SD'S GOING OFF TOPIC - GARDEN VENTURES & other pursuits '22

[sd]

5-11-2022 update Went fishing today, really windy and chilly in the am! Lolo and i caught a few small Crappie on minnows- - none were keepers-Wind was rough, and we bailed out about 2 pm-
I had viewed several hours worth of Youtube videos on growing Kiwis- both the conventional as well as the Hardy -
Many thanks to all the You tube information-

Boy, was I ignorant when I thought I could simply set a middle wire and a top wire to grow Kiwis on! That was many years ago, and i likely wasn't doing much research at that time- The many youtube videos from commercial growers show how extensive a support is required- If one had just a single fruiting female (along with a male) , they need to allow for each plant to potentially develop up to 20- 30' in length! My Kiwis are spaced at about 10' apart- way too close together-but i'll make adjustments one step at a time.

Kiwis grow similarly to grapes, but need a single upright, and 2 lateral cordons on the top wire from which the fruiting branches will grow- To support those branches- and the fruits, there have to be additional wires several feet from the cordon wire to support that fruit. Presently, I don't have that type of support structure in place, and i also don't think I have a Male vine for pollination - although I have several plants that have not produced flowers this year-
I did contact Edible Landscaping in VA ediblelandscaping.com/- recommended by my daughter - and asked the young lady -Chris- who answered the phone if they had a male pollinator for the fuzzy kiwis- She said she didn't know what was still available, but I gave her my phone # and asked if she would check if she got the chance- That evening, she called and said that they did have a male pollinator for the Fuzzy Kiwi - $28.00 + $20 shipping- It would cost me that + in gas to travel that far----So I ordered the plant and should receive it next week.

We are planning to make a trip there in the next few weeks - Potentially, I would like to add several more varieties of hardy kiwis,
as I have just enough room for a few more plantings....and the Hardy Kiwis seem to be a good compliment to the grapes
This weekend I planted the Hardy Kiwi- purchased @ Atlantic Gardens in Raleigh
I unwrapped the intertwined vines- and found there were many multiple stems in the container- and only 1 flower bud showing -
Potentially this container holds both a male and female Hardy IssaI + MALE POLLINATOR---iMPOSSIBLE TO TELL Until it develops flowers-

The proper way to grow the Hardy Kiwi is the same as the conventional Fuzzy Kiwi- Develop a single stem up to a top wire and allow 2 shoots to go each way down the wire- becoming the 2 Cordons- From the cordons will develop the lateral fruiting branches

update- pruning started- overgrown and neglected:


Started at the end- pruning out and leaving only a primary stem (or 2 ) that will become the fruiting branches next year- will set a higher wire to develop the cordons on-

The Fig to the right will get those lower suckers thinned out- may leave a few growing for air layering/rooting this season...





Pomegranite flower bud :



A few days ago I raised one of the potato bags higher- I thought I was careful in the process -but apparently I did something to damage the green growth stems-
Hope they can recover...The bag on the left the growth was slower- and was not raised- and the stems/leaves look perfectly healthy!



Plenty to do now that the drip irrigation materials have arrived!

[sd]

5-12-2022

KIWI RENIOVATION WAS ON THE DOCKET TODAY!

A Before Photo of the untrained and overgrown Kiwi vines-



Kiwi vines are supposed to have a single vertical stem- possibly 2- that extends up to a top wire @ 7'-
The vine is then supposed to be trained to branch out by pinching the leading growth, and allow the 2 new tip shoots to travel along both sides of the Top wire-
These 2 side shoots become "Cordons" that eventually get pinched to prevent continued growth along the top wire (assume 10' each way from the main vertical stem for a 20' vine) and then these cordons will develop side shoots that become the fruiting branches-

ThaNKS to YouTube for the "education" - What a resource if you are patient enough!

