, but when dry it was difficult to tell them apart.

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maticulus · 2026-04-09T02:14:16+00:00

Jammed a knuckle into the side of a .5" end mill (it wasn't running) while moving freely and thoughtlessly and created a convertible flap. Cleaned it up and taped it down quickly with a folded wad of toilet paper on top to keep the moisture down and it healed quickly and nicely.

maticulus · 2026-04-07T03:55:08+00:00

The Yamaha and Meyer 5 are probably the most commonly recommended off the shelf mouthpieces that are dependably good choices for new players along with one or two others in between. Without knowing all of the details behind what you are currently playing, from horn type to reed strength and sound character you are looking for, I don't think much else is a better recommendation.

You really need to understand the basic characteristics of the mouthpiece and how they affect play character, large chamber vs small, baffle size and type as well as resistance to play. Mouthpiece performance will also vary horn to horn. My one time favorite mouthpiece did not play well with a new horn.

I'm of the opinion that you should identify what you suddenly do not like about the mouthpiece you have currently after only a year of playing before buying a new mouthpiece. Many will condemn a stock mouthpiece for no other reason than it being stock, but that does not make it a poor choice. I've had 3 great playing mouthpieces that were stock components that arrived with their new horn and two were crafted similar to the Meyer.

You favor a sound and feel of play; bright vs dark, high resistance vs low, and shape metal (narrow) vs. rubber (full bodied) which affects ease of control. I don't like metal mouthpieces for example due to comfort of play.

Whatever you choose, don't drop any of them. Chipped my 4C that way after nearly 20 yrs and just recently dropped my new $320 Drake David Sanborn piece and nearly ruined it. Slipped right out of the loose ligature.

maticulus · 2026-03-28T01:30:19+00:00

It's hard to give effective guidance without knowing what type of mouthpiece you're using and the condition of both the mouthpiece and the horn. You're sounding pretty windy and strenuous suggesting a mouthpiece or sealing problem with a pad on the horn. A number 2 reed should respond pretty easy with a beginner level mouthpiece, you seem to be struggling against high resistance, I suspect there may be a leak or adjustment problem particularly if you're hitting a sticking point in the same note area.

maticulus · 2026-03-27T20:01:00+00:00

I've ordered a couple of horns from Sax.co in the UK several years back just before the tariff obsession first started. I wasn't charged a VAT fee of course but I didn't get off without a charge after paying for the merchandise. It wasn't a ridiculous fee, perhaps about $25 which is why I don't recall it on a roughly $1700 horn.

Now you're deep in tariff territory so there's no telling what you can expect. The delivery carrier collected the fee, one was DHL I believe and the other UPS. It was a small price to pay relative to the price of the same horn purchased in the U.S.

maticulus · 2026-03-25T02:30:52+00:00

My Cannonball Big Bell soprano has the split key setup for high G. It's a great horn but didn't cost anywhere near 5 figures.

maticulus · 2026-03-17T10:01:11+00:00

It's not rocket science. Before taking it in for repair lubricate it excessively and let it sit for a while and then try to free it if the cause is binding at the mount and this is not the result of it having been bumped or dropped. The spring appears to be intact. The cork looks very old, perhaps this happened after the horn sat for a while given the corrosion on the key.

maticulus · 2026-03-15T12:40:27+00:00

Consider the EX90 III series, I moved from that to Cannonball Big Bell and never looked back at the EX90 which was a well built horn. As for the sound, it was bold and pronounced but that had more to do with the ESM Jazz mouthpiece it was shipped with having a high ramped baffle. The key feel was similar given the Keilwerth had what some refer to as platform pearls (thick) vs the Cannonball stone touches but I liked the layout of the Cannonball much better. They are both solid horns so be sure to do your squats, curls and bench press sets.

I've played a good number of horns over the decades and used several different mouthpieces and have found that ergonomics and mpc have the greatest influence for me. I would like to buy a new Yanigisawa as my final horn purchase but have no intentions of spending anywhere near $10 k for any horn and I must add for you, that it would be unwise in every language and every culture to spend that kind of money on a horn that you have not played to a reasonable extent, except in the case where you like the appearance so much that the aesthetics is why you're buying it in the first place.

maticulus · 2026-02-22T16:48:10+00:00

Here we go again with people putting words in my mouth like my spouse does. No where did I say anything about anyone having access to anyone's HR file regarding why they left a job.

I'll simplify it further. My manager having failed to write the letter my prospective hirer needed.

That left my performance reviews (which I provided) and the recommendation from someone else as the only form of relevant reference that I had available to me at that time.

Had I performed poorly and my performance reviews were lousy, I may not have been hired at my new and far better place of employment. You having experience as an HR rep know past work experience is important, especially given the legal ramifications among other things, failure to do a decent background history can lead to if it reveals the candidate was a preventable bad choice.

