This is not frequent but cost me a lot of money to learn about it. My LT-155 behaved similarly. When the problem started I would make two trips around the half acre and the tractor would die. After fussing with it for a few minutes I could get it started and finish the yard. By the time I called the dealer, It would started run a short time and then not started until the next day when we would go through the same thing. Prior to getting the dealer involved, I had checked everything I could think of including the vent on the gas tank, all of the interupt switches, gas flow etc. After several trips to the dealer, they replaced the condenser in the ignition system and all was well in nuttle land but with a little less cash.

I had to get rid of a couple of oak trees - bur and mexican white oak because of terrible root system- That's after 2-3 years in the ground and they were still shifting around. They started out as 5g size. I thought I had fixed girdling/circling roots but obviously not as I couldn't see them deeper than what I could fix. Seems oaks do worst in smooth sided containers compared to some tree species.

I found out the same things about my bulbs by almost killing a couple of them with kindness, as the saying goes... I tend to hover, water too soon, and I was growing them in the wrong type of medium! I also know now that I could have gotten a lot more out of them if I would have fed them better! I have since switched to a mixture of coco coir and vermiculite, with a handful or two of good potting soil added for body and texture... I bought a water meter, have several types of fertilizers available, and supplement the natural window light with a couple of hours extra from some grow lights... although, I do need better grow lights. The weird thing is... I've had a $3 Minerva bulb for years and years... I thought I was treating it poorly, neglecting it as I did... but I found out, with the help of all my friends here on the forum, that I was doing just fine! I, personally, think that some hybrid varieties are more sensitive than others, or have a genetically inferior immune system... some bulbs just seem to be more prone to rot, and tend to not recover from an over-watering as easily as some other bulbs... It is my thought that the reason the 3 most commonly sold bulbs ARE the most common, is that they are the strongest, genetically speaking... they are easier for the average person to grow without too much trouble... It's not that they're the most beautiful, or the largest, or anything like that... it's that they are tough, and can take a bit of abuse without giving up the ship, so to speak... Those are my opinions, but from what I've been through with my first Minerva and my first Apple Blossom, and adding to that the fact that we've been the top breeder of Performance American Bulldogs for the last 25 years in this country... I have a bit of experience with how genetics work... If you look closely at the big picture, you notice that most new flowers, and not just Hippeastrums, are more beautiful but not as hardy or tough as their ancestors. Most growers, not all but most, are thinking in terms of units sold, not of creating a better plant! Breeding tends to go the way of larger flowers, brighter and new colors, etc... all aimed at selling more units! They aren't necessarily breeding toward stronger plants, better root systems, higher immunity to diseases that afflict bulbs... I am actually not doing right by my bulbs in breeding them together with color and petal shape in mind... what I should be doing is observing which varieties are the strongest and healthiest... and working first with those to keep those attributes, and then work toward color and shape... aesthetics are nice, but not if the plant can't survive! In breeding dogs, we know that "form follows function"... that's a little tougher to translate into the plant world! Anyway... getting back to the original idea, which was how close to orchid growing, bulb growing is... I only have 2 orchids, and the Phal is not doing so good... but after visiting the orchid forum, and reading a very long diatribe about Phal culture and newbies, I discovered that I'm probably not allowing it to dry out enough between waterings... and that placing a wooden skewer into the medium to be used as a moisture gauge may save its life! I wouldn't place Hippeastrum culture that close to orchid culture, but then, I haven't had enough time with orchids to know... you may be very right, Blayz! I do know one thing for sure, though... a little neglect can actually help Hippeastrums in the long run, and I'm speaking mainly of the hybrids... over-watering or wet roots has probably killed more bulbs than all other ways they can possibly die, combined! I have more to say on the subject, but I'll let it rest right there for now... as everyone knows, I'm a novelist when it comes to posting, but a novice when it comes to the perfect culture of Hippeastrums... every bulb I have ever bought or received is alive, so I must be doing alright... getting them all to bloom next year will tell me how "alright" I'm doing!

This is my 4 year old 30” Platinum which needs to be cleaned. DH stir fryed in the wok on the front left burner tonight and last night he seared 2 steaks. Usually we do the steaks outside on the grill but we had heavy rain and wind. We cook every day and aren't too concerned with keeping it spotless. I'm sure you can see the grease spots and crumbs which will clean up easily. I'll probably take the grates off tomorrow and wash them in the sink with Dawn. I don't think the cast iron has developed unsightly discoloration. There are some scratches on the stainless front which happened recently. I tried to move a hot, heavy cast iron skillet and could only use one hand - the other hand was sprained and I ended up setting the skillet on the front bib. We also have a 6month old 30" RNB at our vacation home on an island. I'll post a photo but that one doesn't get the heavy use that this one does. Having trouble posting photos - I'll try again.