Since i think most of this 50' long row of Kiwis is at least 7 years old, and I was initially trying to grow as I would grape vines; I had set a 3' middle wire, and a 6' top wire- The thinking -at the time- that i would train the grape vines on both wires .... I don't know that i ever viewed You tube 7 ears ago- likely not- unfortunately, my approach was flawed- With the many videos out today- some good, some not so much- The commercial growers have a canopy approach- while the residential grower of a single vine will need at least a male vine as well for pollination-
In this row of vines, I thought I had planted a male vine- potentially even twice- but i have several plants that have not produced flowers yet- potentially one is a male - out of sequence in flowering with the females -
Today, I elected to accomplish 2 things- To properly thin out the Kiwis, and to provide a top support (wire?) ....
Initially, I was going to use a strong galvanized wire I found in a roll in the shed----But i then noticed that one of the end posts was clearly leaning in... and would have to be set deeper into the ground and concreted in to get it plumbed up straight.
As i went to one of the sheds, I realized I had another option- I had some 10' tall commercial chain link piping, as well as several top rails 20' long- Been stacked up and unused for the past 15 years m or so..,..Go figure- Is that not why i kept all this leftover commercial material- for some unknown future use? I set a string line between the 2 end posts, took a Post driver (lifesaver) and drove the 1st 10'post about 3' into the ground...about 5' inside of where the last Kiwi was planted. about 12' away, i drove a 2nd post- and set a top post guide- Inserted the 20' top rail and slid it onto the top of the post in the guide- and then onto the 2nd post- Repeated for post #3 and #4, added the top rail with the Lolos help, and joined the 2 together-
This provides me a 40' span of top rail that i can elect to tie a support cable below- or tie directly to...

I thinned out the vines, and trimmned off almost all of the growth that would not reach the top rail- and tied the top rail and future cordons- with the survey ribbon....
I kept a few of the lower vertical vine shoots for possible air layering in pots-
I tied the vines vertically, attached to the top rail, and trimmed off all of the lower growth- the vine spacing is way too close together- and at several vines, I have multiple uprights that i will try to air layer and reduce down to a single vertical vine...


The thinning out is certainly dramatic- and taking off all side growth from the vine except for the upper top rail cordons makes it look weak- but this pushes the growth to developing the top rail cordon and side shoots-


A zoom in view on the top rail shows the flowers that are blooming presently

5-12-2022



During the growing season, the side fruiting shoots will try to develop- I will have to have a support pipe and framework for those - a continuation of this project- along with acquiring a male pollinator- which I appear to lack....

[sd]

5-13-2022-
Plenty of yard & garden works-
I had collected a lot of Nandina red berries- and had also kept last year's crop in a back room refrigerator- to stratisfy the seeds needing a period of chilling -
Very slow to germinate....but Nandinas are tough, drought tolerant, evergreen, and deliver large clusters of red berries in the Fall, and hold them through the winter, dropping them in the spring---
Seeds I have scattered along the North fence Line over the past 2 years have grown well, and will make a hedge row-
I collected a large qty of the Nandina seeds this year , and also harvested a lot of mahonia seeds before i cut the Mahonias back lower-
I had planted some Nandina starts along the South and East fence lines, and today scattered additional Nandina and Mahonia seeds along the N, E,West fence lines- expecting them to eventually grow and make a fairly substantial hedge row /wind break in the next few years...
I had spread some compost along part of the fence lines , a band about 18" wide , dropped the seeds into the compost, and then covered with wheat straw to retain moisture and aid in germination- It should prove to be an impressive mixed hedge, evergreen, and with the variation of the 2 plant varieties, add some year round color-
I did this for about 400' of fence lines- and then, i scattered seeds outside of the fenced area along the entry drive-
OK, this will take 4-5 years to fully develop- but I'm willing to be patient...and expect to see the end results!






Cleaned up and thinned out some of the Figs




These are Fun times- No Stress, No Worries- Just curious as to how the end results will reveal themselves

[sd]

5-14-2022

The day was spent working on the new drip irrigation system- Dividing the watering into 4 scheduled separate zones, the intent is to allow time for the well to 'recover' between waterings....Unlike using city water, we have a well that normally has adequate water recovery- but cannot be run at full flow for extended periods- the recovery is supposed to be 5 gallons/minute- or 300 gallons/hour - but I think we have a slower recovery rate-

So..... I'm using some 1/4" drip emitters that are located 12" oc. (on center) that are supposed to emit .5 gallons/hour ....By adding up the number of emitters in a length of dripper line, I should be able to approxomate the amount of gallons used- over a period of time-
I also purchased a water flow meter that i can put into the individual zones to see how much water is used over a period of time- This will measure gallons of water that will be discharged in each zone over a period of time-
I also have a 4 water valve assembly, that will allow me to program 4 different zones that can be turned open 1-4 times a day.
While not yet ready to tie in the 2 areas I have roughly plumbed in with 1/2" supply lines and the 1/4" supply tubing, followed by the 1/4" emitters.
That will be tomorrow's project- .