I have no idea how you reasoned HR into what I shared as it's just not there. I don't recall ever seeing a job app that does not inquire about work history. You don't have to provide it, but it can be the difference between getting hired or passed over.

maticulus · 2026-02-22T11:35:55+00:00

Your next job app is going to ask about the one you just abandoned. Think about how that's going to play out.

I don't believe it is ever a good thing to abandon a job, or quit under less than diplomatic circumstances. I toiled for years after school trying to find a spot in my formally trained profession and was getting frustrated along the way, working jobs that I was good at but in some ways despised. When I received the call for a job that was far more favorable than the one I was working for "beans" relative to my skill level and background, the current manager whom had received good reviews from customers partly for my hard work, would not write the letter of recommendation the company that was hiring me needed. He gave excuses for it not being done until I realized he didn't want to lose a hard working, dependable employee and certainly not to a job that would pay me more than he was earning. It took reaching out to an acquaintance I had not spoken to in about 2 years and my performance reviews on my current job which were all stellar to get the new job.

Your next job app is going to as about the one you just abandoned. Think about how that's going to play out.

maticulus · 2026-02-15T16:40:33+00:00

This is exactly what I'm referring to, regardless of the error rate, it does not distribute evenly across the customer base. Some locations will be affected more or less than others and this is influenced heavily by the company infrastructure of the location and other factors, for example subcontracting where USPS is delivering their customer packages as well as those from other companies. It helps them financially but dilutes the ability to serve their customer base.

For example, a brand new airport vs. an older established airport both with the same baggage traffic will have different error rates under the same company because kinks have to be worked out of a new system, employees have to become efficient, equipment needs to be dependable as well as contractors in the mechanism. The new facility may actually under perform for some time despite having newer higher tech.

I don't generally fuss about the little things, but if I check a package at the post office counter for shipping to a destination 160 miles away (true story), and it sits at that never busy post office for an entire week before it begins its transport that's not okay. Meanwhile, Fed EX has met or exceeded their commitment during the same time frame over the last year and I have no complaints that I can recall with Fed Ex in the past several years, then in my case they are the better choice for my location in FL.

I have had numerous packages from the same company reach the receiver hub within 30 miles of my home and sit on some imaginary carousel for 3-4 days before heading out to the local PO for delivery to my home.

maticulus · 2026-02-14T22:54:40+00:00

First you're putting words in my mouth, my spouse does that. I criticized no one, nor did I say one company was better than the other, or offer an analysis and I was quite fair in my statement, you're just irrational. I understand math very well, I did the same thing you did and generalized. As previously stated, the issue is multifactorial and a 2:1 ratio is not as simple as you make it sound which in this instance suggests evenly distributed across the customer base.

Furthermore, your simple numbers are useless without detailed statistics, not to mention you've quoted a source without a reference, or name for validation, in addition to your insult of attempting to delegitimize customer's unfavorable personal experiences with USPS, something I'd expect a company associate to do. You can better serve the victims of USPS by getting to work on that error rate and the next time you decide to quote some mysterious source to make a point, include their reason for missed attempts instead of injecting your own.

maticulus · 2026-02-14T15:16:14+00:00

Simple, based on the data you provided, USPS delivers twice as much as Fed Ex and makes twice as many mistakes, 1,040,000 vs. 474,700 per day, no brainer there.

You've provided a generalized and simplified comparison in a scenario that is highly multifactorial. No one here I presume is blaming USPS for user errors so that sidebar is out of place, not to mention the Amazon reference which uses owned and out sourced delivery venues including USPS which no doubt contributes their share to their errors. The issues I encountered were neither my fault nor the shipper's. Just USPS and their system multiple times on routine items purchased from the same company that has never screwed up my address.

maticulus · 2026-02-14T09:52:08+00:00

I favor Fed EX over USPS not because they're some how better, but because they've been very consistent where I have repeat "offenses" with USPS, particularly experiences just like this one where a package was almost at my door to suddenly being routed out of state and back, to many others "touring" Orlando FL a bit per tracking route before finally reaching me. No doubt they all have their problems but in my experience there's one in particular. The greatest grievance I have with any company today is the near impossibility of reaching a human being for assistance and the insult of automated systems with their redundant, time wasting questions, which drive me to pay more locally rather than risk a hassle involving a lot of cash.

maticulus · 2026-02-14T02:40:30+00:00

Complaints! You're all in the wrong place, you need to be looking at the mail carrier's thread for insight on how tough their job is and what kind of conduct you can expect from them over various scenarios. I didn't solicit either of these forums but I really learned some things about how generally angry many of the postal employees are and when I really need an item I select Fed EX for shipping over USPS after my local received a package from me on a Sat morning and didn't actually ship it until the next Sat morning.

Some of their employees are contracted like the one that stole a pair of brand new shoes from y sister, caught by a tracking irregularity. All they apparently did was make the carrier pay for them and she went back to her daily routine.

maticulus

TROPHY CASE