Zone 1 will take care of the peppers, ( 3 rows of 1/4" tubing- with emitters @ 12") The A frame 8 planter style boxes (80 lf.), The pomegranite , the 2 potato bags,
and the tomato bed. Approxomately 100 lf of 12" emitters @ .5 gallons/hour+ = 50 gallons of water per each hour that zone is active- This is a guess, and i will use the water meter to monitor how many gallons occur over a specific period of watering- In the A frame, I had installed 50 lf of emitters @ 6" using tubing i had purchased last year- I may have to install an in line valve to reduce the flow to the A frame- the goal is to keep the moisture level at a relative constant- \ and not over draw the supply to the well.
It will be a learning process depending on how hot the weather becomes-

It has taken a fair ammount of time to do the preliminary install of the 1/2" SUPPLY LINE, followed by the 1/4" supply lines dropped down to the planting containers, then followed by connecting the 1/4" drip emitter lines....
So,,the project continues for at leat another day ....

Zones 3 & 4 to be continued tomorrow.....

Once the 4 zones are plumbed in, I will need to tie them in to the valve control with the apprpriate spacing for water to turn on, check the duration, and times this occurs each day-

Is this worth the effort considering the time and the cost versus buying at the market? It's almost impossible to beat the mass marketed food supply market -
But there is a certain sense of self sustainability in growing a portion of one's food supply and to not be totally reliant on the local supermarket-

Granted, my scale is small, Hobbyist level, but it is proving to be an interest as well as a challenge.....
A salad for lunch/dinner today; along with some grilled chicken sliced in- Not too shabby!..

In the last year and a half- since retiring, we've moderated our lifestyle- Just 2 primary meals- Breakfast 9 am, Lunch/supper 2 pm.....

Breakfast is an egg-white omlet with the various add ins that lolo tosses in, along with a serving of oatmeal/apple,,, and lunch/supper varies- Today was a salad from the garden -along with some chicken that was grilled previously....

And Yes, Today was a Good Day! Weather was cloudy and moderate, and I had my challenges to get ahead on the irrigation projet.
almost 1/2 way there in the physical set up ....

[sd]

GARDEN FRIEND:
We have quite a few of these critters to help keep the insect population down- Wish they would eat June bugs...

When scared, they swell up a reddish fin under their throat to scare away the s

5-15-2022- Had to make a trip back to Home Depot for additional fittings - Home depot carries the Rain Bird brand for irrigation- and i think the Rain bird 1/2" supply line is a bit thicker than the DIG irrigation piping I ordered online.
On several runs of irrigation, I am extending the main line further, but with in line valves so that I can potentially isolate some sections of the line, and possibly alternate the watering....

[sd]

5-20-2022 - This week we helped our youngest daughter in her raised bed gardens with some vertical supports for the tomatoes, and a wire mesh vertical support for the cucumbers .
The advantage of planting in the raised beds versus in the ground, is the ease of access- beds are elevated, and you don't have to get down on your knees- Plus, no issues with moles/voles/ and many insects already in the ground .

One disadvantage though, are those plant varieties -like indeterminate tomatoes and cucumbers; -that can grow, and grow, and grow-at least 8 feet above the planting level, and even more.....and that also need vertical supports-

For the cucumbers- growing in the Ikea bags , we simply drove 2 pieces (5' long0 of 5/8" rebar into the ground at a slight sloping angle.
We had cut some bamboo from behind her store- The bamboo varied- but much of it was 2" in diameter and 25' + tall.
We cut the bamboo into 8' heights, and slid the bamboo over the rebar- We tied some bamboo cross members across the 2 verticals, and attached the rebar mesh vertically up to 7' height, and then allowed the top rebar to bend horizontaqlly- This will allow the cucumberw to climb vertically seeking the sunlight, get good ventilation, and the cucumbers will hang down below the mesh- easy to see and to pick--

We constructed a similar vertical support for the tomatoes- with 2 vertical uprights, and a cross member at 7' height-and then at the next raised bed 4' away, we duplicated the supports, and then attached galvanized 6x6 wire mesh across the top- We set wire supports in the garden bed to the upper cross member, where our daughter will train to tomato stem to follow with some surveyor ribbon loosly tied, and once the plant exceeds the top cross member, it will be bent down to horizontally cross on the overhead wire mesh.
Since she is carrying our future grandson, we don't want her on a ladder to harvest tomatoes..!!!

[sd]

5-22-2022 A Sunday, weather warm, a truck bed full of landscape mix, and a Male Kiwi that needs to be planted-
I decided I would plant the Male Kiwi in a space between the row of female Kiwis, and the westerly row of muscadine grape vines...
This will have the male Kiwi about 5' from the females , but the row of females are in a bermed up row, held in place by a layer of fabric to prevent erosion , and the ground steps down lower going to the row of grapes-

After selecting the location for the Male Kiwi, I removed the mulch on the bermed area, and removed the fabric material from that part of the "berm" that will be contained within the new plant bed area for the Male Kiwi-
The "Berm" I am referring to is simply a 2' high raised area in the yard on a sloping hillside

Then, Because the ground was 16" lower , I made a 3 sided enclosure back to the bermed up area using some mix of concrete blocks. If this was to be an architectual area, I would have purchased some retaining wall decorative block- but - it's not and I 'm frugal and recycling some of my accumulated construction materials.
Once I had 2 courses of the block in place, and before filling in with dirt, I took some non-woven geo-textile fabric, and i lined the inside of the concrete block with the fab ric, and turned the bottom 6" in towards the area tio be infilled with the landscape mix-
This fabric will prevent the small soil particles from washing out through the joints in the concrete blocks due to rain over the years... essential-
You could essentially accomplish the same thing by using a heavier weed block fabric on the inside of the raised bed, remebering to turn the bottom of the fabric in 6" or so , and placing the soils on top of that.


Filled that with 6 or 7 wheelbarrow loads of landscape mix- (a bit of topsoil mixed with a lot of compost-)



I added peat moss and a bag of composted cow manure- and some perlite for drainage- and a few worms found in the mulch pile-


Will continue this tomorrow perhaps, because today has caught up with me tonight!

Completing the concrete block support walls:


The final planting of the male Kiwi in the landscape mix - a top layer of wood mulch about 1.5" thick for the worms to work on, then the weed block fabric, and additional mulch-
It is not recommended to give any substantial fertilizer when 1st planting- I sprinkled a small amount of blood meal over the area (nitrogen) but not too close to the plant-



We completed a final ring of drip irrigation around the Kiwi , and a wider outer loop to irrigate the perimeter of the planting area. I am using 1/4" tubing that has .5 GPH (gallons per Hour) emitters that are 12" on center.
As seen in the photo, there is a ring of the tubing approx 18" in diameter, that then also extends to make a larger outer ring...about 3' in diameter to provide moisture to the larger oputer area . With the layer of mulch used to prevent evaporation, once hydrated , maintaining the soil moisture should be fairly
easy to maintain.
In addition, we installed a single line of 12" emitters along the existing Kiwis-

[sd]

5-23-2022

LOLO and I prepping the support wire for the Raspberry bed-


The galvanized wire is elevated ab out 3' above the raspberry bed- The canes will grow vertically and we will guide them to stay within the wire squares-
Since we only have a few raspberry plants coming up through the mulch, I also planted some squash plants along the edge of the bed, and will potentially train the squash to grow vertically, and then horizontally across the top wire mesh.


Hey Guys & Gals, - How many are lucky enough to have a spouse like LOLO that knows how to use a pair of sidecutters to manage that 9 Gauge wire?



we've got a few green Raspberry shoots poking up through the mulch- Not very impressive -yet-


The Squash plants that are mixed in with the raspberries are just starting to get acclimated....

[sd]

DRIP IRRIGATION- WITH A TIMER-

As we are almost complete with the drip irrigation system- some of it using the old Rain Bird existing tubing, and a good amount using new supply tubing; On my initial trip to the local Home Depot, they were low on supplies, so I went on line to order new supply tubing, 1/4" tubing, and drip emitter tubing- I also got great on-line buys of emitter connectors -
In assembling the different tubings, I have found that it is really essential to soak the end of the tubings in a thermos of hot (almost boiling) water to make it more flexible and to slide onto the fittings.

In Hindsight, I would have used all tubing and fittings from the same source - potentially Rain Bird- through Home Depot- or a Rain Bird supplier-
The pvc fittings are easier to assemble- and the tubing may not have to be immersed in hot water to become flexible enough to slide onto the barb fitting. the tubing is also thicker and likely will last much longer- My old existing tubing is Rain Bird- and has been exposed to the elements for many years- perhaps +7 or maybe even longer....but has not been used in recednt years...
There is some small amount of leakage around some of the 1/4" taps that are existing- but overall, this tubing has been exposed for years in the sun and elements and has held up quite well overall- but is due to be replaced ...

The 1/2" supply tubing in 500' rolls is under $60.00- Similarly, the 1/4" supply tubing that ties onto the 1/2" main supply is reasonable as well- and the individual dripper emitters and the various dripper supply lines are relatively inexpensive considering the longevity.\

The main component of the system is the 4 way valve assembly that allows me to turn on individual zones for periods of time I can set-
I have 4 different zones, and each zone can have up to 4 different durations of watering- Presently, I am setting each Zone to come on Daily- for 2 20 minute intervals a day...
What an absolute labor savor this will be!

[sd]

Now that the system connections are made, and the timer is programmed and everything appears to work properly, the sediment filter, hoses and timer assembly can be straightened up and secured in place. Since this is mounted on the exterior of the garden tool shed and is exposed to the temperatures,when winter approaches and the temps drop to freezing, The water supply will need to be drained, the meter disconnected, and the sediment filter drained. The hose connections are hand tightened, and unscrew easily.

Melnor makes battery operated valve timers with from 1 to 4 valves- This came in @ $60.00 ordered through Lowes
All of the connections are made so you simply connect with garden hose threads and not Pipe thread- -


www.lowes.com/pd/Melnor-4-Output-Port-Digital-Hose-End-Timer/1000551167?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-sol-_-ggl-_-LIA_SOL_242_Tools-Watering-Storage-Sheds-_-1000551167-_-local-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhLKUBhDiARIsAMaTLnHzvQ81EjfUHhfK3Tno1ZBDvCulUkDNau9pm6SOfeBqU0CGIszLWHQaAm0_EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Since I'm on a well, and sediment can get past the primary filter occaisionally, I added an inexpensive sediment filter with a 200 microns stainless steel filter - that also has a bottom valve to simply open to flush out if needed.


www.digcorp.com/irrigation-professional/screen-disc-filters/
For simplest installations, this filter comes listed as 3/4" FHT- (Female Hose Thread)
www.digcorp.com/professional-irrigation-products/3-4-fht-plastic-screen-filter/


I didn't pay close enough attention when I ordered and got the filter with MPT- (Male Pipe threads) so I had to get 2 rainbird irrigation fittings that allowed me to adapt from 3/4" Pipe thread to Hose Threads. Learning the difference in fittings between Hose thread and Pipe thread is pretty simple- Use Hose threads!

FHT is female Hose thread MHT is a Male Hose thread-
FPT is female Pipe Tread MPT is a Male Pipe Thread

This is the sediment filter with the valve open to clean the screen-
The white fitting on both ends of the filter is an adaptor that goes from 3/4" Male Pipe Thread to 3/4" Female Hose Thread- MPT/FHT -
I then cut a short section of garden hose, and using a hose repair male fitting, made 2 hoses with male threads on each end to receive the red garden hose supply.
This would have been unnecessary had I simply ordered the filter with the Hose fittings instead of Pipe threads!


Coming from the PVC main line with a section of garden hose to a in-line water meter-
There are several available, and this meter allows me to track both total gallons used and to see what is used in just one session.
The advantage of having a meter is to accurately determine how many gallons of water are being used in each individual irrigation zone-
I can turn on each individual zone using the manual feature on the Melnor timer, and run it for a specific period- say 5 minutes- and record how much water each zone uses in a 5 minute period- Because each zone has different amounts of drip irrigation lines, this will allow me to determine how long I want each watering period to run in each zone- presently I have the 4 zones programmed to each run for 20 minutes, 2x a day with a 3 hour period between zones to allow the well to recover.
So, If Zone 1 uses 12 gallons in 5 minutes, it will use 4 x 12 = 48 gallons in a 20 minute watering period.
Potentially, that duration may be reduced once i see how each area performs holding it's moisture- With everything having a layer of mulch, that moisture retention should perform well, and lesser amounts of irrigation should be possible. The meter will allow each zone to be watered up to 4 times per day- or to only be watered from every day to every 7 days...



The short 5' section of red hose is actually a washing machine hose connection- It has female fittings on each side-

The 2 black hoses connected to the Brass 4 way manual valve are used to supply water to the front yard and the back yard for manual watering- something we have to do daily when we run into dry periods... Watering of the front and back yard areas where we do not have irrigation lines set up can take up to an hour + each day.
By having the garden areas on irrigation with a timer system, this eliminates a large portion of the personal time needed daily.

Final assembly:

[sd]

5-24-2022-
Squash plants taking off!


1st yellow squash picked! Zucchini in a couple of days..

On the Grill:

This is Good! Squash seasoned w/Parsley, mozzarella cheese and seasoning, cole slaw, beans, and a couple of spicy sausages- Great Lunch!

[sd]

Updating some of the areas:

Thinning out one of the Figs to get an Espalier style framework:



Lolo's Happy flowers:


Sunflowers growing well




Chives flowering:



Nandina Flower Cluster


Nandina shrub with a 30' tall Mimosa in the background-
The Mimosa flower buds are just beginning to develop-
Mimosa structure is open, oriental looking-
Flowers are large and colorful



LEEKS Flowering:






Getting ready to drop the Baby:


Schefflera loves getting outside:



Hostas growing quickly!


Magnolia blossoms -Fresh lemon smell


A recently planted Fig shaded with weed block to prevent sun scorch-as it hardens off...



The Long View:

[sd]

Another Horrific shooting took place today at an Elementary school in Uvalde Texas- 14 young children dead ages 8,9,10 and so far one adult-
Just updated to 18 children and 3 adults- killed- as I write this-
Similar to the Sandy Hook school massacre several years ago- Columbine, Parkland- all schools-
50 people slaughtered in a night club in Florida a few years ago

This follows the Random shootings as recently as a gunman opening fire in a subway train in NYC,
A young 18 year old white teenager traveling to Buffalo NY to shoot 10 people -targeting those with Black skin-
Shootings at churches and mosques targeting those of different faiths

Random shootings occur in Many communities- often Gang related- and innocent bystanders are often the victims-
212 mass shootings so far this year!

This is our problem at a social level- "Gun Control" is itself not the solution, - but can certainly be examined Background and mental health checks should be universal..
The lack of respect for human life and violence seen as an outlet/solution by those that are feeling desperate and hateful- These are also the factors that need to be addressed on a social level- 50% increase in active shooting in the past year- 100% increase in the past 5 years- These are because of social issues, hate speech, and the Crap that people get focused on with internet Hate speech-
In the meantime, these events can occur at any Time, or at any Random Place....
The signs of mental health deterioration are a cry for help- until they are acted upon...
But being a victim of a Random Actor- just because you are in the right place at the wrong time- is such a unlikely variable- but it may occur-

Schools and places of worship should have armed defenders to be there in case Random shows up....and -as individuals, we have the opportunity -and responsibility - to take steps to be able to protect ourselves and our Family.

We buy insurance to protect ourselves from the unexpected- Fire- Flood, Accidents-

We need to also be prepared to personally defend ourselves from Random violence- in our home or when we are out in our community, or traveling...and - as unlikely as that occurrence will ever be- there is always that potential because Random is so variable....unplanned, unexpected-----


So, Personal Defense is one's personal responsibility ....

I would encourage Everyone to be prepared to Defend themselves at Home, at Work, at Church, or just simply traveling....From Random- however unlikely that Random and you will ever cross paths....for the unfortunate relative few, Random impacts and changes your life, and your family's . for the worse....

If allowed in your State, take a self defense concealed Carry class- and learn to be prepared to protect yourself from RANDOM- At any place, or any time it shows up...

An alternative source of Non-Lethal Self-Defense protection could potentially be with one of the products made by BYRNA-

byrna.com/collections/byrna-sd-xl-non-lethal-pepper-launchers/products/sd-xl-pepper-kit-ca-security-certified

I have a BYRNA SD-XL and LOLO and I were target practicing earlier this week







The pros and cons-
Using a non-lethal instrument like the Byrna- reduces the indecision in choosing to pull the trigger in self-defense-
The deterrent is a gas/pepperspray/ tear gas that one knows will not be fatal, but may incapcitate the intruder/attacker-

Conversely, if the target is not hit and the tear gas/pepper spray not employed, an attacker will continue his offense.


The burned and glazed wood table was done by my youngest daughter as a Birth Day gift . (or was it Father's Day???)

The process she uses is a variation of the Shou Sugi Ban- a japanese technique of wood burning, brushing off the charred wood, staining/oiling to enhance the natural grains and to preserve the wood.
www.realmilkpaint.com/blog/tips/sealing-shou-sugi-ban-tung-oil/
She also employed the additional steps of using different stains and glazes to make a unique-one of a kind - work of art..

[sd]

Another Horrific shooting took place today at an Elementary school in Uvalde Texas- 14 young children dead ages 8,9,10 and so far one adult-
Just updated to 18 children and 3 adults- killed- as I write this-
Similar to the Sandy Hook school massacre several years ago- Columbine, Parkland- all schools-
50 people slaughtered in a night club in Florida a few years ago

This follows the Random shootings as recently as a gunman opening fire in a subway train in NYC,
A young 18 year old white teenager traveling to Buffalo NY to shoot 10 people -targeting those with Black skin-
Shootings at churches and mosques targeting those of different faiths

Random shootings occur in Many communities- often Gang related- and innocent bystanders are often the victims-
212 mass shootings so far this year!

This is our problem at a social level- "Gun Control" is itself not the solution, - but can certainly be examined Background and mental health checks should be universal..
The lack of respect for human life and violence seen as an outlet/solution by those that are feeling desperate and hateful- These are also the factors that need to be addressed on a social level- 50% increase in active shooting in the past year- 100% increase in the past 5 years- These are because of social issues, hate speech, and the Crap that people get focused on with internet Hate speech-
In the meantime, these events can occur at any Time, or at any Random Place....
The signs of mental health deterioration are a cry for help- until they are acted upon...
But being a victim of a Random Actor- just because you are in the right place at the wrong time- is such a unlikely variable- but it may occur-

Schools and places of worship should have armed defenders to be there in case Random shows up....and -as individuals, we have the opportunity -and responsibility - to take steps to be able to protect ourselves and our Family.

We buy insurance to protect ourselves from the unexpected- Fire- Flood, Accidents-

We need to also be prepared to personally defend ourselves from Random violence- in our home or when we are out in our community, or traveling...and - as unlikely as that occurrence will ever be- there is always that potential because Random is so variable....unplanned, unexpected-----


So, Personal Defense is one's personal responsibility ....

I would encourage Everyone to be prepared to Defend themselves at Home, at Work, at Church, or just simply traveling....From Random- however unlikely that Random and you will ever cross paths....for the unfortunate relative few, Random impacts and changes your life, and your family's . for the worse....

If allowed in your State, take a self defense concealed Carry class- and learn to be prepared to protect yourself from RANDOM- At any place, or any time it shows up...

An alternative source of Non-Lethal Self-Defense protection could potentially be with one of the products made by BYRNA-

byrna.com/collections/byrna-sd-xl-non-lethal-pepper-launchers/products/sd-xl-pepper-kit-ca-security-certified

I have a BYRNA SD-XL and LOLO and I were target practicing earlier this week



The Byrna
SD-XL- is a non-lethal CO2 powered launcher that shoots kinetic (hard plastic) 68 cal rounds, but also shoots Pepper spray rounds, and tear gas rounds- that ideally would incapacitate a potential assailant-
One also has the option in some states to carry a lethal weapon in a concealed carry - Each state is different-
The Byrna is legal and does not require a permit to carry in any State-

It shoots a projectile hard plastic round - 68 calibar- and the combo projectiles include a pepper spray as well as a combo pepper spray and tear gas spray are designed to incapacitate a potential attacker/intruder. Non-lethal- and if the intruder has a weapon, perhaps the best defense should be that one also has a lethal weapon-
As an option that is potentially effective , non-lethal- and allowed when one travels across State lines, the BYRNA is a less lethal -self-defense tool that one can consider to carry to combat Random -should it occur....
The LOLO has a 386 and a carry conceal license-but also can practice shooting the Byrna-in the yard -


The Byurna SD XL (Self Defense extra long) (No connection to my SD handle SD)

Basic Kit- Carry Bag; SDXL ; 2 -5 shot magazines; 3 types of projectile rounds- a 5 pack - Kinetic- (hard plastic .68 Cal-) ; White Powder- (target shooting); 5 Pepper spray rounds-
Additionally- I also ordered a 5 pack of the MAX rounds which includes a combination of Tear Gas and Pepper Spray ($35.00 extra) and i ordered a 95 count jar of the grey kinetic projectiles for target practice, and also a pack of CO2 cartridges- (Walmart 12 gram CO2 cartridges also work)
The Byrna comes in different colors- I intentionally ordered the safety Orange so Law enforcement would realize I am not carrying a lethal weapon.





The SD XL allows a 12 gram cartridge vs the SD 8 gram- which allows for 25 shots on one cartridge- Note the magazines only hold 5 shots each....
The size of both the SD and SDXL chassis are the same- and fairly large- with the XL having the cartridge extension at the end of the barrel, adding 3/4" to the length-
Because the CO2 chamber is below the barrel, the overall thickness of the barrel without a laser sight is large-
This is a resource for a Holster to fit the specific Byrna models along with any accessories - ex laser light-

shadowdefensive.com/collections/byrna-hd-line

The projectiles shoot at 300 FPS-
Considering this as a legal, non lethal, self-defense instrument in all 50 states- No license required-
Of course, if an assailant has a gun, one is clearly outmatched---
The grey- hard kinetic projectiles would deter most assailants-
The gas cartridges and pepper spray will burst on impact- but what if the assailant is wearing a heavy winter insulated jacket?
Hmmm, those could potentially absorb the impact without the projectile bursting-
Since the pepper spray and the tear gas burst and make a chemical cloud, striking an object - next to an intruder would disperse the gas-
and just one inhale of the product would potentially be enough to make that person turn away-
Comes with a Picatinny rail to mount a laser...
One criticism is that the trigger pull is long, and

A lot of Youtube videos demonstrate the Byrna- and fun to watch the reaction of some that are willing to get "shot"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K5mv03oBG4

This one has a guy taking a single shot with the Byrna Max:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1k97G3hg6M&t=339s

In our home, should we have a potential intruder- (think Burglar) ; I would use the BYRNA 1st to discourage the intruder-
and the LOLO has the lethal 380 back-up should it prove necessary to go to that level.

Since the Byrna is not a firearm, (It is a Launcher) it is also allowed to be carried in those places that guns are not allowed- and one does not have to have a concealed carry permit to do so. (Verify with your own State)

Once i order the laser, I will have to get the proper holster-from Shadow...About $75.00
In the interim, I cut the lower closed stitch on this $18.00 Walmart holster that allows the barrel to slide through-and works for the short term...

[sd]

5-25-2022
Today, the weather was cooler, and Cloudy-
Focus was on building a support for the male Kiwi- for it's future growth-
I drove 4 each 10' fence rail posts in to the ground, topping out @ 6'-3" about 5' from the row of female Kiwis-



The Stake Driver tool was essential in being able to do this-